Audley Boyd, Assistant Sport Editor
DR. OMAR Davies, Member of Parliament (MP) for the troubled South St. Andrew constituency, has defended the stance he has taken concerning violence in that area.
Dr. Davies is maintaining that it is the security forces job and not his to fix the problem.
Gun warfare has, for more than a year, particularly in the Jones Town section of the community popularly called 'Jungle', has accounted for more than 50 deaths and disrupted the general life pattern. It has often forced schools to close doors and many residents to flee.
Besides being the MP, Dr. Davies is the Finance Minister and one of four candidates vying for the leadership of the ruling People's National Party (PNP), and by extension Prime Minister as P.J. Patterson has said he will quit that office this year.
Dr. Davies has faced strong criticism regarding his ability to lead the country in the face of what appeared an uncontrollable crime situation in his constituency.
"One basic thing that I've always maintained, and I need to explain my position that in terms of fighting criminal activity professional law officers must play their role," he said, answering his critics.
"People will interpret that (to say) I'm hands-off and unconcerned. I spend a lot of time working with communities, working with individuals, working with groups, trying to heal, but when it comes to a matter of criminal activity, moreso murder, that's a police matter; it's not something you taper over and it must be properly dealt with," Dr. Davies stated firmly.
Dr. Davies made the comments in an interview with The Gleaner last Thursday for a sports feature, published on Saturday, that looked at the negative impact violence played on Arnett Gardens Football Club, of which he is also chairman.
Continuing, he said: "In the final analysis people must feel secure; in the final analysis there can only be one rule of law. There can't be several. It's something I'm unwilling to compromise on. From my position, the official arm of the law can be the only one to rule."
Over the past two weeks, police and soldiers have maintained a very strong presence in the area with no reported cases of shootings in the Jones Town section of the community.
"You can never say never but I really believe that we've bottomed out and we're starting a rebuilding process. There are signs that we're coming to grips with the heart of the problem and certainly over the last week or so there's an improved normality," Dr. Davies observed.
