FORMER US President Jimmy Carter was spot on. He warned that Jamaica will not see economic prosperity unless and until crime is brought under control. And Prime Minister P.J. Patterson says he intends to tackle the seemingly intractable cycle of mindless violence that terrorises our citizens.
Despite the best efforts of the police, killings so vile and cold-blooded continue to rip our society apart. No one is safe: babies, pregnant women, teenagers or elderly folk.
The gun is the instrument that brings most death and terror to our shores. The evidence suggests that the majority of guns and ammunition come from the United States. Regrettably, the perpetrators of criminal acts are rarely caught and punished, so the challenge is to keep more firepower from falling into wrong hands.
Perhaps the government missed an opportunity to ask the influential President Carter, celebrating his Nobel Peace prize, to help Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean in their efforts to stem the flow of weapons into the region.
We believe the Caribbean should be seeking to convene a major summit with Washington. Such a meeting would examine the issues of drugs, arms and deportees, to determine the magnitude of the problem, to decide how to dent the underworld's supply of arms, weapons and ammunition and to identify necessary resources and agree on appropriate actions.
And as the police try to grapple with the proliferation of illegal guns and the havoc that they create, they should be provided with the latest technology, for example, that which will assist in tracing the origins of guns used in criminal activities and the intelligence to identify arms dealers.
In February this year the United Nations sent a disarmament team into Sri Lanka to study the feasibility of implementing a guns-for-money programme. Is the time right for Jamaica to consider an amnesty to get in the illegal guns?
The tragedy of crime is immense and it has severely scarred Jamaica's reputation. It cannot be beyond the ingenuity of the government, opposition and private sector to address this greatest challenge that we face in our time. Decisive action is the only thing that will avenge the victims.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
