Not too late to do right thing

There have been calls from all sectors of society for the Opposition and the Government to unite to fight crime. Even at the funeral on Monday of kidnap victim Ashmead Baksh, son of UNC MP Nizam Baksh, his uncle appealed for co-operation among the political parties in order to fight crime.

Yet Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday on Monday night attacked the Guardian’s front-page editorial of that day, which made the same call. But this newspaper was simply voicing the opinion of many, many people from one end of the political spectrum to the other.

In fact, politics has nothing to do with it. There is a feeling that the society is under siege and that the population at all levels needs to come together to act against crime.

No one but Mr Panday and perhaps one of two of his most devout disciples sees constitutional reform as a need so pressing that it takes priority over the fight against crime. If Mr Panday sincerely believes that, it casts grave doubt on his judgment. Does he really believe that all over the country people are living in fear or—as he has so often noted—considering migrating because of the need for constitutional reform?

No, of course not. They are terrified that they or, worse yet, their children may be kidnapped or murdered. Yet not even the killing of the youngest son of one of his own MPs has shown Mr Panday how urgent and how real that crisis is, or how powerful the fear it engenders.

That this newspaper has criticised the conduct of the Opposition does not mean that we therefore approve of the Government’s handling of crime. Certainly Mr Manning’s habit of loftily ignoring even the most pressing issues, when asked for a comment or for reassurance that the Government is acting on them, is misguided and counterproductive. Nor are we satisfied that the Government is doing everything possible even without the co-operation of the Opposition to deal with crime.

What we are saying is that both sides should, as the population is begging, set aside political differences and work together in the national interest against a problem that afflicts everyone.

When Mr Manning was in Opposition he willingly took part in talks on crime with Mr Panday, who was then Prime Minister. It was out of those talks that they reached an agreement on the police reform bills which are now before Parliament and which the UNC is refusing to support.

The passage of those bills would not end the crime epidemic, but they form one part of a long-term strategic response. In addition, as we stated in the editorial that so offended Mr Panday, the Opposition ought to be able to come up with other short and long-term suggestions to combat the present crisis.

For the Opposition to insist first on constitutional reform, at least part of which is calculated to give itself more political power, is a selfish and short-sighted approach and one which may very well backfire eventually at the polling booth.

It is not too late for Mr Panday to show the grace and courage to withdraw from his present position and accede to the wishes of an increasingly desperate people.