Dear Editor,

We are just a few days into the third month of the year, but what is your assessment so far of the just over 60 days that we have witnessed? People are dropping like flies! The news has become extremely difficult to watch and read.

The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) revealed statistics in January that showed a meaningful decrease in major crimes compared to the corresponding period last year. But while we welcomed those figures, which are attributed to the robust and effective states of emergency (SOEs), we cannot pretend as though there isn’t a steady manifestation of bloodshed on our beloved island. There seems to be an uptick in domestic disputes, and most of these incidents end in bloodshed. Nobody stops to talk things over. The immediate reaction is to draw for a knife or a gun.

In addition to this, we hear of the many fatal road crashes, robberies, and fires that are taking place right across the country. What is concerning to me is that most of the victims and enablers are young men. Have we paused to think that our men are becoming extinct?

We have repeatedly asked for a crime plan, but what should it look like? Would it change much, either way? If family members are determined to fight over a piece of land and are adamant that one party must be taken out, what kind of intervention can the Government provide? If road users blatantly ignore the road code and end up losing their lives, what can the Government do? If young men purpose in their hearts to turn to criminality despite being given certain opportunities, who should we blame?

If the religious community calls for divine intervention, they are mocked for their belief in an unseen deity. But what else are we left to do as a country?

Should the Government get serious about crime and violence and employ the strategy used by El Salvador concerning gangs? What would our partisan human rights groups say?

We have sunk to a new low as a country, and the fall in ratings of the prime minister and Opposition leader in the recent Don Anderson poll is a testament of how we feel as a citizenry. Clearly, a trillion-dollar budget cannot buy our safety and guarantee our security.

Oh how we wish we could wake up in a better country one day; a country that also seeks to implement practical solutions to our water woes. Can you imagine when summer comes?

Come on, Jamaica, let’s fix our issues.

Oneil Madden

maddenoniel@yahoo.com