Dear Editor,

I fail to see why any well-thinking Jamaican would take issue with the Opposition leader highlighting the Government’s failures in addressing the unrelenting spike in murders, and alerting the electorate to the need to consider their security and well-being when making a decision on for whom to cast a vote.

That is precisely what he should be doing. And, as voters, we need to closely examine the performance of the Government and weigh that against the past performances and current proposals of those forming the Opposition.

Any suggestion that the Opposition leader is being irresponsible in his comments regarding the spike in murders, and that he may be threatening the electorate with criminality, is at best misguided and disingenuous. Are those who make such a claim not mindful of the Opposition leader’s constitutional duty to scrutinise and vigilantly oversee the actions of the Government?

If it is that people are uncomfortable with the statistics, they need to come to grips with the reality of the situation, instead of seeking to muzzle Andrew Holness. Indeed, what they should do is preoccupy themselves with holding the Government to account and take them to task in seeking to ensure that they effectively address the nation’s crime problem, rather than making spurious claims about irresponsible platform utterances.

As discomforting and unsettling as it is for the Government, it does not help for it to turn a blind eye to its stark failure to effectively combat the frightening increase in murders since the start of the year. Instead of trying to drag a red herring across the trail and distract the public from the concerns that abound regarding our general safety and security, Peter Bunting would be better served focusing on policies and initiatives to reduce incidents of murder in the society.

Kimberly Rowe

kimberlyrowe3@gmail.com