Remy

Originally Posted by Remy

This article was was written and subsequently published in the press before the last general election. It is my view that the issues raised herein remains relevant in light of the sprilaling crime rate. I Therefore, again make the call for a non partisan approach in dealing with the issue of crime.

Some time ago I defended The Panday administration on the issue of crime. I thought them that Mr. Panday was unfairly blamed for the crime situation. I further commented that if the PNM should ever come into office again they will rue the day they politicized the issue of crime. I guess the PNM thought them that this was a chink in the UNC administration they can exploit with the hope it accrue some benefit for them in their quest to regain the seat of government.
After nine years of PNM administration crime remains the major concern of this country and a thorn in the side of this government. It is not that successive governments have not tried to solve crime but that the nature of crime does not lend itself to the remedies applied thus far. The acquisition of various types of equipments and the introduction of harsher penalties did not serve to deter the recalcitrant few who are inclined to commit crime. These miscreants simply sought new ways of doing things.

This really should not surprise anyone seeing, we all have this gut feeling that there exists much more to crime than statistics. But, in an environment where attaining political advantage is the major focus of opposition political parties ,and, politicians, and where the issue of crime is being used to score political points, one does not readily admit the obvious. After all if the PNM did it while in opposition, it is only reasonable to expect the UNC to respond in like manner.
We are all aware of the many sincere attempts made by both administrations to bring some measure of acceptable to the crime rate. Millions have been spent in this regard with out much success and we still hear of promises to spend even more. I will not call for the depoliticizing of this issue for that will not happen. But, I do want to offer the following suggestions:

1.Compliment any expenditure on crime fighting with initiatives which focus on conflict management from the time children enter schools in other words from kindergarten.
2.Introduce students from as early as possible to have interaction with the police and other authority figures.
3.Introduce national service on a voluntary basis.
4.Introduce sports very early in the curriculum.
5.Make religious studies part of the school curriculum.
6.Establish a disciplinary committee consisting of parents, teachers and the guidance officer in every school

These initiatives are not new. But they do focus on what I believe to be the source of the rampant crime problem we face. Namely, our failure to teach our children to be disciplined and how they ought to respond when confronted with situations which can lead to conflicts.
This is not the sole responsibility of government it is the responsibility of all. What can any government do when a parent fails to properly discipline or train their children? Is the government to be blamed when fathers abandon their children?

Crime is a reflection of human failings. It is a reflection of many social ills occurring over a period of time. Sure the government has its part to play but at the end of the day it is the individual who remains responsible for their actions ,and, this action is usually a reflection of how the individual interprets his/her role in the society.
For what it is worth I admonish all parties to refrain from sensationalizing this issue for it will not go away easily.