Opposition leader Edward Seaga. OPPOSITION LEADER Edward Seaga yesterday urged national consensus on a definition for terrorism and narco-trafficking, two categories of crime he said are threatening to overwhelm the country.
The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) head pointed to statistics which indicate that about 50 per cent of all crimes committed in Jamaica are linked to narcotics and reprisals.
"Logically if there is a severe reduction in that area then there is a severe reduction in the number of crimes recorded," Mr. Seaga asserted.
He was speaking last night at the Terra Nova Hotel at a Generation 2000 (G2K) seminar titled "Effective crime reduction strategies", where he sought to clarify his call on Tuesday for terrorists and drug traffickers to face the death penalty.
The capital charge, according to Mr. Seaga should be reserved for the "Mr. Bigs" those involved in the importation and exportation of drugs. He acknowledged that many persons were involved in drug activity at different levels but said those guilty of selling two spliffs on the corner or the lady who uses ganja in her tea, would not be so treated.
Mr. Seaga argued that with the high levels of crime facing the country, there had to be increased penalties for those involved in narco-trafficking and terrorism. "These are major issues threatening to overcome us," he said. He added that "if narco-trafficking is as serious as capital murder then it ought to attract the same penalty as capital murder which is capital punishment".
He further justified his call for the capital charge to be implemented for certain drug-related crimes by pointing to last year's brutal slaying of three divers who were used by the police to detect cocaine tied to the hull of ships passing through Jamaican waters.
The JLP leader urged civil society to get involved in the debate to create a definition for what he said were two "relatively new" categories of crime. To this end the party's Crime Reduction Team will be meeting with the leadership of the Jamaica Constabulary Force and the Jamaica Defence Force as well as Church leaders to exchange ideas. "Out of that we hope that there will come a definition of these crimes which are not yet fully defined," he stated.
Mr. Seaga who on Tuesday presented the party's Crime Reduction Plan, warned against allowing the Government to go ahead and create its own definition or to draft new legislation that may infringe upon the rights of persons "who are really not to be in such categories".
