Editorial | No winners in SOE stalemate

Most Jamaicans want to live in peace is what we have been told repeatedly in commentaries and opinion polls.

Indeed, a reduction in crime appears at the top of most people's wish list as the country tries to grapple with a disproportionate number of murders. For decades, many strategies have been tried, but it has been hard to reap success. Changes in political administrations and police personnel have made no difference. Murders are at an intolerable level while crime and violence continue to dominate our lives.

The Jamaica Labour Party Government came to power promising to solve the problem and return the country to a better place. It is still struggling to deliver on that promise. It declared the first zone of special operations (ZOSO) in September 2017 in St James. Other zones have followed in volatile areas of Kingston and St Catherine.

The opposition People's National Party (PNP) was always cautious about the establishment of the ZOSOs and subsequent states of emergency (SOEs) on the grounds that they would infringe on citizens' rights, liberty, and freedom of movement. Following a year of operations and the alarming statistic of thousands of detentions without charge, that caution has grown into doubt. The PNP has pushed back, saying it will not support another extension of the SOEs.

The statistics indicate that the ZOSO and SOE initiatives offered glimmers of hope for persons living in various violence-scarred communities as they watched the numbers of murders go down. Was it the perfect solution? Apparently not, judging from grumblings from rights groups and business operators and evidence from the public defender. Conditions in detention centres were not ideal, businesses suffered from earlier closing hours, and there were other criticisms which helped to diminish the accomplishments of the states of emergency.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness wants to sit down with Opposition Leader Dr Peter Phillips and talk it through and, perhaps, ponder alternatives.

The two have now had an initial meeting, but Dr Phillips doesn't want to be rushed. He wants to be the one who sets discussion dates which would be a win for him.

BIGGER THAN ONE-UPMANSHIP

Holness, as prime minister, is also seeking his own victories. Haven't we seen that scenario before, where neither side wants to give in or give up? But we dare to suggest that this moment is bigger than one-upmanship. It's time for soul-searching. Crime is the biggest blot on Jamaica's face, and both parties should want to see success in crime-fighting. A stalemate benefits no one, least of all the battle-weary inner-city residents.

Constitutionally, it is the task of the Government to make the citizens safe. What Jamaica requires is a well-thought-out vision and cooperation among agencies and citizens and the police. We believe it can be done if we are able to raise the tenor of the discussions through exchanges and dialogue that may lead to common ground and consensus.

From all that has been said, the ZOSOs have offered some peace - fragile though it seems - but more needs to be done to ensure that lasting benefits fall to the communities. If there are good ideas within the establishment of the ZOSOs, let us take them and modify, expand, and finesse - whatever it takes to get us out of this hole.

Yes, everyone wants to win, but let's be careful not to engage in an agenda of destructiveness.