Legislation lagging behind in crime fight – Chang
Published:Friday | February 12, 2021 | 12:28 AMChristopher Serju/Senior Gleaner Writer
Despite pumping billions of dollars into the national security infrastructure over the past four years, the Government has dropped the ball in enacting accompanying legislation to effectively bring the island’s crime problem under control, Dr Horace Chang has admitted.
The national security minister was speaking as he participated in a virtual press conference and panel discussion as the Crime Monitoring and Oversight Committee (CMOC) yesterday provided an update on Jamaica’s state of crime and the deliverables that were due by the end of December 2020.
“The fact is, although we have put in $42 billion to ensure we have a modern police force and modern supporting agencies in terms of the Integrity Commission, MOCA (Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency) and the Jamaica Defence Force and all the other agencies that are involved in the fight against crime and corruption, the legislative framework must be strong. It is an area we have neglected,” Chang said.
“The process itself is challenging, and the Opposition recognises this, and I thank them for that support, but it is something that we are taking steps to improve on with immediacy,” he added.
Opposition Spokesman on National Security Peter Bunting, who spoke before Chang, had pointed out that a key position of legislative counsel – usually occupied by a very senior lawyer, whose main task is to assist parliamentarians in understanding and shaping law – remains vacant.
Bunting said it was not sufficient for the Ministry of National Security and the Jamaica Constabulary Force to present their plans and programmes to be monitored as a sort of administrative exercise by the CMOC as he declared the Opposition’s commitment to the fight against crime.
“The Opposition will work with the Government to achieve its legislative agenda so long as it is constitutional and in the public interest. The Opposition reaffirms its commitment to the principle of the consensus. However, I should warn that our participation here cannot compromise the broader role of the Opposition, as outlined by the Right Excellent Norman Washington Manley, when he said, ‘The role of the Opposition is to challenge every abuse of power, every breach of human rights, every waste of public funds, every attempt to enlarge bureaucratic procedures and to remove them from public or parliamentary observation, criticism and control’.”
Added Bunting: “Consensus requires honesty and transparency in all matters pertaining to the fight against crime, both between the political parties and between Parliament and the public. If the information that is necessary for critical analyses is withheld or not provided in a timely manner, it will erode the basis of trust and eventually undermine all the efforts that we are currently putting into the fight against crime.”
In terms of the Government’s legislative agenda, Chang said that a new Firearms Act and a review of the anti-gang legislation were among the top priority items.
“I have identified four pieces for the end of this financial year, and they are proceeding, and we expect to meet those deadlines,” said Chang, who is also the deputy prime minister.
The law to make MOCA an independent entity, though behind schedule, is on track to take effect on April 1, with the Public Bodies Management and Accountability Act rounding out the priority items.