EDITORIAL - Calling Mr Samuda - not so fast

We were worried what would have been done the next time it happened, and the time after that. And so on.

Less than three weeks on, our concern is being put to the test.

Yesterday, this newspaper reported the fact that, as Mrs Laleta Davis-Mattis, the CEO of the Jamaica National Heritage Trust put it, "Our heritage is going to the scrap-iron trade."

For instance, two 18th-century cannon were recently stolen from Columbus Park in Discovery Bay on the island's north shore, and two others were taken from a museum in St Mary. Additionally, metal sections have been removed from the 16th-century Colbeck Castle in the parish of St Catherine.

Heritage objects are not the only bits being stolen for sale to the scrap-metal trade. The utility companies and other commercial enterprises are also victims, which, for a time, caused the Government to halt the trade in scrap metal.

But the theft of heritage items strikes a different chord and is more likely to trigger national outrage, as was the case with the theft of sculptor and national icon, Edna Manley's, bronze work, 'The Trees are Joyful', from Unity House in Runaway Bay, St Ann.

piece returned

That piece was returned when Industry and Trade Minister Mr Karl Samuda used his "every ounce of influence ... among the leadership of the (scrap-metal) industry" to get their help in its recovery "from among your membership and from those renegade dealers".

We were happy that Mr Samuda was successful, even though the approach was unorthodox; this sending out the message - a system that has been perfected by the 'bosses' of the country's too many garrison communities.

Nonetheless, we remain uneasy by the fact that there was no reported involvement of the police, or any announcement of action against the thief or the person who received stolen goods. Of course, Mr Samuda would have reported to the police all the information that came into his possession about the theft.

Our broader point then, as it is now, is that law and its enforcement can't, at its core, be freelance operations, or matters a society divests to individuals, even if these persons hold high positions in the State.

emergence of dons

For while private enterprise can have a supporting part to play, the maintenance of law and order and national security is among the core functions of the State. When the State abrogates that responsibility, it leaves an environment conducive to anarchy and the emergence of dons and petty potentates of the kind who abound on the street corners of many Jamaican inner-city communities.

Indeed, this has been among the main failures of the gangs of Gordon House, the political parties that have alternated in government in Jamaica for more than half a century. The pursuit of narrow group interests and the singular attempt to perpetuate themselves in power led them into unholy alliances that created the garrisons that provided succour to dons.

Breaking that nexus is critical to Jamaica's advancement, and for creating a society with respect for laws, where it doesn't require unorthodoxy for their enforcement - whether the recovering stolen artefacts or prosecuting acts of corruption.

Proceeding on this path does not so much require new laws, but a respect for those that exist and a willingness to enforce, regardless. Really, it's a commitment to democracy.

The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.