The last item in the PM's New Year's Message

[Mosiah]

Crime is another major obstacle to development. The number of murders committed last year, while still less than the level of 2005, is way beyond what any stable society can tolerate. This year will also be a defining year for our security forces to demonstrate that they can apply the intelligence capability and all the available resources to defeat the criminal elements that are so effectively undermining our development, to demonstrate, also, their continued resolve to rid themselves of the criminals in uniform who are sabotaging their efforts to fight crime.

How much less than in 2005, Bruce?

Jackass!!!!

[Willi]

2005 was the peak year no?

In any case 2008 is a much better reference to use.

[Assasin]

Politics.

Him better do better this year.

[Mosiah]

And how much less was this 2009? If he only "bettered" the peak year by around 10 murders, what sense is there to bring it up? It is assinine! It would make sense him not mention the peak year, esp. since he claimed he would have done so much to improve our crime situation.

In fact, one may never know which year was worse, because if, for instance, you factor in missing persons, some of whom could have been killed, hard and fast numbers (statistics) make no sense!

But let him continue looking back at those 18 years!

[Muadib]

unnuh shame don't it ?

Mi nuh blame yuh... mi woulda shame tuh....

[Willi]

Huh,

Him seh:
The number of murders committed last year, while still less than the level of 2005, is way beyond what any stable society can tolerate.

[Mosiah]

of course me shame! wi shoulda just stay wid di odda eediat dem!

[Mosiah]

Mi shame yes!

4 MURDERS REPORTED ON FIRST DAY OF 2010
Saturday, January 02, 2010
THE bloodshed that marked 2009 as one of Jamaica's most violent years continued unabated yesterday with the police reporting that gunmen shot dead four persons as the country ushered in the New Year.

The four murders compared to three that were reported on the first day of 2009.

The first recorded death yesterday was that of Ricardo Goulbourne, 22, of Spring Village, Old Harbour in St Catherine.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...--2010_7297517

[Exile]

Willi - all the best for the New Year...Mosiah as well!
OK - there's no window dressing on this one...if he has to go back to 2005 four years back, something is obviously wrong....why not 1980 when we thought 400+ murders were a disaster? What is the relevance of that statistic? Did we do better than last year? Or the year before?
Thing is we have to stop counting these numbers and play with them...anything over 'normal' - what is it...50-100 is ridiculous.
I was watching a movie with sm Northern Ireland insurgents back in the day...and I just cringed...knowing what is happening in Jamaica....crime, drugs, power, illiteracy, educuation, greed, ignorance - that's the basis our problems.

[Muadib]

um.. you do realize Bruce Golding is a politician right.. and there is an opportunisitc opposition... right ?

Is naive unnuh a play or is really fool-fool unnuh be ?

[Muadib]

nuh look back yah sah.. shameful behaviour it was.. we should all avoid looking back.. well not all.. nuff a wi doh...

[Exile]

I thought he had a BIGGER role as PM. My bad.

[Exile]

That's wht Bob sey 'never let a politician grant yu a favour..."

and

"...if a fyah mek it bun, if a blood mek it run...there'll be lightning and thunda, brimstone and fire"

[Peter R]

I think we hit 800 back in 1980 but I understand the point...

I read a headline that some Mafia guy was killed in Montreal and that the police there are concerned a turf war between rival gangs will ensue and I immediately began to worry about my daughter at school there... but their murder count for the year? 31 in a city of 3.5M people.

[Exile]

Better yu worry bout her safety in Port of Spain....