THE EDITOR, Sir:EVERYDAY AS I read the news I see more of the same: Jamaicans killed by gunmen. The past week has seen gun violence in Spanish Town, the death of a popular entertainer and the picture on the front page of Monday's Gleaner with Icilda Brown the mother of the slain young man with her arms raised to the skies and tears rolling down her cheeks best capture the level of frustration most Jamaicans feel.
My simple question is: How did we get here? the mayor of Spanish Town has called for a gun amnesty, the Police High Command has initiated Operation Kingfish, the Minister of Natio-nal Security, the new police commissioner are part of a 10-member delegation to Britain hoping to find solutions while the University of the West Indies has created a unit to investigate the origins of this phenomenon.
How did we get here? Do we attribute blame to lack of parenting skills at the most indelible stage when imparting values are important or do we blame the lack of moral, social and political leadership? We, like Icilda Brown, are running down the train lines with tears streaming down our cheeks and arms 'upstretched' to the heavens, helpless as to what to do next.
Surely, this cannot be the future of Jamaica. Surely, there must be a solution. I sympathise with Dr. Phillips. He desperately wants a panacea to show the Jamaican people that he will be an effective leader.
ECONOMICS TO BLAME
Truthfully, though, the burden should not be placed at his feet alone. Fifteen years of economic policies that have fostered social decay are also to blame. What is ironic is that even if part of the problem stemmed initially from the unavailability of employment opportunities, given the foothold that the drug trade now has on some of our people many would be unwilling to accept jobs even if these were now to be provided.
At what stage will every single Jamaican rise up and purge their communities of the elements they must know are wreaking havoc on other communities?
I am, etc.,
HAROLD MALCOLM
bruce_26@hotmail.com
Faculty of Law, University of the West Indies
Cave Hill, Barbados
Via Go-Jamaica
