Garrisons, gangs and governance

Last week another violent insurrection occurred in Jamaica. It involved an assault on the state. There was an incursion by the security forces into the Tivoli Garden community and about 73 people were killed. This is another chilling reminder of where we are as a country. It has left us in a state of fearful paralysis. There is an uneasy calm and, for the greater part of last week, it felt like a pall of gloom and doom had descended on Jamaica. I cannot help but grieve for this poor little Jamaica.

Where do we go from here?

1. Dismantle the garrisons: At the heart of the crime problem are the garrisons. Garrisons account for about eight of the 60 political constituencies. In addition, there are 783 communities in Jamaica and about 100 of them operate as garrisons. Garrisons are controlled by dons and breed gangs.

Garrisons are characterised by exceptionally high unemployment rates, poor infrastructure and highly marginalised communities that are locked out of the opportunity structures of society. If Jamaica is going to move forward we must dismantle the garrisons and the political parties must sever ties with them and their dons.

2. Break up the gangs: It is estimated that Jamaica has over 218 gangs. These gangs are bred and thrive in garrison communities. They are highly armed and have access to guns and other high-powered weapons. The gangs have been wreaking havoc on the society. We must support the current effort by the security forces to destroy these ruthless gangs.

3. The gun trade : There is an enabling environment in many garrison communities which normalises the use of guns. Jamaica must now implement greater measures to control the illegal gun-for-drug trade.

4. The ganja trade: The ganja trade in Jamaica reached its peak in the 1980s and 1990s. Money derived from the ganja trade and later the cocaine trade became a major source of income for the economy. The drug trade is connected to the development of gangs; it supported the garrisons and fuelled the gun trade. As rival gangs clashed and competed for territory the violence increased.

5. Time for a new form of governance: It is a system in which political parties are aligned to garrisons and gangs. Garrisons and gangs support political parties and often distort the democratic process through political intimidation and open ballot voting which is still practised in many garrison communities.

Let us unite

In every crisis there are opportunities. Let us all unite as a nation and support all efforts to address the issues of garrisons, gangs and the gun and ganja trades. We must support all efforts to institute new forms of governance at this time. I call upon all well-thinking Jamaicans to demand that our political parties dissociate themselves from the 'garrison politics'.

Dr Wendel Abel is a consultant psychiatrist and head, Section of Psychiatry, Dept. Of Community Health and Psychiatry, University of the West Indies, 977-1108; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.