Carnage in Trinidad and Tobago
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Once again the carnage in Trinidad and Tobago has returned.
For the past two weeks, there has been an alarming jump in violent acts
resulting in several murders. Reports indicate that one crime lord now has an
“army” of over 600 “soldiers” under his command.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad- Bissessar has appealed to Opposition
Leader, Dr.Keith Rowley, to join her in the fight against the criminal elements
now wreaking havoc within the society. Many Trinidadians living in the Diaspora
are seriously considering whether to return to their native land.
Our philosophy is grounded in one Caribbean nation hence we
see the rise in crime in Trinidad and Tobago as a rise in crime in the
Caribbean. We therefore welcome the decision of the Prime Minster to include the
Leader of the Opposition, as her government makes yet another attempt to reduce
crime in the society.
For thirty years, Trinidad and Tobago has been caught in the
vice of a well organized criminal element and its violence is rooted in the
nefarious drug trade. We believe that Trinidad had the resources to combat
crime because unlike other Caribbean nations, it was not strapped for cash. The
crime boomed while Trinidad was earning considerable revenue from its oil based
economy.
In many instances, crime has been aided by politically inspired
decisions which extended to the law enforcement agencies. The issue of crime,
like most social problems, was reduced to a political blame game and there was
no collective political or national leadership. As, is often the case in our
region, this political one upmanship allowed
crime lords to organize themselves mainly in poor economically deprived
areas and these have now evolved into major crime cells that law enforcement
agencies are being stretched to contain.
Unless decisive collective leadership is found at the
political and law enforcement levels, the blood bath would continue.
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