Don’t punish the messenger

THE EDITOR: It is with great interest I am following up the issue of the public outcry against Cro Cro and his contribution for this year’s Carnival season. I would greatly appreciate your publication of this letter. I only hope it would serve to put things in perspective. Cro Cro echoes the sentiment (explicitly or otherwise) that people should be kidnapped, since they are involved in corruption and as such earned their fortunes by less than honourable means. He also claims that he received inspiration for this song from his peers in Laventille or thereabouts.

If this is in fact the case, then I believe that Cro Cro should not be persecuted in anyway  for the message that is being sent, either by the law or by members of the media or public. I say this because, should this be true, then this is not just the sentiment of one person, but an entire (substantial) section of the community, as uneducated and vindictive as this sentiment is. Cro Cro should be commended for bringing to the fore the collective thought of a section of Trinidadian people. (Their parents may have been “islanders” but they are mostly Jamaican-sounding Trini-to-the-bone).

With respect to the presentation of the sentiment, a historical examination of Cro Cro’s material shows a scant tendency towards wit and linguistic manipulations. Even so, ignorance is no excuse, and for this crude and more than vulgar presentation he should be reprimanded severely. What is ever more frightening is the fact that persons actually harbour the view that people who enjoy a higher standard of living should be punished for this privilege. It may be true that some of these “privileged” persons may be corrupt to the core, but there would also be those who are enjoying the fruits of their labour. What this suggests is that these people not only believe that two wrongs make a right, but they also have no faith in the legal system in force in Trinidad. Not that many people do.

The legal system is plagued by inefficiencies, as is suggested by the number of unsolved crimes and background cases. And this is absolutely scary. If the system could not uphold justice efficiently when the crime rate was lower, what is going to happen now? Are we fast heading the route taken by Guyana and Colombia? The enforcement of the law, the security of the citizens and the equal distribution of income are three fundamental duties of a government. If the government cannot enforce any/all of the three, they should be replaced immediately. And if successive governments cannot accomplish these, then maybe the system itself (ie democracy) should be replaced. I think this government has proven itself to be a miserable failure in this regard. Do they agree with the sentiment that the rich are in fact corrupt? (Which would explain the “fix crime — fix me first” advertising campaign). As if littering is equivalent to kidnapping, drug-trafficking and murder. Why does it remind me so much of the famous “all ah we tief” sentiment associated with a certain (ruling) political party.

By way of a solution, I think the government should have perpetrators feel the heavy hand of the law, even if it means severe punishment and giving criminals a public ‘seppy’ or two. At the very worst they would still be re-elected). In addition, the government should impose and enforce the immediate death penalty on kidnappings, murder and drug trafficking. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Basically, those who cannot conform to the law should be forced to do so, or alternatively face literal exile (to an island with no “bling” and no “brands.” And no weed either). If they cannot live like human beings, then human beings should not have to put up with this sub-human mentality. Additionally, the other social institutions (religion, education and the family) can be used simultaneously to forge a combined attack on the causes of the problems, so as to eliminate these problems (or at least identify the problem-makers) wherever possible. It would be interesting to see what the academia (sorry Baldeosingh and Cudjoe — maybe when we’re done with the academia we can come to you) can offer as solutions to the problems with crime in Trinidad today.
Have a nice day!

FABIAN SANCHEZ
Queen’s Park West
Port-of-Spain