LAST MONTH, I listened in amazement to a radio interview, during
which chairman of the ruling PNM, Mr John Donaldson, was being
probed by Radio I95.5’s George “Umbala” Joseph
on the Government’s response to the crime situation.
Mr Donaldson, boldly and confidently, said there was no crime
crisis, as T&T was a place of “peace and prosperity.”
Perhaps, Mr Donaldson should try telling this to the families
of Kamal Harripersad, Chaitlal Singh and JP Asquith Clarke.
They were state witnesses who were executed in cold blood before
they could testify. No arrests to date.
PM Manning, who is chairman of the country’s National Security
Council, seldom speaks about crime. He deftly and diplomatically
parries the blows from probing journalists when they do get
the odd chance to interview him.
He often defers the matter to his esteemed Minister of National
Security Martin Joseph.
Martin Joseph stumbles, stutters, mumbles and smiles, but has
absolutely no concrete plans whatsoever.
He trips over every hurdle, and accepts no responsibility for
the lack of vision, policy and strategic direction in the fight
against crime.
Millions are wasted on blimps that are ill suited to our “atmospheric
conditions.” People are unfairly and unnecessarily trying
to make him look bad by classifying Carnival stabbings as serious
crime.
Malfunctioning foreign-used radars, blimps and CCTV cameras
are to be expected. So what, if a police officer is murdered
in front of a blank crime camera?
Gangs have mushroomed and multiplied under his nose, despite
his famous cry that “We will hunt you down! We will not
allow you to terrorise and hold ransom our nation!” a few
years ago.
The latest gem from Joseph is that we should all have patience,
because what is needed in the fight against crime is “a
holistic approach.”
This is excellent crap that slides neatly into the monotonous
muttering from CoP Trevor Paul that, “it is a societal
problem.”
Just how we should expect citizens to “play their part
in the fight against crime” by co-operating with the police
and giving evidence against criminals, in the face of merciless
executions of state witnesses, is an irritating issue that escapes
Paul and Joseph.
They are quick to enumerate the reasons why people do not wish
to participate in the witness protection programme, but say
precious little about what they are doing to address these legitimate
fears and concerns.
If a witness cannot bare the thought of prolonged separation
from his/her family, where is the bill Joseph has laid in Parliament
to ensure that cases involving prosecution witnesses who are
in the witness protection programme are given top priority and
completed within three to six months?
If a witness fears retaliation by gang members after the trial
is over and their leader/friend is behind bars, where is the
guarantee of continued police protection after the trial is
over or the option to relocate to another country?
If a witness cannot bare the onerous restriction on his freedom
on his movement, where is the plan to temporarily post him to
a Caricom neighbour, so that he can actually live while waiting
on the courts?
Have you any idea of the level of frustration and exasperation
these witnesses experience?
They feel virtually imprisoned in these so-called safe houses
(as if they are the accused), and no priority is given to their
matters in court. Instead, the matter is continuously adjourned.
Many witnesses end up, out of sheer exasperation and frustration,
leaving their safe house. They risk life and limb, so they could
get a breath of fresh air or feel like a free man.
Many have gambled with their lives and lost. But who are we
to volunteer that they should remain imprisoned in a safe house
while we could continue to enjoy the sweet Trini life on the
outside?
No one can deny a holistic approach is necessary, but this is
a long-term macro policy. Urgent short and medium-tern solutions
are required to prevent the imminent disintegration of our society.
The whole debate about the declaration of a limited state of
emergency is laughable, because we are already living in an
undeclared state of emergency.
Self-imposed curfews are the order of the day, and people will
support police intervention, no matter how brutal. How many
more must die before the PNM admits we have a problem?
