Illegality becoming acceptable

In Arima, like everywhere else, there is prevalent illegal vending on the pedestrian pavements.

Nothing lasting has been done about it, and now it has expanded.

Vendors now have vehicles — cars, station wagons, even big vans and small trucks.

They set up shop before business hours, vending on the pavement and from their vehicles.

They make sure there is a lot of space in-between their vehicles so people can freely walk around them to survey merchandise and to shop in comfort, depriving tax-paying merchants and customers of already limited parking.

The ever efficient wrecker (the only thing that seems to work in this country) is right behind you, should you commit the mortal sin and park on the opposite side of the street as a result of the vendors illegally occupying the legal side.

Repeated complaints go unanswered.

There is no move to find a solution for vendors to legally occupy an organised vending zone or city/town market.

Illegality is now the norm in our society.

Recently I have noticed socalled members clubs/casinos on the ground floors of main shopping areas advertising their illegal 33/1 services on their shop front.

That is what was previously called Whe Whe, an illegal enterprise.

That used to be an underground activity where the banker had to go in hiding to “buss the mark.” It is no longer so.

It is on the main streets in our country, illegally available to one and all, in competition with the legal Government-run NLCB Play Whe.

When illegality becomes acceptable, without consequence, we have failed as a society.

The message is that everyone is a law onto themselves.

Add this to our nation’s heightened delinquency, robbery, thuggery, kidnapping, murder, larceny, arson, it is clear to see why we are a failing state.

Ghassan Youseph via email