Nationwide reformation needed

THE EDITOR: I write in support of Prof Selwyn Cudjoe’s “Ten ways to Solve Crime Problem” appearing in your publication of 16/12/03, particularly of “ways” six, seven and nine.

It is high time, that as a people and a nation that we confront, objectively and unemotionally, the realism of the genesis of our present anomic society which has exploded on us. From the grant of Responsible Govern-ment, I believe in 1946, our Governments have successively created and/or supported the development of an indisciplined, indifferent, and soulless society. Truly, Dr Eric Williams lamented in the peroration of his book, The History of the People of Trinidad and Tobago that: “Two peoples have been freed but a nation has not been born.” In addition, the churches (and their leaders) have lost their impact, their influence and hold on the people of our nation, albeit meanwhile the churches have been growing mightily richer — look how rapidly they are multiplying in number, stature and grandeur.

Let us look, unaffectedly, at the characteristics of the present functioning of our Government and at the behaviour patterns and norms of our society and tell me whether or not I am lying or whether or not I am being bias, or, for that matter, disastrously critical.  And let us do this comparatively against the backdrop of the developed countries; say America, Canada or England. Is this being overambitious? The work ethic of our people can be described, generally speaking, as palpably woeful and lacking, in the majority, a sense of responsibility, honesty and commitment.  The rate and volume of absenteeism and unpunctuality at work is phenomenal and will not be condoned in the countries mentioned above. Work flow, work turnover, and rate of response to the public, particularly so in the case of Public Offices, are depressingly frustrating and dysfunctional to any attempt to increase and/or improve the productive processes in the country. The enforcement of Enacted Laws and the promotion of Order in the society effected here as an afterthought, or spasmodically, except in the case of capital crimes.

It is the general feeling and expression in the society that the exercise of Justice is dependent upon the wealth and status of an individual, upon his/her ethnic origin and upon the colour of one’s skin. (See Prof Cudjoe’s fifth ‘way to solve crime problem’). This apparent inequality in the practice and exercise of justice in the country must be stopped.  Our Primary School education system has declined woefully. It fails to inform the child about his community, its flora and fauna, and its peoples; it fails to help him to understand his society as a Trinidadian, and teaches him nothing about his social responsibility and commitment as a member of that society. To what extent teachers (in the majority) can be regarded as role models, is questionable, so, too, is their commitment to the education, training and development of the child, per se.

The assignment in 2001 of every Primary School child to a Grammar Secondary School was the most grievous criminal act that could have been perpetrated and inflicted on our children. The obvious indifference and/or callous lack of attention being paid by our Government to the social needs and development of our communities is in no way helping to address this state of anomie in our society today. The poor quality, questionable, controversial, adversarial and uninspiring nature of many of our media talk shows (which are contributed to by, it appears, a particular regular group of people) serve only to aggravate the frustrating social atmosphere in the country.

To arrest the present crime wave and to solve the crime problem in the country the Government needs to embark upon planned strategic programmes of activities, re-organisations and policies, that will address, simultaneously, the improvement of the effectiveness of the operation of the Police Services (this would include the quality of the officers as well as their response time to calls), the operation and equality of Justice, and the social life of the population. In this attack Government must need to draw upon and solicit the assistance of the community, particularly by way of the non-government organisations (NGOs) as well as  individual members of the society. I agree with Prof Cudjoe that the Police Service must be rid of maverick police officers and improve the confidentiality of the service as a whole. The arrest and solution of the country’s soaring crime problem requires positive aggressive action now.

VERNAN B
GUISCHARD
Tacarigua