Lawlessness at CAL

THE EDITOR: We are in a very dark place as a nation.

It is my considered view that some of our politicians, some of our intellectuals and some other prominent citizens are hell-bent on making my beloved country ungovernable, either deliberately or otherwise.

The response by many of these individuals/organisations to the illegal industrial action by some CAL pilots – unmitigated lawlessness – is only the most recent but glaring example of this calamitous state of affairs. These misguided citizens, by their actions, are effectively condoning lawlessness to the detriment of the welfare of our nation.

One political organisation issued a lengthy media release in which it castigated the Government for the reckless actions of the pilots, notwithstanding how unanticipated such an event would have been. You cannot just go and find a pilot to fly a plane at short notice.

What was quite remarkable was that there wasn't a single word of condemnation for the lawlessness of the pilots. How amateurish and unpatriotic. Some other spokespeople – the usual suspects – ventured along similar lines. I do not subscribe to the view that politics has a morality of its own.

The objective of these naysayers is to lay blame for the recklessness of miscreants in our nation at the feet of the Government, and excuse perpetrators for all kind of spurious reasons. Oh, gangland killings are the result of poverty/unemployment and other socio-economic ills. What hogwash in the face of the many training/employment opportunities that go abegging, and the social support that is available.

These people continue to harm us because it is a lucrative business. We need to enact legislation that would make such operations very unattractive. That is not happening because there are individuals in our Parliament who seem to be quite content with the status quo, and are not prepared to support the necessary changes to our legislative profile. The basic/fundamental human right of law-abiding citizens – the right to life – must take a back seat to the machinations of these miscreants and their apologists.

The lawlessness of certain CAL pilots has caused serious reputational damage to our nation. We are seeking to promote our islands as worthy tourist destinations. The action of the pilots does not help that cause. Moreover, CAL was already facing certain financial challenges which this action has now exacerbated.

The Government must now consider in earnest whether we need a state-run national airline, given the difficulties encountered over the years in providing such a service. Can our need for air transport be better handled under a different arrangement? Jamaican has long ago answered that question. What has become of Air Jamaica?

I have observed that a particular individual representing a business chamber has expressed his alarm that CAL is seeking to fortify its business by way of an expansion of its coverage to other destinations.

My understanding of his comments is that CAL should concentrate on ironing out all the bugs on the Tobago route before seeking to expand its service to other routes. I do not see why CAL cannot walk and chew gum at the same time.

That commentator needs to remind himself that the Tobago route is still very heavily subsidised. CAL, therefore, in its quest to provide a viable service, must pursue other business ventures that are likely to be profitable.

Given our laws, all of the pilots concerned could have been dismissed for taking such action. The Government has taken the soft approach. In the US, president Ronald Reagan, some 40 years ago, did not hesitate to dismiss some 11,000 air traffic controllers when faced with similar circumstances.

LOUIS W WILLIAMS

St Augustine