Send a strong message to criminals

THE EDITOR, Madam:

The Cherry Tree Lane massacre has awakened many Jamaicans to the fact that there is a real and serious threat to the society that needs urgent attention. The killing of eight people, including women and children, is one of the worst mass killings in Jamaica’s history. The fact that Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced a large cash incentive for information leading to the arrest and capture of those responsible for the killings, and expressed strong words and intent to capture them, speaks volumes. We should endorse this approach and hope it will deliver some results.

However, not everyone has embraced the comments of the prime minister. The human-rights group Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) has characterised the declaration made by Mr Holness that the killers responsible for the “act of terrorism” in Cherry Tree Lane, Clarendon, must either “meet a judge or meet their maker” amounts to “state badness” and could encourage vigilante killings by enraged citizens..

The JFJ’s statement is unfortunate and sends the wrong message to criminals whose intent is to wage war on people, and that they are protected by the cloak of human-rights groups, such as the JFJ. While I do not downplay the importance of JFJ, they should be reminded that the Government has the right to protect the interests and safety of its citizens by using all possible legal means to do so. The prime minister is well aware that these criminals are not going to turn themselves in, and was telling them that they have a choice of the two alternatives.

For too long, the citizens of Jamaica have suffered under the hands of gangs; a strong message must be sent to the agents of mayhem that enough is enough. Handling them with kids’ gloves will not be effective in achieving this objective; tough measures will.

ERROL MCLEISH

St Catherine

ermarlii16@hotmail.com