20 hours Ago
The statement from Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley on the country’s record murder rate came like a thief in the night—to be precise, 19 minutes after midnight yesterday, on the Facebook page of the Office of the Prime Minister. As with every other crime statement made by Dr Rowley, he pointed fingers at everybody except himself and his Cabinet. The Government, he said, “encourages all stakeholders from the home to the courthouse to provide no safe harbour and comfort to the criminal element”.
Our first question is: does giving gang leaders contracts in URP (Unemployment Relief Programme) and State projects constitute safe harbour and comfort? The Prime Minister also told “households of interest” to “stop encouraging or shielding your family members and friends who are engaging in criminal conduct”. Electorally, most of the perpetrators and victims of homicide are more familiar to the PNM (People’s National Movement) than the UNC (United National Congress). So our next question is: what are the PNM MPs overseeing hotspot communities doing to change these households? Dr Rowley called on the police to “do much more if the stated objectives are to be attained”.
If that is a benchmark, why did his administration extend the tenure of Police Commissioner Erla Christopher after she failed to achieve any of her own objectives? He then took aim at “those in authority who are responsible for dispensing justice, stop pretending that criminals are the victims who deserve only mercy”. Who are these officials who have voiced such views and what, exactly, did they say to convince him they embrace such a perspective? It is past time that Prime Minister Rowley stops issuing vacuous and self-serving statements on this deadly issue. Instead, he needs to engage properly with citizens, perhaps through open town halls or an extended engagement with the media.
Then he can provide answers on other crime initiatives, such as: • What was achieved by the two-day regional crime symposium in 2023 that cost taxpayers $3.4 million? • What is the actual state of the country’s border patrols? • What is the status of his $100 million plan, announced 12 months ago, for the Defence Force to undertake a “special intervention” in targeted communities? • Does he plan to change any Government policies since the present approach has clearly failed? These issues should be raised at the two-day Cabinet retreat announced on Thursday by Camille Robinson-Regis, in her capacity as leader of the parliamentary and cabinet caucus. The Government ministers will be in Tobago on January 5 and 6 to set next year’s parliamentary agenda and, most likely, to discuss election strategy.
Since it is inevitable the record homicide rate for 2024 will be a major campaign issue, the PNM has to find ways to appeal to the floating voters. Having failed to reduce murders during its past nine years in office, any significant reduction before the general election is unlikely. But at least the Government should come out of its retreat with new and innovative measures to slow the tide of blood engulfing the nation.
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