As we await the crime consensus
Dear Editor,
I take note of Prime Minister Andrew Holness’s latest call for political consensus to stem the ever-escalating crime wave in Jamaica.
For too many years the astronomical murder toll in Jamaica has statistically made this relatively tiny country the murder capital of the entire planet.
While the prime minister’s call for consensus between Government and Opposition is still regarded as timely and can certainly bear the desired fruit, note that however late in the day it may appear to some and despite some quarters resigning themselves to the belief that the horse has already bolted, this writer welcomes it.
Notwithstanding, I believe his call would signal far greater substance should he illustrate the trade-offs (maybe one, two, three, or four) which his Government is prepared to leverage in exchange for the Opposition’s buy in.
The very nature of consensus-building implies overtures which are genuine and backed by a spirit of effective bargaining, sweeteners, and give and take.
Only then can he and his party force the Opposition into acceptance and cooperation mode, whereby Opposition Leader Mark Golding would patently hurt himself and his party if he refused.
An eminent Jamaican, drawn from the business ranks, civil society, the clergy, or academia, should be called upon to head a bipartisan committee to drive the process with the utmost urgency.
There need not be overly lengthy consultations by such a committee since we are replete with studies which clearly indicate the root causes of crime and violence and that it is not only highly rewarding but sustained and escalated by known sectorial interests.
There should be clear deliverables which are linked to specific timelines and indexed to sacrificially redirected budgetary allocations which will engender the confidence of a society which has for too long been sceptical and apathetic to initiatives by both Government and Opposition.
It’s now over to you, Prime Minister, for the next urgent and decisive set of steps.
Derrick D Simon
derrickdsimon@yahoo.com