Editorial - Lottery scam: the ignored crisis

Ending the lottery scam is not a priority of the Portia Simpson Miller administration. Nor was it very high on the agenda of the former Jamaica Labour Party government when the crisis was in the early stages. Their failings have been cruelly exposed by the official data: more than 300 dead and nearly US$300 million bilked from elderly Americans every year.

This newspaper has repeatedly called for decisive action, yet the Government has been slow to acknowledge the gravity of the situation and to develop strategies to deal with the situation.

The effect of the lottery scam on specific communities in St James and neighbouring parishes has been corrosive, yet the local police, even with help from the United States has not been able to catch the masterminds and shut down their operations.

Signs of urgency to deal with this growing problem are in fact coming from the private sector, which, under the auspices of the Jamaica National Building Society, bringing stakeholders together around a table at a forum next week to examine how economic institutions and sectors are being affected and to look at what, if any, strategies are in place to counter the illicit activity. This is the second such parley.

While we applaud Jamaica National for seeking to advance the national conversation on this increasingly dangerous scam, what, we wonder, is to be done about citizens who openly condone these criminals and who sneer at public concerns about this evil scam. That contempt has been shown in the media when incredibly, one St James resident declared that the lottery scam was "payback for slavery".

SLOW REACTION

This is a crisis which the Government has been slow to acknowledge. The administration has failed to provide the necessary framework within which the security forces and the judiciary can operate effectively to deal with this evil scheme.

There is at least one member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) who understands the gravity of the situation, though. Senior Superintendent Fitz Bailey, head of the Organised Crime Investigation Division, issued a stout warning about the possible dire consequences of the lottery scam during a recent address to a Montego Bay audience.

While suggesting that Jamaica could face a trade embargo, the superintendent added: "If the lottery scam is left unabated, it can have a serious impact on commerce and trade, and our ability to do business overseas. And if we continue like this, we might be blacklisted by the United States of America."

All this effort on trying to face down the vile lottery scam by the private sector is obscured by the recent happenings in St James when two high-profile members of the ruling party - the People's National Party - were arrested for their alleged part in the lottery scam after dramatic raids on their homes. However, they were quickly released. The country is owed an explanation by the commissioner of police. Is it that the police arrested these men on a whim? Was the evidence concocted? Were these men under surveillance? Were the police pressured into abandoning the case against the men? These are tough questions that require answers.

For the sceptics who have tolerated the lottery scam because of the benefits to them, the upcoming forum may be seen as a parley of special interests, but it ought to be viewed in the wider context of the country's future.

Make no mistake, the Americans will not sit by and allow their citizens to become victims of fraud. They will act, and when they do, whether by imposing a tax on remittance or through trade embargoes, the effect will severely impact the law-abiding majority.

Whether the answer is to ask the Americans to deepen their involvement in local investigations or to extradite suspects to the US, one thing is clear. A crisis of this magnitude requires urgent, national attention.

We believe the time has come for the country to hear the prime minister's voice on this matter.

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.