Violence deh pan we lakka breadfruit stain

Mi good, nice and clean people, how oonu do? Mi hope seh oonu safe and OK, because it seem like Jamaica tun a western movie weh need fi deh a Carib Theatre.

I am extremely distressed, because the state of our beloved Jamaica seems to be going from bad to worse, from worse to worst, and worst to 'wosserer'.

No, man! Mi caan believe it! We have a state of emergency (SOE) again!

A SOE involves the suspension of many constitutional rights and this will affect innocent people and businesses. The security forces can now do a number of things that they normally would not be able to do, including arresting individuals and searching places without warrants. Additionally, people's freedom of movement will be curtailed due to curfews.

The declaration of the SOE by Prime Minister Andrew Holness is because crime - in particular, murders - has been overwhelming us. In St James alone, there were 335 murders last year. Violence deh pan we and nah go weh lakka breadfruit stain!

BROKEN RECORD

Mi feel like seh mi ah one broken record. I have written on this topic so often in recent times, but mi haffi deal wid it again. We have so much for which to be thankful, including sunshine year-round, beautiful landscape, great food, fabulous sportsmen and women, fantastic culture, including our art and music, and most important, our people.

Jamaicans are generally known to be ambitious, assiduous, generous and loving people. Yeh, wi have di old Anancy, Lucifer and scammer dem, but as far as me know, dem inna di minority. Yuh know it gone to the dogs when gunmen brazenly attack a funeral in broad daylight in the presence of police and soldiers.

The SOE is a short-term measure and cannot solve the problems. We have to stop with the mere lip service and address the root causes of the country's problems in a more holistic way.

I hope that the security forces will respect the rights of individuals and not abuse the powers given to them. We desperately need the SOE to be a success and, in tandem with the zones of special operation, to signal the start of our resurgence, a way back from the madness and the precipice of disaster!