( L - R ) Albert, Garth

AT least two members of the clergy have welcomed the call for a national ceasefire in January, but say it will not work unless there are social intervention programmes in affected communities.

Reverend Al Miller, director of the National Transformation Programme (NTP), has urged the society to embrace the vision of a 'Fresh Start' for Jamaica by observing January as a time of peace and forgiveness.

"I think all these calls are good, but unfortunately I don't think it is practical," Roman Catholic priest Monsignor Richard Albert told The Gleaner yesterday.

He added: "It is only going to be hard social intervention in these communities that will enable people to put down the guns."

Great idea

The Reverend Dr Peter Garth, president of the Jamaica Association of Evangelicals, said the Fresh Start campaign was a "great idea".

"We would support any programme that would cut crime and violence in Jamaica, but it needs a lot of organisation though," Garth told The Gleaner yesterday.

On the weekend, Miller and members of the NTP travelled through a number of inner-city communities across Kingston, where they received the commitment from key leaders within the communities to keep the peace.

In every community the message was the same - let there be no bloodshed, no war, no violence for at least January so as to signal to private sector, Government, the diaspora, international aid bodies and others that Jamaica is ready for significant change.

The team stopped in the communities of Vietnam, Goldsmith Villa and Jungle 12 in August Town; Nannyville, Backbush and Jacques Road in Mountain View and Burgher gully and Dunkirk in east Kingston. In every community the men of influence gave the pastor their support.

Garth said one meeting alone could not do the job.

"These are persons who lack a lot of things so we need to provide them with opportunities," Garth said.

He noted that no one denomi-nation or umbrella group could solve the problem of crime and violence, adding that every Jamaican would have to get on board to fight the monster that has already claimed 1,597 lives up to yesterday.

petrina.francis@gleanerjm.com