What if the public got angry enough one day and decided to encircle the Parliament and blockade us all?

What if they said: “We will not let you out until you find solutions to stop the levels of violence rampant in our country…”

What if they said: “We will not let you out until you find solutions on how to make our income have more purchasing power.” Or, “We will not let you out until you find solutions to give us even one public hospital that gives us peace of mind.”

What if they said: “We will not let you out until you find a way as representatives to work together on our behalf.”

What if this happened? What would we do as a parliamentarian? Worry? Call in the army or police, then go on our way?

On the other hand, would we start considering people’s deep-seated desires and spend time giving them what they want?

When is enough really enough to get us to do something urgently?

I ask the questions because I sense the boiling point. Our citizens are in fear, traumatised, with palpable frustration, feeling that they can’t survive financially or physically.

This week the news broke that two students from Chetwood Memorial Primary School had been fatally shot as they travelled in a taxi on their way home. They were the unintended victims. Apparently, it was another passenger in the vehicle who was to be ‘taken out’ and the gunman decided to spray the vehicle with bullets.

When I heard this, my heart ached for the mothers who expected to see their children come home that evening, not imagining such a heinous reality.

The prime minister came to Parliament stating that the killing of both children was “barbaric” and “a most gruesome act”, while he urged us to “stand in condemnation”.

“It is important that each time that this happens we declare and reinforce that our nation does not stand for this; it doesn’t reflect us. I know that there can be some frustration because it has happened before. This would be the second time this year that I would have called upon the Parliament to make a statement,” he said.

How many times are we going to come to Parliament and bemoan, decry, and express condolence every time a child is killed? How many more children must die in Jamaica at the hands of criminals?

It seems we are hearing about incidents like this every day. According to the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Serious Crimes Report for January 1 to October 28, 2023, and the comparative period for 2022, on any given day in Jamaica (with the figures rounded) the daily averages are: Four individuals will be murdered, four will be shot, three will be robbed, two will be raped, and three will have their place broken into.

Consultant psychiatrist Dr Earl Wright asserts that Jamaica is paying a high price for the adverse environmental effects, which can include hopelessness, helplessness, joblessness, general poverty, extreme physical punishment, emotional abuse, exposure to ongoing violence, and inconsistent or no access to education, many of our children and people are experiencing, which is the leading cause of personality disorders in Jamaica.

Are we motivated as parliamentarians to do anything about violence in Jamaica?

As the prime minister was making his statement he saw the frustration and impatience on my face. I was uneasy and uncomfortable. “What’s gonna be different this time?” I kept asking.

When he was through, several of us, from both sides of the House, spoke on the matter. I had only three questions for the prime minister:

1) When was the National Commission on Violence Prevention, which he instituted in 2019, charged with implementable recommendations for effecting positive and relevant behavioural changes at all levels in society going to finish its work, and when would the report be ready?

2) What could we do as an urgent bipartisan effort to show the country we take solving crime and violence in Jamaica seriously?

3) Can we come together to fast-track outstanding pieces of legislation?

It was not the first time I had asked question one. It has been on my ‘playlist repeat’ every time I get on my feet in a matter like this.

The prime minister gave me the assurance that the commission, which Professor Maureen Samms-Vaughan chairs, would have their report ready this December and that it would be shared with Parliament.

The other questions weren’t significantly addressed, and I am still worried and unsettled.

I know the prime minister has many things on his plate, and I sympathise. Notwithstanding these, though, I urge him to drop everything and call all of us to Parliament for three to five days. We are to emerge from the House with a plan to solve violence in our country with the attendant legislation to match.

The Vale Royal talks are taking too long, and we are tired of seeing the post-PR pics. Call us to Parliament to do this particular work for the people we serve. Bring all the reports and the experts; let us make decisions together as one Parliament. Broadcast all the proceedings live to the general public so they are aware of the deliberations.

I’ve never felt more strongly about my country than I do. I don’t sleep well constantly thinking about the future of our children growing up in such a traumatic environment surrounded by ‘civil war’.

If the prime minister truly means “enough is enough”, then business as usual cannot be his mainstay. The killing and hurting of our people should not be a political issue. Tackling this violent crime culture requires the cooperation of all of us.

Therefore, he must use the Parliament effectively. Let both political parties press pause on the campaigning. The people are crying out, and it’s time we check our egos at the door and come together in a bipartisan moment for the best interest of our country.