Clergy seeks to ease political tensions
By Lavern Clarke, Staff Reporter

Chairman of the Meadhaven Ministers Fraternal, the Rev. Devon Dick. - File

CONCERNED ABOUT the escalating political violence, a group of clergymen have brought local politicians, in two of the Corporate Area's volatile constituencies, to the table to discuss how their churches can assist in keeping tensions down.

Following two days of talks, the pastors endorsed the call by the Electoral Advisory Committee (EAC) for motorcades to be banned in volatile areas. And, as their first intervention will be bringing the church, community, and politicians together on Friday in a "confab" in Maverley ­ a traditional hot spot ­ where tensions remain high following the weekend killings of two people.

The Meadhaven Ministers Fraternal, which covers the church district in Meadowbrook and Havendale, met Monday with two of the three candidates in St. Andrew North Central. Karl Samuda, the incumbent was a no-show, but Barbara Clarke of the People's National Party and Garnett Whyte, representing the NDM/NJA, were there.

On Tuesday, the Fraternal met with the candidates from St. Andrew North Western: Derrick Smith of the JLP; Dilpie Champagnie of the Imperial Ethiopian World Federation; and Rosemarie Higgins, NJA. PNP candidate Nenna Wilson did not show.

The discussions centred on the flare up of violence, the political division within the constituency, the plans the candidates have for their areas and an exploration of the role that the church can play in mitigating rival clashes and maintaining the peace.

Naming such communities as 100 Lane, Park Lane, Common, Gully Bank, Whitehall Avenue, chairman of the Fraternal, the Rev. Devon Dick, who pastors Boulevard Baptist Church, says the Fraternal members "will go into these places to defuse situations as they arise."

As to whether their interventions will accomplish anything, Rev. Dick said, "We're not sure. But, it's better to try and it doesn't work, than do nothing." He added that the ministers are cognisant of the dangers, based on the realities that these are communities where there is a propensity towards violence and people are likely to have guns.

Dick said that in Monday's discussions Clarke and Whyte said they would continue demonstrating to the public that they were friends, and asked the ministers to endorse them as such to their members.

In reference to what the talks accomplished, the Fraternal chairman said the churches were advised to tell their congregants to stay in their homes and protect their children when, for example, motorcades are passing through their areas.

The meetings also agreed that the Fraternal "would be proactive" in its interventions, by visiting known trouble spots "to try to defuse anything before it happens", with the pastors in the various areas to lead the teams that go into the respective communities.

Rev. Dick said the candidates sounded sincere about wanting a peaceful campaign, but, "the problem that I have, which I raised at the meeting, is that I have never heard any political party saying that they have disciplined any member for stone-throwing or anything like that," he said. "I can't recall."