Ease up on the Government
THE EDITOR: I am concerned with the accelerated crime rate and the likely cause of it. Soon after the People’s National Movement (PNM) returned to power, a marked increase in crime manifested itself. The Government is now faced with the responsibility of this unpleasant task. This is another aspect of a very complex problem — the causes of crime. Often the basic motivation for crime is the desire for money. For example, in the case of kidnapping, a ransom is demanded; in the case of shooting, sometimes it is drug related or the need for money. Of late and most explosively, is the bombing in the city of Port-of-Spain. Surely this one is not for money. It is deprivation. Getting at the root causes of crime implies the reordering of society of a magnitude that few are willing to undertake. There is neither the scientific knowledge nor the political will to eliminate the root causes of crime. Therefore it is insensitive for Government to be part of an organised march — the death march or the march against crime, whatever the ulterior motive. The Government remains firm in the commitment to protect and serve the people of Trinidad and Tobago. Crime victims, it should be noted, are not an organised interest group. Therefore they have little or no political influence. Those with political power live mainly outside the sphere of criminal activities. However, it is passing strange to see an organised interest group marching against crime, strongly supported by members of the Opposition. Don’t tell me they didn’t know what they were doing — when they created the circumstance. An office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was set up in the city of Port-of-Spain to assist the Government in slowing down the rate of crime. This should bring some measure of comfort to the public in general and Opposition in particular. In the final analysis, it is the oppressive and social environment that leads to the grinding poverty, instability and despair that so often besets us. Let the people be more mindful of these conditions and be more considerate to the Government. But another vital factor impedes progress in the fight against crime — human nature itself, lust, avarice, aggression and self aggrandisement are inherently part of the make-up of people. That fact has been evident ever since Cain murdered his brother. W CRAIGWELL Valsayn
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"Ease up on the Government"