Many moons ago most Jamaicans were wont to settle their disputes by way of the courts; direct confrontation, which could get physical to the point of bloodshed; “pray God”, whereby the offended or adversely affected person would go down on his or her knees and urge the Almighty to bring down brimstone and fire on the offender; or a visit the Obeah man or woman.
In the case of the last mentioned, the Obeah man or woman would give the person a “big foot” or make them go mad (“duppy lick dem”). Today, notwithstanding Government’s efforts through the Ministry of Justice at establishing dispute resolution mechanisms, life has become very cheap as you can pay a “ghetto youth” a “little change” to make a “duppy”. This is called a contract killing or murder for hire, and it is fast becoming the new norm in Jamaica, land we love!
According to Wikipedia, “Contract killing (also known as murder-for-hire) is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another to kill a targeted person or people. It involves an agreement which includes some form of compensation, monetary or otherwise. It is an illegal agreement. Either party may be a person, group, or organisation. Contract killing has been associated with organised crime, government conspiracies, dictatorships, and vendettas.
“Contract killing provides the hiring party with the advantage of not having to carry out the actual killing, making it more difficult for law enforcement to connect the hirer with the murder. The likelihood that authorities will establish that party’s guilt for the committed crime, especially due to lack of forensic evidence linked to the contracting party, makes the case more difficult to attribute to the hiring party. A contract killer is colloquially known as a hit man. Contract killers who work for criminal organisations are often known as enforcers.”
Over the years we have had some presumed contract killings that shocked the entire nation. There was the infamous shooting to death in broad daylight of Ted Ogilvie, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Construction at his gate on January 8, 2013. Then there was the murder of the then Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) Chairman Douglas Chambers, who was gunned down by hoodlums as he wandered outside a depot to smoke a cigarette. Only this w

eek, a female employee of a major law firm in the Corporate Area was slaughtered in her vehicle along Washington Boulevard by two men riding on a motorcycle.
I don’t know about you, but right now I can say without any hesitation that I am very scared to move around in this beloved country of ours. One already has to contend with the reckless, undisciplined drivers on our roads or be wary that one is in the wrong place at the wrong time (collateral damage). Indeed, whenever I am in traffic, especially at a stop light intersection and a motorcyclist rides up revving his engine to an ear-shattering blast, as we say in Jamaican parlance, “cold sweat wash me!”
The sad truth is that the majority of us cannot afford to live in a gated community or are able to employ a full-time guard service. The only time I experienced such a luxury was when I was a Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives between 2012 and 2016. And even then my personal security officer used to jokingly say to me, “But Mr MP, you no fraid,” as I used to go about my business in reasonable comfort, unmolested and unafraid. Today, in 2024, it is a different story. To put it bluntly, “It sipple out deh!”
On Thursday, March 16, 2023 Prime Minister Andrew Michael Holness outlined in his budget presentation his Government’s action plan under the theme ‘Sowing S E E D S for Peace, Opportunity and Prosperity’. The acronym “SEEDS” embodies security; energy and environment; education and skills; development and infrastructure; and social partnership and unity. As the year came to an end, Prime Minister Holness, in his speech at the annual Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) conference, no doubt on reflection admitting privately to himself that he and his Administration has failed to tame the crime and violence monster, announced with much fanfare and gusto that he was contemplating setting up a new ministry to focus on reducing the levels of violence in the country. “We have commissioned a study, which we should get by the end of this year [2023], and when it comes in we are going to reorganise the government to create and bring all the agencies that deal with families, communities, social development, parenting, we are going to bring all of them together under one ministry. I’m thinking of calling it the Ministry of Peace…but maybe that won’t be the name,” the prime minister said.
Well, we are now in a new year and already the murder statistics are climbing ominously and there has been no definitive word from the goodly prime minister as to whether his latest pipe dream will, in fact, become a reality. He was quoted recently as saying that he is a man of his word and that he is not just into making announcements but making things happen. What with the impending local government election which may well be followed in short order by the general election, it behoves the prime minister to come clean on this pressing issue of security because the way things are going now, not even you, esteemed sir, are safe — except that you have the luxury of numerous bodyguards and other safety network resources. Just look what happened close to the entrance of Jamaica House on Hope Road recently when the son of a prominent private sector mogul was robbed and shot.
Have the S E E D S been or are they being sown, Prime Minister, or are we to continue to wait in vain? Is Rome burning while Nero fiddles? And amidst all the politicking on the hustings, will you and the Opposition Leader Mark Golding meet soon as promised to tackle this scourge of violence on an increasingly terrified nation? We wait with bated breath.

Lloyd B Smith has been involved in Jamaican media for the past 48 years. He has served as a Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. He hails from western Jamaica where he is popularly known as the Governor. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or lbsmith4@gmail.com.

Contract killings are becoming the new norm in Jamaica.