Lok Jack calls for action on crime

Businessman Arthur Lok Jack joined to call for “all members of Parliament” to enact the “strongest legislation” to deal with the crime problem.

“We must put aside any differences which set us apart at the present time and unite against the common enemy from whom none of us is immune,” he stated as he addressed the audience at the launch of Vision 2020 Public Participatory Process at the Crowne Plaza on Tuesday night. Later on in the evening, President Professor George Maxwell Richards stressed that education was not just about passing education and stated that the time had come for  an “honest and realistic review” of the education system. With lights on the stage only, the audience which included persons at the top levels of business, politics, culture, education (including the top 10 SEA students) sat in darkness and applauded as Lok Jack who is Chairman of the Multisectoral Group stated :  “Every political party, every business enterprise, the labour movement, the media, the religious bodies, the non-governmental organisations, the financial institutions, the protective services, each and every one of us must be committed to assist in finding a solution to the escalating problem which is having such a disruptive effect on our way of life. The situation is grave enough for unusual action. We must act now!”

Lok Jack stated that not only were the problem of serious crimes such as murder and kidnapping, forcing people into an “unduly restricted existence,” it was also doing irreparable harm to the country’s image with “adverse consequences.” He said the country needed to conduct a careful analysis of all the factors which had led to a situation where serious crime was flourishing. He said it was disturbing to learn that the criminal elements were being equipped than the Police Service. Lok Jack also said that the society had to be careful in planning the vision not to perpetuate the dependency syndrome in which Government assistance was seen as the only recourse. “We must promote self-reliance and a commitment to enterprise and excellence,” he stressed.

The President spoke after Lok Jack zeroed in on the question of education, which he stated must play a pre-eminent role in the Vision 2020 plan.  He was acutely aware of the strengths and weaknesses of traditional education systems, he said, noting that people had to understand that education did not ever stop. Richards also  reiterated that in planning for Vision 2020 the “differently-abled” must be accommodated and emphasised that the benefits of a better life must permeate every level of the society and every group.   The Multisectoral Core Group to develop a plan for Trinidad and Tobago to achieve developed country status by the year 2020 was appointed on October 22, 2002 by Government. The Core Group set up 28 committees, comprising 600 “eminent and capable” persons drawn from different sectors.