Caribbean Still A Zone of Peace

The Caribbean Is One Nation.

In recent months, there has been a notable increase in crime in the region. Media reports suggest, that many of these crimes are committed against our children and women folk. Mahogany Coconut’s policy looks at crime as a regional problem thereby avoiding branding any country as the main source.

While many may genuinely consider this approach to be somewhat idealistic, we believe that in the global scheme of things, the Caribbean is usually seen as a monolithic entity. As with all human endeavor, citizens from each country tend to seek bragging rights. We are aware that this is true whether we are discussing cricket or the state of individual economies. We see it as nothing more than healthy sibling rivalry.

Unfortunately, while the global view of us may be monolithic, we are quite aware that our French and Spanish speaking countries are sometimes excluded for the simple reason, that our education system, has not been very progressive in inculcating our citizens with the importance of mastering foreign languages. This however has not hindered our relations with countries such as Cuba and Venezuela.

We have called for and have offered sensible ideas and solutions designed to assist with the crime problem. Unfortunately, many if not all, of them have apparently fallen on deaf ears. We will continue to impress upon the authorities the importance of fighting crime on a regional basis. The region is severely handicapped and afflicted by the implementation deficit. Regional governments need to carry out a crime audit and consider sharing and spreading resources to assist each other rather than continue to allow scarce resources to be poorly utilized or inadvertently squandered.

Fortunately for the region, there are no wars or” rumors” of wars that will cause us extended human suffering. In most cases, our children still have access to free primary and secondary education. In countries, where they are required to pay for their university education, the fees are reduced considerably. While many of our women suffer spousal abuse; we believe that it is at a stage that can be effectively reduced or eradicated if certain measures are firmly put in place. In terms of crimes against children, we fear that if our countries do not move swiftly to combat this monster, it will destroy the lives of too   many of our children.

The above problems notwithstanding, we can still safely state that while increase crime continues to challenge us, we are still a Zone of Peace. Only progressive corrective measures will ensure that this status remains.