D.K. Duncan IN KEEPING with the recommendation of the Report of the National Committee on Crime and Violence, "a consultative committee is being established to oversee the progress and implementation" of that Report. This information was provided by the Security Minister in his presentation to Parliament last Tuesday.
THE COMMITTEE
This very important committee consists of 22 persons. It has an initial tenure of 12 months. The Security Arm of the State is fully represented and includes the Chief of Staff of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), the Commissioner of Police and the Acting Commissioner of Corrections. Three Permanent Secretaries from the Ministries of Health, Education Youth and Culture as well as Justice are there. The committee also includes the Director General of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ). This completes the seven representatives of the State - further to the multi-agency approach to peace-keeping as a critical part of the solution to crime and violence.
The Chairperson of the Lay Magistrates Association of Jamaica (LMAJ) is included along with three Regional Vice Presidents of that Association, accounting for four more members.
Two representatives of Religious Organisations and the three Principals of the University of Technology, the University of the West Indies and the Northern Caribbean University respectively are joined by the General Secretary of the Joint Trade Unions Research Development Centre to account for another six members.
The Political Ombudsman who is also the chairman of the Peace Management Initiative (PMI) will consult along with the chairpersons of the Independent Jamaica Council for Human Rights and the Executive Director of Jamaicans for Justice - another Human Rights group.
Finally, there is the Opposition spokesperson on National Security and last but not least the chairperson of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica.
THE COMMITTEE'S RESPONSIBILITY
Consultative in its description, this committee is representative and although seemingly large in numbers is relatively broad-based and has the potential for some serious work. It is a credit to the administration. Respect is due. For the purposes of transparency, more information could be given as to some specific terms of reference. This is important if the wider public is to play a meaningful role in holding these 22 persons - 16 men and 6 women - accountable to the nation. Elected or voluntary, once you accept a role, accountability must be a pre-requisite.
Apart from publicly declaring its terms of reference, the Consultative Committee could also consider that one of its first, but not exclusively so, duties is to initiate a public education programme as to the contents of the full report of the National Committee on Crime and Violence including its recommendations. The chairperson and his committee should as soon as possible after its initial meetings provide the media and the general public with some measurable time lines and deadlines so we can assist in the process.
This committee has a tremendous responsibility to perform. It is expected to act in such a manner that is consistent with the demands that all of us make of our elected and unelected representatives of the State. Transparency, accountability and sanctions are only three of many possible conditions which come readily to mind. The Government has put itself on the line. This is a significant opportunity to log on. We can co-operate without being co-opted. This leaves room for transformation.
Alongside the consultative committee is the Independent Review Panel set up to receive and investigate complaints against JDF personnel. A potentially effective group, it is designed to complement the Police Public Complaints Authority (PPCA). Although a step in the right direction - we need to hear more of the track record established by the PPCA as well as the performance of the Bureau of Special Investigations (BSI) and the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR). Confidence in new review panels can be enhanced by public information from these older bodies. This kind of assessment has the potential to instil confidence in the public's mind about the potential for effectiveness of the new Committee. Mechanisms for accountability are critical. Sanctions are inescapable.
CIVIL SOCIETY'S RESPONSIBILITY
Individuals, groups, communities and other organisations in our society have a responsibility to carve out a role to be effective in this issue of crime and violence. Elements of the media have and seem set to continue to have an impact on the need for short, medium and long-term action by the State. These two new entities - the Review Panel for the JDF as well as the Consultative Committee can assist civil society by being innovative in creating structured avenues for the participation of the wider public in their deliberations.
In addition, the individual representatives of organisations in civil society on these Committees have responsibility and duty to report frequently and in a structured way to the organisations that they represent. This includes getting structured feed-back from their organisations to enhance the work of the Committees. We must expect no less from ourselves than what we demand of our elected representatives.
The direct involvement of leaders and organisations from the communities feeling the main impact of the action of the Security Forces is a priority. These communities that have been curfewed, cordoned and searched over recent days are in the vanguard of those being asked to sacrifice by being inconvenienced as well as to give up some of their rights.
Immediate action to create effective lines of communication between the State, the two new structures and these communities should be a priority in the deliberations of the Committees.
LEADERSHIP AND ACTION
Mr. Novar McDonald and Mr. Oliver Clarke, chairpersons of these new committees have no less a responsibility than the Prime Minister or the Minister of National Security. The executive arm of the State (the Cabinet) seems prepared for action. The Security Arm is already in action. The legislative arm (Parliament) has been assigned a role. The judicial arm of the State will be challenged by the dynamic if action is really forthcoming. Civil society has been challenged. There is an opportunity for designing a role in nation building for all of us.
A basis has been laid for collective action. Let us seize the moment. The choice is ours.
Former PNP General Secretary and Government Minister in the PNP administration of the 1970s, Dr. Duncan, a dental surgeon recently established the D.K. Duncan Political Institute. Email: dktruth@hotmal.com
