Ian BoyneTHE PRESSURE on the dons and corrupt politicians was accelerated last week with the series of private sector initiatives to highlight its disgust with the country's skyrocketing murder rate. Every single voice must be lifted up in unison and determination to end the terror of the criminal network in Jamaica.
While the criminals and terrorists have been coalescing despite political and geographic barriers, we in civil society were engaged in a fierce debate all of last week as to whether the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) was not really hypocritical and self-serving in closing its doors. Among the prominent arguments making the rounds was that 'the big people' only decided to act when they lost 'one of their own',a member of the wealthy ethnic minority, too. Where was the private sector when so many ordinary poor, black Jamaicans were being slaughtered? Were their lives not precious, too?
FORM OVER SUBSTANCE
Then there was the view that symbolic actions would not accomplish anything; that the gesture was just form over substance. And underlying some of the criticisms 'though it was veiled' was the disappointment of the political hacks and partisans that the PSOJ had not mounted its protest as an anti-Government one. The party fanatics, hungry for confrontation and an opportunity to embarrass the Government, were not satisfied that the private sector was unwilling to clearly and trenchantly single out the Government for criticism. The PSOJ had wisely and astutely, in my view, pitched its protest against the criminal elements and as an explicit support 'for our communities, our security forces and our leaders'.
There were also People's National Party (PNP) partisans who were sceptical about the PSOJ action for, to them, any demonstration is treachery against the Government, especially one under pressure for not containing crime.
In the end, the private sector leaders effectively blunted the criticisms of the detractors. Not only did the PSOJ put on a moving, well-organised, well-choreographed event at the Emancipation Park which was well supported by the public, but the group took the wind out of the sail of the critics by addressing their concerns frontally in the 2005 Declaration of Emancipation Park. What remains most unfortunate in terms of timing and strategic planning is that the PSOJ action came right after the Azan death. It served only to defend the suspicion of the underclasses that the rich and powerful don't really care about them, and are only prepared to take to the streets when their narrow interests are threatened.
BETTER NOW THAN NEVER
Jamaica's class relations are very fragile and tenuous and it behooves the middle and upper classes to carefully ponder the signals they give, or how their actions could possibly be interpreted. But the larger point for the society to bear in mind is that it is really better late than never, and while no group can pass the purity and infallibility test, it does not advance the cause of all of us to waste time trading blame and suspicion. The criminals are getting better organised and are forgetting past hurts to advance their criminal enterprise, while we are busily dividing ourselves.
Those who believe that the private sector action, including the strong support given by the powerful Gleaner Company, really amounts to nothing are naïve beyond description. If the man in the street feels that way he can be forgiven, but no one who understands power relations in this society should be forgiven for making the asinine statement that the private sector action amounted to meaningless ceremony and symbolism. The politicians are not taking it lightly.
When the power elite in this country gets fed up, action follows! And the private sector is obviously getting first-class public relations and communications consultancy, for its campaign is both slick and arresting.
The speech by the President of the PSOJ Beverley Lopez was bang on target, hitting the right notes and tugging at both heartstrings and brain cells. "The private sector is under no illusion that there are quick fixes to our crime problems. We fully understood that the problems are multifaceted," she said, disarming critics.
And in the 2005 Declaration of Emancipation Park signed by various association heads, the private sector leaders muted much criticism by announcing a fund to assist in the fight against crime, while also announcing an adopt-a-police-station programme. Significantly, too, the private sector sought to put its own house in order by stating explicitly that "the business
sector must seek a pledge from its members that they will no longer allow themselves to be victims, rejecting all efforts at extortion."
The private sector leaders rightly called on the Government to toughen its stance against criminals, urging the leaders to take immediate and 'decisive' steps to 'exercise the powers of the state to seek out and punish the perpetrators of crime', of course, in accordance with the constitution (If the last part were left out they would leave themselves vulnerable to the attacks of the human rights lobby)
But perhaps the most telling part, though it might be dismissed by cynics as a meaningless gesture, was the demand that "All 60 members of the House of Representatives and officers of all political parties sever and publicly declare in writing by June 15,2005 a commitment to disassociate themselves and their constituency organisations from gunmen; dismantle garrisons and disassociate themselves from any association with criminals or the acceptance of any financial or other support from criminal elements." Further, the parties must commit to publicly rebuke and 'automatically expel any member who is found to be in breach'. This column unequivocally and unreservedly supports this resolution.
MONITOR THE POLITICIANS
And I insist that the PSOJ and all elements in civil society monitor the politicians on this. This is where the media have an important role to play. The media need reporters with deep connections with the inner-city; reporters who know the runnings in the inner-cities and who have the courage to tell the nation who is seeing whom and what is really going down. Let us test the libel laws. There are ways of writing our stories to escape the charge of malice and slander. The media must increase the spotlight on the politicians and make them feel safe nowhere to carry out their nefarious connections with the criminal underworld. Some of us might risk victimisation and the loss of jobs, but that is a risk we must be prepared to take to 'Stand for Jamaica'.
The politicians have got away with too much over the years because they could depend on our cowardice, greed and 'lickie-lickie' attitude.
There are reporters with inner-city contacts who know ?what is going down? and they must be given incentives and rewarded by their media houses to pursue investigative stories which expose corrupt politicians. And the media bosses?the same private sector members?must resist the pressure, however subtle, of their Lodge brothers, cocktail party friends and tennis and boating friends to suppress information. The crime and corruption will not stop unless we are prepared to show some guts and courage. Talk is cheap. And we must stand up for one another. The corrupt politicians and the dons can?t come after all of us if we are united. We must keep up the pressure on them and never let up.
LEGISLATION NEEDED
The PSOJ's call for finger printing and plea bargaining legislation to go forward is right on target and the hair-splitting objections to these by some people in the Opposition must be abandoned in the interest of national security. Electronic surveillance and wire-tapping legislation must also be pursued. The private sector must be prepared take on the highly influential and media-savvy human rights lobby on these issues, for the Government is not likely to demonstrate the tenacity in sticking to its guns(no pun intended) on these issues without support. Active support by the private sector, including its media, must be mobilised to provide the countervailing influence to those opposed to these pieces of legislation.
No point of view must be suppressed, but the largely one-sided discussion of human rights issues must be broadened. Social intervention programmes, reorientation in values and attitudes, poverty alleviation, the provision of jobs, community policing and the dismantling of garrisons, as important as these are, will not be enough to deal with the terrorist threat which we face. Important legislative changes will have to be made and hard policing strategies will have to be employed.
OVERSEAS HELP
The additional overseas expertise called for by the private sector leaders must also be supported. We need people with fresh eyes and with lives not entangled by the corrupt network of relationships which sometimes hinder effective policing. We need police officers not afraid to go after anyone, in whatever party, with whatever connections or with whatever dog-heart reputation. We need police officers who are not afraid to plan raids in communities which formerly thought themselves as immune from police action. And we need police officers not easily intimidated and bullied by politicians who use the language of equal rights and justice to protect well-known criminal elements in communities controlled by them.
Every one of the demands of the private sector in the 2005 Declaration of Emancipation Park deserves support by every Jamaican.
What is critically important is our vigilance and non-partisan approach. I am not hopeful of the latter. One of our major weaknesses is our partisanship, our cultic devotion to party and narrow sectional interests. We are not a cosmopolitan people. We resent dissent. I will defend to death my opponent's right to publicly disagree with me. I resent no one who opposes my views.
I believe the human rights lobby in Jamaica takes a myopic and intellectually jaundiced approach, but I have deep respect for its advocates. They are decent, intellectually capable, well-meaning and patriotic Jamaicans who want the good of their country, just like I do. There is no need to demonise them or to stigmatise them as people who want to side with terrorists and criminals. We just have an honest disagreement about methods. They and I are stoutly opposed to criminality. The 'Stand for Jamaica' campaign should remind us that we are first Jamaicans and PNP, JLP and No P after. But many people can't think outside of partisan terms.
However, the majority of us have not sold our souls to any of the political tribes in Jamaica. As I said last week, I believe both PJ Patterson and Bruce Golding genuinely want to se a new Jamaica and a changed political culture. It was a great strategic move that both the PNP and JLP leaders supported the PSOJ shutdown this week and that senior Government ministers went to Emancipation Park, standing up for Jamaica with JLP officials and Jamaicans from all walks of life.
Let's send a clear message to the criminals that we are organising to get them. Our unity is their greatest threat. Let's build on it.
Ian Boyne is a veteran journalist. You can send your comments to ianboyne1@yahoo.com or infocus@gleanerjm.com
