Laws Should Be Obeyed By all

Why should only poor people obey the law?

That seemed to be the question that a former Minister of Security was trying to ask this morning during a very interesting and comprehensive discussion on crime on the Breakfast Club.

After touching on a number of different areas, the question arose, should Dons be allowed to be the beneficiary of government contracts? Naturally, there was an overwhelming "no" and it was even conceded that the National Contracts Commissions had made some progress in this area but at the level of sub-contractors, there remained a problem. Then Dr. Phillips asked the bombshell question, shouldn't the issue of law breakers benefiting from government contracts not extend to business persons who illegally operate in residential areas?

You could have hit me down with a straw when I heard that coming from Dr. Phillips of all people, for his constituency is the epitome of this form of illegality.

Thank God for conversions because for years Dr. Phillips has been in a position to deal with blatant breaking of the law in that area, yet he failed to do do.

Of course the chief enforcing agency for this problem in the corporate area is the KSAC, but for decades the KSAC has preferred to send its officers to chase down starving people selling a few cigarettes, guineps and other small items to prevent their children from starving, while ignoring the blatant lawlessness of well heeled business people.

Who was it again who said that in Jamaica "Money talks and b...s... walks?"
Lets us see if it is possible to deal with crime in a country where that is the mantra!