Down the Haiti road

THE EDITOR: The challenges facing this tiny country seem insurmountable and endless, with no solution on the horizon. Many people I have spoken with have all but thrown in the proverbial towel, both young and old. For those who can afford it, migration has become their best option at this stage of the game.

Many, myself included, see us going down the road of Haiti – controlled by gangs. We would all have seen the statement by TTPost advising its employees to avoid wearing specific numbers since the gangs now have taken on “numbers” as their identification. That is merely part of the slippery slope. Unfortunately, we have been on this slope for decades, unchecked and unmanned.

Years ago one Martin Joseph, then minister of national security, told us he knew exactly how many gangs there were, who the leaders were, where they were located, and how many members were in each gang. Subsequently, his boss, Patrick Manning, went on to dub several of these men as “community leaders” and was seen meeting with them in a hotel in Port of Spain.

Recently, a report, also making its rounds on social media, placed TT “sixth in the world” of criminal activities. Accurate or not, those numbers “feel right,” given the daily narratives on the numerous social platforms. Combine this with the fact that a significant percentage of crimes go unreported ­– for as many reasons.

While murders are the most reported, as they usually must be, at least by law-abiding citizens, even those numbers are misleading. While these murders would have been reported to the local stations, they do not always make it to the national spotlight.

From where I sit, I see several bodies being escorted to forensics almost daily, yet we don't hear about them on the nightly news. Perhaps reporting murders is no longer newsworthy. More importantly, the numbers do not add up. Or, as we say today, "the maths juss eh mathsing.”

I specifically recall not so long ago “the bacchanal” between the present regime and the opposition on seeking to get the anti-gang legislation passed. It was hailed as the panacea to the crime issue. We were told that it would solve the crime issue once and for all. It was, for all intents and purposes, passed, yet the numbers tell a different story.

This nation’s "criminologist extraordinaire" has gone silent after given the opportunity to head up the Police Service Commission, on a platter. And some wonder why he came up empty. That he still gets the highest marks as CoP, despite his colossal failure, is indicative of the cluelessness which permeates the ranks at the offices at Sackville and Edward Streets.

Sadly, he reminds me of the midnight robber at Carnival, who runs his mouth a mile a second, espousing a bag of nothingness. I am suddenly reminded of a recent political slogan that said “performance beats ole talk.”

Crime, like all the other social ills taking its toll on this tiny nation, cannot be understood in a vacuum. This evidently has eluded and continues to elude the talking heads, garbed in either their velvet regalia, their silken robes, their Armani suits, or dhotis and saris.

There is the elephant in the room which must be addressed before any solution is sought – race. Until then, as my friend Phil would say, miss me.

RUDY CHATO PAUL, SR

D'Abadie

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"Down the Haiti road"

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