Dear Editor,

When the decent, law-abiding individual looks at what is happening every day in this country, I am sure that most of them have resigned themselves to the fact that Jamaica is finished and there is only death at the end of the tunnel.

The dismantling and theft of equipment at Colbeck and the entry of $300 million of illegal cigarettes into the marketplace are just the tip of an iceberg that is going to bury all of us, because from all appearances, the people whom we have elected to protect us from these scoundrels are totally incapable of doing so.

Take for instance the Colbeck theft. Can anybody really explain to me how come the criminals were able to go back the following night, knowing full well that not even a little puppy would be there to prevent them from finishing their heinous act which has resulted in over 100 farmers and their families and workers losing the precious supply of water essential to their livelihood?

When a government appears to be supporting illegality or people involved in illegal activities, that is the beginning of the end because the criminal and the bad man now believe they can get away with any and everything.

Is it any wonder that people are murdering people in broad daylight, snatching women’s handbags in New Kingston in after-work traffic, shooting up buses on Slipe Road at 1.30 in the afternoon and threatening to kill people while in police custody?

On the other hand, there are people like Rosemarie Greene who lost her brother to the gun but has found the courage to set up an organisation in Spanish Town to fight against the scourge of gun violence.

These are great people and they should be recognised for the good they are doing. The problem, however, is that Jamaica needs thousands of Rosemarie Greenes, because with only 112 days into the new year we have murdered over 500 people.

Ken Spencer

PO Box 537

Kingston 8