No escape ifyou do not do your duty

THE EDITOR: In days of yore, a soldier had to wear a small shield, known as a buckler, on his right forearm to protect the limb from being lopped off whenever he lunged forward with sword in hand to attack an enemy.

God is called our buckler. This indicates that there are certain evils in this world that God not only expects us to attack, but He also equips us so to do.

In particular, those in positions of authority have been entrusted with the duty and resources to unflinchingly press forward against entrenched wrongdoing wherever it is to be found, and to champion the cause of justice, truth and righteousness.

Again, in olden days, if a soldier fell asleep or otherwise abandoned his post, causing a prisoner he was guarding to escape, then he took his place in the brig.

In TT, we are a tolerant and easy-going people. A blessing in some respects. Unfortunately, however, when it comes to doing our duty, we sometimes flinch in the face of opposition and allow many a wrongdoer to escape.

This is costing us mightily. Sometimes the very guilty go free. Sometimes the message goes out to other bad guys waiting in the wings – “wrongdoing pays.”

As for you who flinch and back away from doing your duty, and so let a prisoner escape – even by refusing to testify against an allegedly misbehaving colleague – you will take his place. You will be maligned as a wrongdoer. You will not escape.

JOANNE K JOSEPH

San Fernando