KNOCKING the volatile situation in Tivoli Gardens as “frightening and an embarrassment to Jamaica”, Cabinet Minister Donville Inniss has warned politicians against giving comfort to any known drug dealers.Inniss, the Minister of Health, said the strife and unrest in West Kingston stemming from the plan to extradite notorious gang leader Christopher “Dudus” Coke, was an indictment on the people of Tivoli Gardens.“Reports have indicated that this fugitive is somewhat of a Don in a community. It is scary because West Indian societies should be built on hard work and family spirit and not on control by any drug lords.“That excitement and financial benefit that can [bring] good from drug lords is often very short-lived and normally ends up in death and destruction as we see in Jamaica.“My personal view is that no politician anywhere should be giving comfort to any known drug leader in his or her society. I don’t think that is the kind of society that we should be building,” said Inniss, who returned home Thursday from New York.Inniss told the SUNDAY SUN he doesn’t think that drug lords should be held up as heroes to the youth.“Its disappointing to have young people look up to drug lords. That is my personal view. Not as a politician but as a father of two young sons, as a brother and as a proud Barbadian.“The evidence is all around us that illegal drugs do not work. The situation in Jamaica is indeed a tragedy and a total embarrassment for the Jamaican society. I was in Switzerland when this matter started to evolve and it was a major news items up there so it really and truly is not doing Jamaica any good.”Inniss said every effort must be made to ensure that mendicancy and general bad behaviour doesn’t gain root in this country.“There are many similarities between the societies in Jamaica and Barbados. The lesson for us is that it can serve as a reminder of the need for us as political leaders to be vigilant and ensure that we do what we have to do to make sure that such kind of bad behaviour elements do not gain root in this society.”Inniss said he was worried about the drug culture in Barbados.“I am not one of these politicians who will bury my head in the sand and believe it doesn’t exist. I had a life before politics which certainly exposed me to a lot of the deviant behaviour and as a politician I have seen enough to convince me that there is somewhat of a drug element in this society which we must continue to work against gaining any deep-rooted position. “Every young man and woman who turns to a life of drugs, is a life lost. Its somebody’s daughter, somebody’s son. It is not a matter of whether it is 10 000 people or 10, we really have to ensure we can save everyone.” (MK)
