Newton Dixon | Consensus needed to eradicate crime, violence and corruption

Jamaica’s struggle with crime has been both long-standing and deleterious. In October 2017, The Gleaner published a report in which the then minister of national security advised that the estimated annual cost of crime was $68 billion. The ongoing impact of crime on the national budget begs the question of the sustainability of the course that the nation traverses at present.

This sharply underscores the utter and urgent need for crime, violence, and corruption to be treated by a biartisan, whole-of-government and nationalistic approach. It must necessarily be bipartisan because of the historical and political entrenchment of the political parties in national life and their ignominious contribution to and involvement in crime, violence, and corruption.

A whole-of-government approach is needed not only because of the pervasiveness of crime, violence, and corruption, but because its management must be multifaceted. Weakness in one area of the national “system” will show up in other areas as when the security apparatus fails, the health sector invariably comes under strain. Finally, fighting crime must be a national programme guided by data-driven public policies because it affects everyone and requires all of our collective efforts.

Prioritising the implementation of effective social interventions is of critical importance and must be supported by all sectors of society. This can address the root cause of crime, tackling the lack of access to social and economic support by providing programmes that will guarantee a decent and dignified livelihood. The removal of overbearing and often polarising political influence must be a second priority. Communities that have been subsumed in the malaise of criminal subculture now need to “breathe” the fresh air of regeneration.

LIFTING COMMUNITIES

The project of lifting up “whole communities”, therefore, is a critical element, requiring the collaboration of the Government, the education system, the family, and the Church to bring about the social transformation that is so desperately needed.

The national “new normal” must be more than the worthwhile principles for containment of the COVID-19 pandemic. It must also see the reintegrating of troubled communities, replacing a culture of criminality with a culture of civic pride, integrity, and spiritual liberation.

The National Consensus on Crime seeks to create this opportunity for Jamaica to emerge from the decades of pain, suffering, and distress as a result of the scourges of crime, violence, and corruption. A comprehensive programme of analysis, collaboration, planning, and implementation has been undertaken.

Committed and patriotic Jamaicans from the private sector, the political parties, the churches, and non-governmental organisations have spent a considerable time formulating this crime consensus. We must realise that crime, violence, and corruption are detrimental to our national aspirations of progress and prosperity. It is now urgent and imperative that all Jamaicans come together once and for all to lift our country from this malaise and position it to advance towards a brighter future, where we will be proud to see our country as “the place of choice to live, work, do business, and raise families.”

Rev Newton Dixon is president of the Jamaica Council of Churches and is one of the stakeholders in the National Consensus on Crime. Send feedback to presidentatjcc@gmail.com