Dear Editor,

I have a good friend of many years. We talk a lot, laugh a lot, and yes, argue a lot. That’s what good friends do.

Last week we got to talking about the state of crime in Jamaica. He complained about the arrogance and brutality of the criminals, the helplessness of the police, the apathy of the courts.

He suggested that I write a letter calling for the resignation of the Police Commissioner Antony Anderson for his inability to quell the crime spree. I asked him who should be the replacement for the post.

Silence!

It was his silence that has now motivated me to write this letter. Everybody loves to complain: Government not doing this, prime minister not doing that. That ‘nuh’ right, this wrong. The griping is echoed around the country on social media, on verandahs, and in watering holes across the country.

But when solutions are proffered, they are shot down by naysayers and pessimists and purveyors of doom and gloom: This can’t work; that won’t do; it ‘nah’ go work. And they’ll give you a dozen reasons why your suggestion will not, cannot, will never work.

OK, so now what? What’s your suggestion?

Silence, again!

We need a new discourse in Jamaica. We need more conversations about new ideas, new approaches. We need conversations about innovative solutions to our problems.

Where are the voices of our private sector leaders, our church leaders, our Diaspora? Where are the opinions of our civic groups, our professional associations, and yes, even our parent teachers’ associations? Where are their ideas, their suggestions, their solutions.

How can we start these conversations in our streets, in our markets, in our schools and churches, at dinner parties? How can we stir up solutions-based conversations at the community level and the national level?

There is no doubt that we need new solutions because the current ones don’t seem to be working. Now is the time for all of us to play our part in helping to find them.

Sheldon Neil

Defensive Solutions Jamaica

defsol_ja@yahoo.com