Restoring peace WITH NORMALITY creeping back to Kingston yesterday the channels for conciliation were also opening. The body count from the killings remain a stark monument to yet another grisly chapter of communal violence. Where is the right in all this? Is the Government correct in its hardline, heavy use of force, seemingly unconcerned for the suffering of the community of West Kingston as a whole? Can there ever be justification for treating an entire community as being criminal? It is undoubtedly the case that West Kingston harbours criminals who have ingratiated themselves into various sections of the constituency. The so-called dons control much of what happens there; and the police, for years now, have not been trusted, and have little influence. Which does not mean that the community is autonomous and outside the ambit of Jamaican law. But these are nevertheless civilian communities with Jamaican citizens, each of whom has legal rights which preclude the imposition of an armed siege, or of random firing into streets and buildings. What must now ensue is the routine autopsies of all those dead bodies left like litter on the streets grisly indices of the sustained gunfire which prevented their prompt removal. We expect that it should be possible to ascertain the cause of death and whether there is criminal responsibility involved in the circumstances. Law and order must be restored, but it must be done legally and without breaching the rights of individuals. It is to be hoped that the intervention of the church leaders and the PSOJ representatives will be sufficient to protect the constitutional and civil rights of the people of West Kingston. We anticipate also that the dialogue that must follow between the party leaders will help restore the peace and the image of the nation in the eyes of the world. The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner.
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