More Than a Conversation
Jamaica's Murder Rate Rises
SECURITY Minister Robert Montague has invited the Opposition security spokesman Peter Bunting to a sitdown to discuss national security concerns, but the Opposition says it will take more than a conversation between the two to effectively tackle the country's mounting crime problem.
Montague and Bunting, a former security minister, have been at loggerheads over the country's national security policies for several months now.
According to a release issued by the security ministry yesterday, Montague, in his letter to Bunting, said he would welcome suggestions and ideas which can help to reduce crime through bipartisan efforts.
According to the letter, Montague is seeking to “find common ground to address the root causes of crime, and not the symptoms”.
At a press conference earlier in the day, Opposition Leader Dr Peter Phillips said the current crime situation requires far more than a meeting between the minister and his Opposition counterpart.
“The People's National Party (PNP) is willing to participate in a national effort to develop an effective plan to stop the bloodletting. What we are seeking is not a conversation between the minister and the Opposition spokesman, nor are we seeking a conversation between the PNP and the JLP in this matter. There are other critical stakeholders, including for example, security experts at our universities, the trade unions, the PSOJ, the peace management initiative and other NGOs that have an interest in this matter. The time is now to stop ignoring this problem and to stop making flip political commentary about this very serious matter that is before us,” he said.
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