Earl Moxam, Senior Gleaner Writer

Smith: I am a strong person who has never wilted under pressure. - file

National Security Minister Derrick Smith, perhaps the most harshly criticised of the new government ministers, says most of the criticisms levelled at him are unfair, and is vowing to deliver on the administration's promise of a more secure society.

Top of the minister's agenda is the ambitious goal of reducing murders by 40 per cent during the Jamaica Labour Party's first term in office.

Harking back to the performance of the last JLP administration, Mr. Smith pointed out that murders dropped by almost 50 per cent from a then record 889 in 1980, to 490 in 1981, the first full year of the Edward Seaga-led Government.

steady rise

Thereafter, he said, the annual murder figure remained steady, below the 500 mark, for the eight years the JLP was in office.

The number of murders then jumped to 542 in 1990, the first full year of the People's National Party administration, which succeeded the Seaga Govern-ment. The figure rose steadily during most of the ensuing years, peaking at 1,674 in 2005.

Now, with the JLP back in government, Mr. Smith, the party's new point man on crime, is vowing to emulate the performance of the 1980s.

He has made an admittedly inauspicious start, however, with the country registering a spike in murders, since the JLP took office a week after the September 3 general election.

Nevertheless, he is predicting that there will be "some abatement" by the end of the year, followed by a marked reduction in 2008.

more resources for police

From there on, he asserts, the country would achieve "no less than a 40 per cent reduction in murders" for the rest of the Government's term of office.

To achieve this goal, the minister tells The Sunday Gleaner that the Government is committed to providing more resources to the police, increasing the numbers in the force, and stemming the flow of illegal guns into the country.

Already, he says, there are serious discussions under way with the Government of Haiti, aimed at stopping the drugs-for-guns trade between the two countries. Further pressure would also be brought to bear on the United States to do more to staunch the flow of illegal guns from that country into Jamaica as well, he promised.

The murder reduction promise comes in the face of a storm of criticisms heaped on the minister since he took office.

He believes, however, that the criticisms via letters to newspaper editors, in editorials and columns and on radio talk shows, have largely been unfair and unfounded, with some outright lies thrown in for good measure.

"I think it is unfair because the expectations of results in a short period of time are just not practical!" he says.

Long known for his laid-back style, the National Security Minister is advising the Jamaican public not to misread this perceived meekness for weakness.

"I am a strong person who has never wilted under pressure, will not wilt under pressure, and I am committed to dealing with this very important portfolio" he vows.

He nevertheless concedes that his communication with the public has been weak and is promising to improve in that area, disclosing that he had already taken steps in this regard.