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Tarnishing Tobago

All readers of this column will know of the special love I have for Tobago and the seductive appeal of its peace, tranquillity and unspoilt nature.

For the uninitiated, it is usually a matter of sheer serendipity when one stumbles upon this magical isle and her treasures unfold and reveal themselves to you.

All of this is in danger of changing, and changing fast.

People are noticing and have been reporting back to me that Tobago is changing ever so slowly and imperceptibly, but ever so surely, and the main element of this change is the menace of crime.

Now, I know there are those whose strategy for dealing with the crime menace is to try as much as possible to sweep it under the carpet and pretend it does not exist.

So if we remain mum about it and pretend it does not exist, we can just hope it goes away. That is not only a foolish strategy, it is inherently fraught with danger and has the potential of having a long-term deleterious effect on the country, because you’re just putting a lid on a seething, bubbling cauldron which will explode all over you when the pressure gets too high.

There is so much unreported and unsolved crime which goes on in Tobago that it begins to make a joke of the notion of an island paradise.

The victims are usually too shattered, bruised and broken by the trauma to make any lasting public outcry.

I have heard reports where the police sometimes treat you, the victim, as if you were the perpetrator of the crime.

Anti-Trinidadian stance

Also, some officers adopt a decidedly anti-foreigner or anti-Trinidadian stance and make life difficult for you, when in fact you may be the victim in the scenario.

I have said it before and I will say it again to Tobagonians: if you lose your reputation of peace, tranquillity and serenity, then you have nothing left.

It is the biggest drawing card and the main attraction of the island. Once that is gone, you may as well get to the stage of somewhere like Margarita or Colombia, where as a visitor you can enjoy yourself.

There are several policemen and guards, all armed to the teeth, to protect you, because the criminals are just lurking on the fringes of your resort.

Tobago is a small island which is more than capable of being effectively policed and protected.

It is still a place where in the main people know each other, and thus people will know who are the ones committing the crimes and who are the masterminds.

There are some known areas which are havens for bandits, such as some parts of Bethel, where hordes of young men usually descend upon Mt Irvine and surrounding areas at nights and attack residents, tourists and visitors alike, robbing, raping and pillaging.

People who have their vacation homes have sometimes complained about trespassers coming over their walls and throwing parties by their pools, swimming in their pools, messing up their grounds, breaking into their houses, raiding their stocks and pilfering money and jewelry.

Is this the scenario of a peaceful, tranquil island paradise?

There is, reportedly, a fairly high prevalence of illegal guns and narcotics in Tobago, and the main conduit seems to be the fast ferry to Tobago.

It is an absolute shame that the Port Authority has not implemented a proper scanning or screening system, and allows the importation “free sheet” to Tobago of illegal drugs and guns, thus spoiling this once-peaceful place.

People are able, if necessary, to load up a trunk-load of marijuana, cocaine, guns or ammunition and just drive on to the boat, waving and smiling at everyone, sail to Tobago, and just drive off with it.

Not a single person could ask you questions or search or scan your vehicle to check for illegal substances.

Because of the construction frenzy in Tobago and the shortage of labour, many projects bring in labourers or skilled tradesmen from Trinidad, Guyana, St Vincent or other islands.

Sometimes, these labourers themselves are the originators and perpetrators of crimes.

While they are working on your neighbour’s construction site, these guys are scoping out and checking out your home and monitoring your movements, so they know exactly when to strike.

They know when you have gone for the weekend and when the house is unoccupied, and they come in and make merry.

Because so many Trinidadians have invested millions in their dream vacation home in Tobago, this is a matter of some serious concern for them.

Not only is their investment at risk, but also their sense of peace, freedom and relaxation.

Travel advisories

We have had so many embarrassing negative travel advisories for T&T that it must be having some effect on the tourist trade in Tobago.

What makes it worse is that if Tobago for itself does not start on a concerted plan and effort to make Tobago safer for residents and visitors alike, then Tobago would really be up a creek without a paddle, and all this talk about tourism and island paradise would just be so much hogwash. The reality on the ground would be vastly different.

It is not too late, but it is getting critical, and there is an urgent need for intervention at all levels to prevent the menace of crime and violence from tarnishing Tobago.