We can admit that our constant harping in this space about the futility of achieving a serious dent in crime without the political parties coalescing on the issue risks being ad nauseam.

That does not mean that we are cynical or pessimistic, but we have seen over many years that all the major initiatives to tame the crime monster have come to nought, millions of dollars blown up, and much-cherished hopes dashed.

The latest example of whistling in the wind regarding the nation’s approach to fighting crime is to be seen in last week’s report by the Crime Monitoring Oversight Committee (CMOC) which just seem to be at their wits’ end.

After concluding that the original consensus on crime which they worked so hard to get on paper has been all but in vain, the CMOC stakeholders have come up with an updated national consensus that “is expected to be presented to the political directorate to be signed off shortly”.

We don’t like to say it, but this, like the old consensus, will go nowhere, and in another few years the CMOC will be redrafting a new one and presenting it to be signed by the political parties, because there is no will to do what is necessary.

Agreeing to take crime out of the partisan arena and unite the people around a common agenda is the last great thing the parties can contribute to the fight against crime in Jamaica.

If supporters of the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) lock arms and work with the security forces to give up the criminals in their communities, we would have begun the real fight against crime.

With a united country against the gunmen it would bring to an end the crippling fear associated with the “informa fi ded” culture and the brazenness of the criminals in their belief that they can maim and kill at will.

But the parties do not have the stomach to do this, given their long history of harbouring and giving succour to political thugs. Their garrison constituencies are too vital to their success at the polls for them to cut the political toughs loose.

All the evidence we have seen so far suggest that the political parties cannot be relied upon to lead the fight against crime. The CMOC, therefore, will have to decide how long they will continue to abide the party leaders and their empty words.

They will also need to give serious thought to the one thing that might force the parties to come together
— the suggestion by social policy researcher and Citizens’ Rights to the City representative Ms Carol Narcisse, who called on the private sector to shut down funding to the two major political parties “until they have a serious consensus on crime”.

“The private sector is going to be called upon to finance their respective campaigns, and so I think that there is a leverage that we have at this point to say that, absolutely, ahead of our support going into the [impending] election… I think if we lose this opportunity we will be talking to ourselves ad infinitum,” Ms Narcisse said.

Thus far, the private sector has been reluctant to take that step, one that has been mooted often enough. We are not clear on the basis of that reluctance and we should not have to speculate.

For the sake of our beloved country, they should do so now.