Every time I visit my beloved country Jamaica I’m more convinced that it has become a failed State. It is very painful for me to say this. I may be wrong, but nothing seems to be working right in the country. There has been a complete breakdown in law and order.

Both political parties take turns in mismanaging the country and its economy by mostly selling out the country’s assets to foreign interests for a song and a dance, while wasting the country’s meagre resources. The latest being the Oceana Hotel deal in downtown Kingston. The Government of the day could have bought it and renovated it to house ministries, instead of paying exorbitant rent for uptown buildings.

The roads are in atrocious condition. There’s a Road Maintenance Fund in place from the gasoline tax, but does anyone see any real roadwork going on? There has been a lot of talk about the development of downtown Kingston. But that is just it; talk and no action. The Government of the day should lead the way by relocating all government ministries in proximity to Parliament, as well as the Police Commissioner’s Office.

No country can talk about prosperity without safety. And by all indications the country is definitely not safe. For example, over 100 people have been murdered in January, with no let-up in sight. Why? Because there’s no repercussion — just talk.

Another example, there are two criminal gangs that have been terrorising Spanish Town for years; each of them reportedly aligned to a political party. And they want us to believe that they are serious about crime! Both political parties started it with their garrisons and tribal politics, so both should come together and control it. Because of this, the country has become the divided parishes of Jamaica.

The biggest mistake that Prime Minister Andrew Holness made was trying to politicise crime when he said that the country would be safer under his regime. Who was he kidding? Some members of the Jamaican Diaspora are even scared to come home, fearing that they might be targeted.

The country is in a crime crisis, and telling us what we already know is not helping. In all fairness, the present Minister of National Security Robert “Bobby” Montague shouldn’t be blamed exclusively for the crime situation. He is, however, trying his best. Besides, he inherited the problem. And all his predecessors have failed at it, in my view.

The silent majority in the country, which include the media, the Church, academia, and the business community should come together and put pressure on the both the Government and the Opposition to curtail the crime monster that is plaguing the country and take it back from the criminals by all means necessary.

Jamaica is one of the countries where crime actually pays — a paradise for criminals. A guy walks up in the middle of the day and shoots or robs someone and walks away, no problem. Some disgruntled farm worker sets a cane field on fire, no problem. A truck drives up to a farm and its occupants steal a great amount of lifestock and farm products, no problem. And the list goes on. No arrests made, no accountability — go figure! At the very least the Government should seek England’s help in establishing closed-circuit television all over the island, as safety trumps privacy.

nlmworld@yahoo.com