Several civic and business groups have written an open letter to Jamaica’s two main political leaders expressing concern over the delay in advancing discussion on a national crime consensus.

We write you this open letter following the agreement amongst ourselves, namely the Jamaica Council of Churches, National Integrity Action, the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, and the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters’ Association, as well as other civil society representatives on a National Consensus for the sustainable reduction of Crime and Violence in our country.

Further to our fulsome agreement in October 2019, and your respective support and commitment to expediting a National Consensus, we were pleased with the progress made in concluding agreement on the fundamental decisions and tabling the specific recommendations embodied in the document “The National Consensus on Crime – an imperative for Jamaica”.

Given the conclusion and submission of the report and recommendations in February, as well as your acknowledgement of the importance of this consensus in Jamaica’s fight against crime, we are perplexed at the apparent inability to confirm a time to meet with us and finalise the agreed actions and recommendations.

We consider these final engagements to be crucial in transforming the stated commitments into action and resulting in consensual sign-off on the recommendations and other imperatives that will deliver a national multi-stakeholder and bi-partisan approach to removing the scourge of crime and violence that has enveloped our nation.