If Churchill did it, why can’t Kamla?

THE EDITOR: It would take a totally unaware or uninformed citizen to support the notion that TT is not facing a crisis with rampant life-threatening crime increasing each day.

I read Errol Pilgrim’s article in the February 10 Newsday on the Leader of the Opposition in which he chastised her for what he perceives as mistakes she made in the fight against crime during her tenure as prime minister.

While he shares these issues which can only be described as “normative statements” given their subjective, opinionated nature or lack of evidential proof, Pilgrim failed to provide any credible argument as to why a future Kamla Persad-Bissessar-led administration would not be able to fight crime.

Commentators like Pilgrim bare resemblance in terms of their views to those who said Winston Churchill could not protect the UK from Adolf Hitler’s wrath, yet at all save Europe.

In the 1940s, upon the resignation of prime minister Neville Chamberlian, while the majority of the UK, both politicians and citizens, called for Churchill to be made prime minister due to his track record, there were those who spread a campaign of fear over his perceived mistakes in the past.

There were commentators who supported Lord Halifax over Churchill as they viewed he would not do an effective job given their perceptions that he caused the failure of the Dardanelles naval campaign and Gallipoli military landing. They were only playing politics, politics which was proven wrong by Churchill as he in fact successfully protected the UK during World War Two.

In essence, there will always be those who make judgments on the ability of others based on their own perceptions. However, we have seen that history has rewarded effort over perception.

Our country is in a crisis because of the absence of political will by the current administration to fight crime through the creation of a holistic plan to sustainably help those affected and attracted to a life of crime.

As a people in peril, we need a road map to safety, hence disregarding the plan put forward by the Leader of the Opposition and opting to uphold the status quo which is filled with chaos and murder does not help the situation.

We saw Churchill rise above the early perceptions of his “opposers” to become a hero. Surely Persad-Bissessar will do the same to restore our nation.

NICHOLAS MORRIS

international affairs officer, UNC