The Time has come the Walrus Said to Speak of Many Things

“A New Era in Politics” was the headlines heralded in today’s Gleaner. There was a meeting of the ruling People’s National Party (PNP) and the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) with the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) to discuss the strategies for combating the escalating crime rates in the country.

What were the outcomes of this discussion heralding the dawn of a new time?

A committee headed by the Political Ombudsman to begin implementing recommendations contained in the report on National Committee on Political Tribalism, (Kerr Report)

A Joint Select Committee on Security to consider further capacity enhancing measures as well as material support for the security forces.

Pardon my cynicism but this does not hit me as any new feat in the political arena. We have had committees from the dawn of Jamaican politics who have been commissioned to investigate and address the “crisis of the day” we have even had committees to investigate and monitor the committees that have been formed. What then differentiates these committees from their predecessors?

Could it be the fact that both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition have agreed to have their elected Members of Parliament declare in writing their commitment not to knowingly associate with criminals, nor accept financial support from them?

If my memory has not failed me have we not seen these very same leaders of politics associating with criminals and then disavowing having any knowledge of the fact that these men that they associate with were criminals? Come on!

This is not a new era in politics this is old rhetoric. Let us not continue to dabble in insignificant ramblings. Let us not continue to treat the symptom and not the cause. Let us not be afraid to break the bones, even though it will hurt, in order for healing to take place. The time has come to speak out on what really is plaguing this country let us not waste it by delving in the ineffective syntax of yesterday.