Recall the maxim attributed to Tacitus, the Roman historian: Success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan.

Politicians, seemingly, can’t help themselves. In the bad times of runaway murder rates, they point the blame at everyone else, but as inroads are being made against the murderers, they’re suddenly patting themselves on the back.

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness got the ball rolling last Saturday, giving his Administration credit for the impressive drop in murders, notably the 35 per cent decline during the first quarter of this year.

Dr Holness, speaking at Manchester Chamber of Commerce’s awards banquet, derided all those who wanted to take credit for the performance of the police under his Government.

“In murders, we saw a decline by nine per cent in 2023. People scoffed at it. In 2024 we saw a decline of 19 per cent and some people said, ‘Well maybe this is just a flash in the pan,’ and year-to-date we are seeing a 35 per cent decline; and now I am seeing everybody want to come and take credit for it,” said Dr Holness.

This week, it is the turn of the Opposition’s citizen security spokesman and former National Security Minister Mr Peter Bunting.

“Now that elections are imminent, Dr [Horace] Chang and the prime minister have suddenly ceased seeking to imitate authoritarian leaders and are now shamelessly copying the PNP’s approach of balancing crime control with crime prevention through social investments,” Mr Bunting said in a press statement Tuesday.

Truth be told, politicians should be the last to take credit for any progress the country is making in reducing murders and other major crimes. We must never forget the contribution made to crime by the two major parties in their quest to win elections by unleashing thugs on opposing sides and fostering garrison constituencies.

Those very thugs and hoodlums eventually morphed into gangs, drug dealers, and murderers who had Jamaicans quaking and scared off potential investors, including our nationals who wanted to return home to retire or start businesses.

Lest we forget, they corrupted the police force, causing the populace to be afraid to produce vital information against criminals while offering shelter for untouchable area leaders and dons.

No amount of killings or travel advisories against poor Jamaica could cause the two political parties to remain at the Vale Royal talks on a national approach to fight crime, supported by the Church, private sector, civil society, and other peace entities.

Even now while the police, under current Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake, are cleaning up the image of the force, and cleaning up the streets of the murderers, the populace as a whole continues to have the perception that crime is worse now than ever, according to the latest Statistical Institute of Jamaica National Crime Victimisation Survey Report.

“A total of 88.6 per cent of respondents perceived an increase in crime in Jamaica when comparing 2022 to 2023. This represents a growing perception of a rise in criminal activities in Jamaica, as 76.5 per cent of respondents had the perception that crime increased when comparing 2018 to 2019,” the report showed.

As we said Tuesday in this space, any credit for progress on the crime front is due to the long-suffering Jamaican people who have sacrificed much and are supporting the overworked and underpaid men and women of the police force.