Lynford Simpson, Staff Reporter
THE ISSUE of crime and violence and its impact on the region was high on the agenda of topics discussed at a two-day meeting of the Socialist International Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean (SICLAC), which ended yesterday at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston.
Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, who attended the meeting and who spoke at a press conference afterwards, said at a time when there is such great concern about levels of crime and violence in Jamaica, the committee "took note of the vulnerability to crime which is not only operating locally but in some instances...in relation to the trafficking of illegal weapons and drugs, is organised globally."
He asserted that this "constitutes a threat to our democracy, our economy, and to our stable, social and community living."
The SICLAC meeting was held under the theme "Giving priority and promoting solidarity in global change", and the effects of globalisation on countries of the region was looked at in detail.
The committee discussed the region's vulnerability to natural disasters which it said had the potential to destroy the social and economic infrastructure of countries. It also discussed modern communications and technology and Mr. Patterson observed that "even as we recognised the advent of technology, we have to be alert to the fact that modern technology and communication could in fact challenge the cultural norms and practices of the Caribbean as well as the cultural authenticity of Caribbean peoples unless we take the proper preventative action."
The meeting, he said, provided the opportunity for addressing all those issues, of sharing common experiences and looking at methods that have been employed in other countries to "either deal with, avert, anticipate or mitigate the effect..."
