Chang’s own words indict his failure

THE EDITOR, SIR:

IREAD a story in your paper last week wherein the minister of national security, Dr Horace Chang, cited in his Sectoral Debate presentation that up to 200 illegal firearms per month are being smuggled into Jamaica.

This information, he states, is as per his “intelligence”, which, I assume, references the briefings that he, as minister of national security, receives from police and military personnel.

The minister’s statement is troubling for a number of reasons, including the fact that he seems not to realise that his job is not merely to report on such occurences but to put policies in place to stop them! If he knows of this practice, why hasn’t he put measures in place to stop it?

If the information is true, the minister should be fired, as knowing about something is certainly not good enough in this instance. Dr Chang should be informing us what he has done, as minister, to interupt this flow of weapons and to, therefore, enhance and safeguard our national security.

It is also ironic to hear the same minister who happily regurgitates statistics of a few guns taken off the streets, and points to great success of law-enforcement personnel at

such times, now declaring that “so even when we get a hundred (guns), we not going anywhere”. If this is not an indictment of his own leadership in the crime fight, one wonders what is?

The minister goes on to say, as per your report, that: “Who we need to catch is not the man who they use to shoot people. (It) is the man who is organising this ... . ” I pray that your reporter has misquoted the minister, and what he really said was that “who we need to catch, IN ADDITION TO THE MURDERERS THEY EMPLOY TO SHOOT PEOPLE, is the man who is organising this ... “.

INSPIRATIONAL LEADERSHIP

In times of crisis, one yearns for inspirational leadership. If the story, as reported, is indicative of Minister Horace Chang’s grip on the crime portfolio, no wonder we are in the position that we are.

He is clearly the misguided and out-of-his-depth shepherd, with our citizens being the proverbial lambs to the slaughter.

It is my sincere hope that your reporter had one too many preholiday drinks prior to penning that article as, if indeed it is reported accurately, Minister Chang owes us all an apology, followed immediately thereafter by his resignation.

LEROY D.