Henry-Wilson
THE EDITOR, Madam:
I READ in The Sunday Gleaner of February 18, 2001 your feature "Eye on the Issues" which asked the question "Is the current level of crime beyond the Government's ability to contain?" Derrick Smith of the JLP gave an excellent assessment of why, for too long, it has been beyond the ability of the present Government to control crime in Jamaica. Wentworth Charles also gave a good overview of the problems involved and the Government's consistent failure to properly tackle this problem.
I then read the PNP's response from the Minister of Information (Maxine Henry-Wilson). It is hard to believe that after 12 years in Government the PNP really has the gall to say that "with the consistent support of the vast majority of our law-abiding citizens the Government is well able to contain crime in this country". Whose responsibility is it to get the support of the public? The Government has shown that it really does not want the support of the public. To keep the Minister of National Security and Justice in that position for 12 years makes a mockery of what she says.
She tries to bring up a number of "red herrings" to evade the issue, such as domestic violence, and the need for "international collaboration" to stop the flow of drugs and guns into the country. It is the responsibility of the Government to get that collaboration, and if the will was honestly there, they would have it. She also brings up other forms of crime, such as tax evasion, fraud, money laundering and corruption at every level. Whose fault is it that corruption is at a level never before seen in Jamaica?
She writes about speedy trials and the rehabilitation of offenders. Under the same Minister of National Security and Justice we have seen the worst decline in the prison system lock-ups over the past 12 years. A large number of prisoners have also been murdered in the prisons over the same period.
Unless the Minister of Information and her colleagues wake up to reality and stop trying to defend the indefensible, we have no hope of any improvement in the current level of crime under this Government.
I am, etc.,
C.D.R. BOVELL
48 Duke Street
Kingston
