Rising fear, running scared

Newspaper columnists have been pointing to the negative effects that crime has been having on business operations in Trinidad, and the potential crime has to seriously damage the development efforts of the country. The level of crime is being attributed to, among other things, societal inequity and links between political parties and criminal elements. Inequity in the society is demonstrated by the privileged treatment received by certain groups and classes before the institutions of the State as Martin Daly continues to highlight in his column. A leading commentator  has focused on the association of political parties with the perpetrators of crime and Selwyn Ryan has also taken up this issue. More recently, Rolph Balgobin of the IOB asserted that we cannot build a nation or a viable business sector if crime is not confronted and stated that we are “growing into a cold and scared people.” The conclusion is that there is increasing unease and rising fear among the population.

Crime Fear
Fear of criminal activity, however, is not the only fear we are living with in these times. In a response to Lloyd Best, I extended the fear factor to include fear of voicing independent opinions on the major issues of the day because victimisation is a reality in business and political life. This type of fear has led to an intellectual laziness which is displayed by little inclination to contend with issues that require a level of thinking other than superficial. This attitude pervades the society with persons having grown accustomed to receiving knowledge and direction from the pulpits of priests, pundits, politicians, business gurus and assorted seers.

In this atmosphere, people who are prepared to engage in intellectual debate are considered mad or at a minimum eccentrics who provide entertainment outside of the mas. The state of unthinking applies to the university as much as anywhere else on this part of the spaceship. Even calypso is not spared as one-liners are now the popular offerings with composers taking one year to come up with “the people want water.” Even reasonably independent thinkers are mortally afraid to voice opinions or give critical feedback on any subject that may be construed as “political” which extends to most areas of life.

My experience is that ardent political activists, in the party politics sense, cannot conceive that there are thinking persons who are not aligned to any political organisation but rather espouse an ideology of human development which transcends party politics.

Private Sector 
This mortal fear is obvious in the wider public sector where survival depends on power allegiances but the private sector, too, is not without fear. In small economies, the reach of the Government is wide and impacts the survival and growth of private businesses directly. In a situation such as ours, the majority of NGOs and CBOs depend on the largesse of the  Government of the day and where the Government has surplus funds to deal, the dependency becomes more entrenched.

Taking Action
How can we tackle the twin fears of criminal action and victimisation? I believe that many of the fears we are experiencing are the result of having adopted a flawed development model which focuses on deep centralisation of power and development activity. I became convinced some 30 years ago that a solution to the particular case lies in the adoption of a decentralisation model of development which incorporates mobilisation of people and resources at all levels within communities to confront the problems that have evaded the central agencies. In developing the decentralisation thesis in the mid-70s, I saw that both deconcentration of government operations and devolution of authority to local levels comprising regional and community councils were the overriding strategies for achieving human progress and balanced economic development.

While a policy of decentralisation was espoused by past administrations, the required actions were never taken and we are stuck with the consequences of urban sprawl, traffic congestion, decay of the cities, environmental degradation and crime. The construction of highways and interchanges merely to bring people into Port-of-Spain on mornings and take them to their dormitories on evenings cannot be the solution. Rather, the solution lies in a return to comprehensive urban and regional planning which integrates the economic, social, political, cultural and community development aspects of human existence.

Ground Level
At the ground level, communities have to be encouraged and supported in mobilising all their resources in their own development interest including issues such as crime prevention and justice. These matters can be effectively dealt with only at the community level but people and communities have to be empowered. Clearly empowerment is not easily achieved because it demands intensive and sustained mobilisation work for which we seem ill equipped. To start the process of empowerment, leaders in the communities who will be prepared to come forward to do the hard work, have to be identified but when fear reigns, the challenge can be overwhelming.

The views expressed in this column are not necessarily those of Guardian Life. You are invited to send your comments to guardianlife@ghl.co.tt