Jamaica Observer column published 14 DEC 2020
by Jean Lowrie-Chin
You would think
that with this pandemic, Jamaica would get a break from crime and violence, but
every week we are shocked by reports, the latest of which is the murder of four
family members including a pregnant woman in St. Catherine last week. We are looking
to the Crime Monitoring and Oversight Committee (CMOC), established on the
signing of the National Crime Consensus MOU by stakeholders from Government,
private sector and civil society to help us to address once and for all the
myriad issues that have continued to visit so much pain and suffering on our
nation.
Investors have
repeatedly reminded us that Jamaica’s crime issue is a deterrent. Our own relatives
in the Jamaican Diaspora are fearful of returning to the place they still call
home. Believe them when they say if we fix crime, we will fix Jamaica.
CMOC, headed by
Jamaica Chamber of Commerce President Lloyd Distant has established key
performance indicators (KPIs) to track their progress including proposed
Legislation, among them:
·
Approval of the outstanding MOCA Regulations – by end of Q4-2020
·
Adding and prioritizing approval of sections of the Proceed of Crimes Act
(POCA) to include and strengthen the role of Unexplained Wealth orders and
reverse burden of proof, enabling the seizure of assets from persons who
obtained their wealth by crime or corruptly and those found guilty of
facilitating money-laundering and other serious crimes, and ensuring that
lawyers cannot be paid with proceeds of crime - by Q4-2021
·
Prioritizing the approval and gazetting of
the Regulations to the Public Bodies Management Accountability Act governing
the nomination, selection and appointment of Boards of Public Bodies – by end
of Q3 2020
They project that Parliament will review and agree the
implementation of these and other recommendations by end of Q2-2021.
Last week we
observed International Human Rights Day with a webinar hosted by The Institute
for Gender & Development Studies – Regional Coordinating Office at UWI
(IGDS-RCO) titled “Practical Strategies for Monitoring and Dealing with
Gender-based violence within Vulnerable Communities”. Important work is being
done by the Bureau of Gender Affairs, represented by Abby-Gale Clarke; health
professionals, represented by Dr. Simone French; Children’s Advocate Diahann
Gordon Harrison; the Jamaica Constabulary Force represented by Inspector
Heather McLean; and the Jamaica Network of Seropositives represented by Jumoke
Patrick.
There was a
heavy-hearted observation that our most vulnerable were running out of options
for protection with the burden of joblessness and the spike in Covid. Access to
justice has become more difficult for women during the Covid lockdown.
Consider this:
while many are criticizing the Education Ministry for announcing that over 60
additional schools have been approved for reopening in January, the school
environment could very well be the safest for children in high-risk communities.
Covid
vigilance
You cannot help
but be impressed when our Chief Medical Officer Jacquiline Bisasor McKenzie
takes us through those charts showing Covid spikes and her Ministry’s vigilance
as they try to control the spread. Last week’s ‘Covid Conversation’ hosted by
Health and Wellness Minister Dr Chris Tufton and addressed by Minister of Local
Government Desmond McKenzie, as well as several Mayors left us grateful that
our leaders, including those in Opposition are all on the same page in their
fight against Covid.
What is
disheartening however, is that people, many of whom should know better, are
throwing illegal parties, even lying that they have KSAC approval. I believe
these folks should be taken to a hospital and made to see what being on a
ventilator looks like. They need to be reminded that people of all ages have
died from this virus. Perhaps the next Covid conversation should be the
experiences of a bereaved relative and those who survived the worst of Covid.
One such person is politician Basil Waite who has described the excruciating
pain and breathing difficulties which sent him into the Intensive Care Unit at
the UWI Hospital. Thank goodness he survived and has high praises for the UWI
staff.
PSOJ President
Keith Duncan, acknowledging the seriousness of the situation but also the
plight of those who always look forward to Christmas for their biggest bump in
sales, suggests a disciplined approach, regarding opening times and crowd
control. Driving around town, we see that mask-wearing is still a problem. Perhaps
we should resort to giving motorized Police loudspeakers as they have done in
South Africa – they use it to call out and warn non-maskers as they drive
through the town, describing them and shaming them.
IDB Road
Safety Conference
The IDB in
collaboration with the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) last week hosted a
webinar, "Road Safety in the Caribbean: A Safe System Approach to Saving
Lives". IDB Caribbean head Therese Turner-Jones pointed out that road
crashes are the second leading cause of death for children in the Latin
American and Caribbean region. She noted that the continued high incidence of road
crashes has increased the stress on our public health system, coping with the
Covid outbreak.
She noted that transportation and development of road
systems are vehicles for economic development. Indeed, the IDB approved for Jamaica in 2009, one of the first loans in the world
specifically targeted at operations increasing road safety.
Mrs Turner-Jones
congratulated the NRSC on their efforts to educate bikers in Westmoreland on
road safety measures. However, I
have learned that there is a macho culture associated with that group. They head
out to parties in convoy, many without helmets, greeting and honking at each
other. According to a resident in the West, they have that same air of bravado
when they attend the funeral of a fellow biker. “It is like they belong to a
cult,” he said.
Dr Lucien Jones observed soberly that of the over one
million who die in road crashes each year, 90 percent are from developing countries.
Like Covid, road safety relies greatly on individual responsibility. There must
be consequences for carelessness, and we await the implementation of the
amended Road Traffic Act.
