More interested in show than substance

After all, he spent the whole of 2005 not telling citizens that the $1 million Eye-in-the-Sky towers had no cameras and that the much-touted $14 million sensors on the $26 million blimp couldn’t function. Indeed, after the multi-million drug bust on Monos island, Government spokespersons said that the blimp had played a significant part in the exercise — which was a pretty nice trick since the device was blind and deaf.

Citizens would not have forgotten the large promises made when these devices were unveiled. The Eye-in-the-Sky tower on Independence Square, we were told, could see as far as the Queen’s Park Savannah — indeed, into every nook and cranny that criminals might use. The blimp’s sensors could pick up cell phone conversation and even had chemical sensors that could stymie terrorists. But, as we had warned, the Eye-in-the-Sky turned out to be pie in the sky, while the blimp is so limp that the Government, employing the kind of logic that only Cabinet might understand, has rented a second blimp — this one without any sensors at all to start with.

The Government has not denied Newsday’s exclusive report that the towers are camera-less nor has it explained exactly how this second blimp will succeed in reducing crime when the first one failed so completely. And this, perhaps, is why Mr Joseph is remaining silent about the attack helicopters — if he admits that the Government is going to spend between US$15 million or US$56 million for these aircraft, then the pressure will be on him to explain the rationale.

Mr Joseph could always plead security reasons, but this will hardly wash with a citizenry fed up of Government’s spendthrift ways and its inability to reduce the crime rate. The first time those helicopters take to the air, the general public will know about their existence — but it is likely that the drug barons will have learned about them long before ordinary citizens.

We can only assume that this is the main reason for Government considering such a purchase. But, if this is the case, why doesn’t Mr Joseph simply say so? In the last Budget, Prime Minister Patrick Manning announced that the 360 degree radar should start functioning this year. This, combined with helicopters, should make life more difficult for drug traffickers. That is, assuming a few caveats are met — that there are technical personnel to maintain and man the radar and the helicopters; that these personnel are not in the pay of drug dealers; and that laws are in place to imprison any persons caught by these methods.

We realise that such caveats should not even need to be listed — but the Government’s handling of its previous multi-million dollar technical purchases have hardly inspired the confidence that they know what they are doing. Indeed, the revelations about the towers and blimp have cleared up a long-standing mystery as to why these devices were making no difference. It is because the Government is more interested in show than in substance. For that reason, we hope that Mr Joseph will come clean about the helicopters before any purchases are made, or state definitely that the Government has no such plans.