Priest, prison and Erla

We have a continuous struggle to maintain an orderly, democratic society.

Firstly, to prevent disorderliness from abuse of our democratic rights and freedoms – from top to bottom.

Secondly, many move down from the church to the police and further down to prison – a morbid passage. This is where Archbishop Jason Gordon, acting Prisons Commissioner Deopersad Ramoutar and Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher enter.

Archbishop Gordon sees the society growing into “soullessness.” Recalling parts of Peter Minshall’s 1983 highly symbolic presentation, River, the archbishop stated: “In killing Washerwoman, we have killed the soul of our nation. Forty years later, the Carnival has become big business, the end motive is profit through colourful beads and skimpy costumes.” Such views controversially resonate.

Minshall’s virtuous Washerwoman lived by the bountiful river which the evil Mancrab craves. Mancrab represents “man’s greed and lust for power – enough is never enough for Mancrab.” He offers rosy promises of wealth and happiness.

The saddening thing is, Mancrab’s evil representations are seemingly irresistible, immunised by political power. How many times have priests unsuccessfully warned: “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his soul?” Why does Mancrab seem so invincible?

Hence Gordon, in his Catholic News column, quotes Minshall: “The soul of the country has withered. The place is magical but the politics has driven much of it underground.” Gordon then says: “The state of crime in our country is directly linked to these bad moral choices.”

These appeals for virtue and orderliness are nothing new and will necessarily be repeated after next year’s Carnival. This in spite of Baptist pastor Rev Robert Dash’s moralising call to “stop the carnival” and the crusading Pastor Dr Clive Dottin’s social media condemnation of the “wastage and obscene displays.”

There are sharply divided views on Carnival. The parading bands have become less patronised. Covid and crime? Some calypso tents are moving to life support. Roadside watchers are also much fewer.

Believers reply by saying this is just a “passing phase,” just a transformation calling for fresh thinking and leadership.

Meanwhile, high-priced “inclusives” increase. Even these got their blows, especially star-boy Machel Montano’s “One Show Mess.” But the two-day celebrations will not disappear.

The disorderly clash for space and attendance led many learned voices to call for “a dedicated space allocated for cultural events.” Hence Kitchener’s verse: "Dey paying $2 million to put it up and $3 million to bring it down." Also, the cry for less taxpayers' money and more self-sufficiency.

And so these large issues of morality, taxpayers’ money and “dying calypso tents” will be raised again next February, in the struggle to put “order” into Carnival.

The unanimous approval given Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher by government and opposition conferred a high level of moral authority upon her. With her “complete powers” to discipline, appoint and transfer officers (except DCPs), she has some cleaning up to do below.

The reports from the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) for example are troubling. With 467 citizens’ complaints in the PCA 2020/21 report, police assault accounted for 104, the majority by constables. Quite troublingly for processing complaints, a whopping 84 per cent of complaints were “closed with no further action,” mainly owing to the statute of limitations. Only ten per cent were referred to the CoP.

Building public trust is vital for strengthening community policing, a key CoP strategy. Information from citizens is vital for detecting crime, especially murders.

The CoP’s leadership holds great hope, since it appears she has the have rank and file behind her. This is evidenced by ACP Winston Maharaj two weeks ago: “We readily admit that our approaches in the past are not as overwhelming or comforting as we would want. We have now re-strategised. The old methods have perhaps outlived their usefulness.” So hope is in the air.

Acting Prisons Commissioner Ramoutar, advocating prisoner rehabilitation, last week said: “There are people in prisons who have been on remand for 15 years and who have been model inmates…Dozens of other inmates have been here for over 30 years. I have spoken to the powers that be. There are inmates who are fit and ready to be discharged…And to me, keeping them in the system will cause deterioration.”

What does National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds think?