Daraine Luton, Staff Reporter

Holness

EDUCATION MINISTER Andrew Holness is hopeful that character education, one of the major components in the soon-to-be-established senior school, will help in breaking down garrisons in Jamaica.

The education minister was asked whether he would adopt a recommendation of the National Committee on Political Tribalism, which in 1997 proposed that political education be taught in schools as part of the curriculum for 12 year olds.

Holness, speaking to The Gleaner on the weekend, said the broader issue was not including political education in the school curriculum but, rather, dealing with the public education campaign against garrisons nationally.

According to police statistics, approximately 80 per cent of major crimes committed in the Corporate Area take place in locations identified as political garrisons.

The governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has said it is committed to dismantling garrisons which it says is critical in the fight against crime.

Well armed

Anthropologist Professor Barry Chevannes has said garrisons are communities that are well armed and monolithic in voting behaviour. These communities, however, are said to have evolved from the stage where the politician pulled the string to one in which criminals are now in control.

Holness told The Gleaner the senior school should play a major role in breaking down this garrison phenomenon as its aim would be to develop the soft skills of persons.

"It would give them the soft skills to help them to develop the right attitude, so that they become law abiding citizens," Holness said.

He added: "It should help in breaking down garrisons by liberating our students from the dependency on crime as a means of economic survival."

Police suggest most major crimes are being committed by young males, age 17-34, many of whom are without educational certifica-tion or training.

Meanwhile, last week Heather Robinson, a former People's National Party (PNP) member of parliament, called for both Prime Minister Bruce Golding and Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller to resign from their constituencies as a symbol of their commitment to dismantling garrisons.

"They have to lead by example, they have to disengage from the criminals. These communities are being led by criminals and have voted overwhelmingly (90+ per cent) for both parties," said Robinson, who resigned from the PNP garrison of South Central St Catherine in 1996.

"It would be a symbolic cutting of the (umbilical) cord and then by practical demonstrations to prove that the cord has really been cut," Robinson added.

However, Holness is not convinced that this is the best way. He believes educating the population, as well as providing them with economic opportunities, is the way to break down the practice.

"While it would be a major symbolic gesture for the leaders to step away from the garrisons, I think it would be more substantial for the leaders to grapple with the problems than walk away from it," Holness said.

He added: "The structure of the garrison is bigger than the persons who represent the garrisons right now, and it is going to take a national mobilisation of leadership to change the garrison culture."

daraine.luton@gleanerjm.com