Garth Rattray
ALL DECENT, law-abiding Jamaicans were shocked, dismayed and incensed by last week's brutal murder of three policemen. The orchestrated reprisal killings were terrorist acts designed to poison our society with fear. If anyone had questioned the extent to which nefarious elements are willing to go in order to secure their way of life, those despicable acts leave no doubt about their intent to reduce Jamaica to a cesspool of crime and violence. The killings were carried out as a blatant declaration of war, a war on our security forces, our government, our democracy, our freedoms and on the upstanding citizens of Jamaica.
This unprecedented show of disrespect and loathing for the police heralds a new low in our history. The hard-working men and women of the security forces are all that stand between anarchy and us. Those twelve hours of murderous rampage against the police beginning March 3, 2005 must be earmarked as a black day in our history.
The criminals have demonstrated to us all that they consider themselves untouchable and unstoppable. They launched an attack on the Cross Roads Police Station as an ominous warning to everyone.
SCURRYING HOME
Last week Wednesday, the foreboding generated by the attacks had some people leaving work earlier than usual and scurrying home in anticipation of more violence in the streets.
But, if the criminals feel that they have forced the constabulary force into a defensive posture or frightened them in any way, they are sadly mistaken. They have only succeeded in strengthening the resolve of the police and of our people to win the fight against crime.
Furthermore, I happen to know that many policemen would love to be let loose on the criminals, but their wish will remain unfulfilled because in today's world no civil society can allow itself to degenerate into barbarity. The police must not allow the brazen attack on their colleagues to precipitate extrajudicial killings. They cannot break the law in order to enforce it.
Human rights issues, the laws of the land, concern for the innocent victims and the well-being of the nation mean nothing to the criminal elements. However, on the other hand, our lawmen must operate within prescribed parameters (as well they should). Admittedly, these constraints give the battlefield advantage to the despots who only live to serve their own selfish ends. There are several people (especially within the police force) who are so utterly frustrated and completely fed up that they welcome an all-out, no-holds-barred war. Their view is that things have come to a point where they may as well fight it out and see who is left standing when the smoke clears.
THE MULTITUDE
But shooting it out is not a viable solution to our problems, neither is a hurriedly declared state of emergency (it would prove unwieldy, oppressive and destroy our tourist industry). We need to methodically and steadily press on with the crime-fighting plan as set out by the Prime Minister and the Minister of National Security. We also need to wean the multitude of inner-city dwellers off their dependence on the "community leaders" for survival. Too many people are beholden to underworld crime bosses and live by their rules and regulations.
We will never win the war against crime without the help of the citizenry. Relatives, friends and acquaintances of gunmen and other criminals must stop protecting them. In a war such as this, there can be no neutral parties.
You are either for the security and freedom of our country or you are a traitor with sworn allegiance to the criminals that wish to subjugate us. You are either for law and order or you are for anarchy. You are either for selfish greed and corruption or you are for your country and nationhood. You are either for peace and prosperity or you are for disharmony and social decline. You either have to help our country to live or you will watch it die. There is no middle ground. It's time for those who are privy to information that can assist us to fight crime to decide where they stand.
Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice.
