Move yutes from garrison state of mind - Bounty Killer calls for more spending on social programmes

Dancehall artiste Bounty Killer is again calling on the powers that be to push funds into social development. The deejay was speaking at a forum put on by Red Stripe on Wednesday.

The hard-core entertainer said that the solution to the country’s crime problem does not rest in the declaration of states of emergency.

“Jamaica is really in a critical state with violence in general, not just domestic abuse. If yuh check the death toll, it soon start reach 1,500 per year, and it’s not getting less with all the state of emergency and ZOSO because this is not a police problem, and I told the Government this long ago,” he said.

Commissioner of Police, Major General Antony Anderson said the anti-crime measures have been having positive results in the areas in which they have been implemented. SOEs have been declared in St James, Hanover, and Westmoreland; Clarendon and St Catherine; St Andrew South and Kingston Eastern.

Bounty Killer said that the Government’s strategy is misdirected.

“It’s a social, dysfunctional problem. We have moral issues, issues with self-value, financial issues, dysfunctional parent issues, and no social development not happening. We only have SOE looking for the bad boys. Who is looking for the good boys?”

“We need fi take out these yutes outta di hard garrisons and tun dem inna genius.”

Lack of opportunity

The deejay went on to say that as a product of Kingston’s tough inner city, circumstances and a lack of opportunity forced many youths into a life of crime. He encouraged the Government to invest in development strategies that would transform the lives of young people.

“What bout the good boys weh don’t really wanna be bad boys? Who is looking for them and teaching them any likkle activity? Look in all the inner cities, a only bad boys we looking for. Where are the people who used to go around and talk to the yutes dem and encourage dem not to be bad boys?” he questioned.

“Government nuh wah put no more money inna dat. Dem wah put it inna SOE alone. So the bad boys find the good boys dem and turn dem inna bad boy too because dem idle and nobody looking out for them. A nuh everybody wah be bad boys, ennu, and me wah know if the Government nuh know dat. All these millions weh dem a put into SOEs, let’s do some social programmes. That’s what we want.”

The entertainer, who has classified himself as the ‘poor people’s governor’, explained that in order to stop crime in its tracks, there must be a change in lifestyle for the country’s most vulnerable.

“Stop waste the money on policing. Nuh care how much bad boy di police de kill, yuh have another 100 rising, so a dem we need fi diffuse and change dem outlook. A dat me do wid music,” he said.