Divine intervention vs defined inspiration

By Garth A. Rattray

When TVJ News aired the clip with Peter Bunting, minister of national security, saying, "I am convinced that the best efforts of the security forces, by itself, will not solve the crime problem in Jamaica, but it is going to take divine intervention, touching the hearts of a wide cross section of the society," my jaw literally dropped and I had to replay what I thought that I heard several times in my head.

I have since read his statement seeking to clarify what he said. However, since 'divine intervention' is nothing short of a miracle, what he should have said at the prayer and thanksgiving service is that he hopes that God will touch the hearts of our people so that they will see the need to assist the security forces in solving our crime problem.

What we say can have a lot of import (Proverbs 18:21: "Death and life are in the power of the tongue ..."), and this holds especially true for the words uttered by our leaders and public figures. Conclusions, subtle cues and innuendoes are drawn and extrapolated from whatever they say, in whatever forum.

For instance, the prime minister's statement that Mr Holness has to decide whether he is the leader of the Opposition or an enemy of the State was because he was making several public statements that the administration believed could send the wrong signal and negatively impact our recovery.

Although she obviously did not mean to say that Mr Holness could, or would, wilfully and knowingly commit a crime such as treason, "enemy of the State" means precisely that. She should have said that Mr Holness ought to be mindful of the possible negative consequences of his critical comments.

BAD CHOICE OF WORDS

And, Lady Allen, the wife of our governor general, said that she did not feel to be in Jamaica when a former member of her security detail, Detective Sergeant Courtnie Simpson, was murdered. She obviously meant to say that such despicable acts are not typical of the Jamaica that she knows and loves.

That reminded me of when Michelle Obama said, "... For the first time in my adult lifetime, I'm really proud of my country ... ." That statement precipitated a veritable cataract of criticisms. It was interpreted to mean that, hitherto that time in 2008, she was not proud of America. However, the operative word was 'really'. She should have said that she was more proud of her country than ever before.

Now that we know how powerful the words of the powerful can be, I think that they should use their words and actions to inspire our citizens to help fight crime. The security forces alone cannot do it. Curfews, raids, crackdowns, arrests, more prisons, border and community patrols, impromptu searches, roadblocks, acting on 'intelligence' (information) and neighbourhood associations can do so much and no more.

We need the citizens of Jamaica to be motivated to come on board. Political representatives should spend time in their communities campaigning for peace and unity. They should organise extensive networks of respected and trusted persons to maintain intimate contact with individual households, monitor and mitigate the financial and social pressures that often lead to criminality.

The welfare of our children and youngsters must be a priority. Education, health, social amenities and the assurance that no one will suffer because of want can significantly reduce crime. The crime monster is heavily armoured with antisocial programming, corruption, greed, hunger, envy and hate; we must attack and defeat it from within, from the very core.

We must see to the basic, holistic needs of every citizen, every family and every community, because no social problem is so insurmountable that only a miracle can save us.

Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and garthrattray@gmail.com.