RICHARD ALBERT, EPISCOPAL VICAR FOR ST. CATHERINE:
WE SEE people being affected emotionally, physically, but the political directorate, they feel, is either not interested or is basically incapable (of helping them). I can assure you the political directorate is responsible for where we are today and until we are unafraid to stand up and hold the political directorate accountable, nothing will happen.
Since Independence, it has been 43/44 years of mismanagement and unless we have the guts, we are never going to prod the political directorate into action. The Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica and the Church must also accept responsibility because I have sat in meetings and I would see fellow churchmen afraid to speak out as we watch the country disintegrate ... From my humble view, we are almost at the point where we will not be able to take this back ... This country is armed way beyond the capability of those who have sought to protect us.
PRIVATE SECTOR APPOINTEE TO CABINET NEEDED
Social intervention, it is the only way we are going to take this back. I suggest that a key person from the private sector should be given a Cabinet level post and made a czar of the inner cities. The inner city should be broken down into economic development zones where the private sector, churches, and other groups band together to fix roads, restore lights, create parks, create training centres.
Second, a national committee would be drawn from the multi-disciplines to look at violence and offer suggestions. We also have to re-socialise our people. By age four or five they are angry, they are bitter (and) they are full of no hope. From the figures, I have seen that 84 per cent nationally are born out of wedlock, and 40 per cent of our children who go to primary school can neither read nor write when they come out.
The average primary school child goes to school three days a week because they have no lunch money or bus fare. So, how does the society move ahead? We have to intervene socially (and) ... I do favour an increase of number of the police force (and)the military. The intelligence capabilities of the police have to be supported ... I look forward to more outsiders coming in to help the Jamaica Constabulary Force because ...whether we are afraid to admit it or not, we have not been able to do it up to now by ourselves. We need outside help.
... I also think that it is very important that we understand that our politicians are here to serve us and are to be held accountable for their stewardship. We shouldn't be where we are. Those who have said they will lead us (and) said they will make life better for the masses haven't accomplished their task. We have to hold them accountable either at the ballot box, through public forums, through suggestions and times like Emancipation Park.
