'It could have been worse' – not what we want to hear

THE EDITOR: “It could have been worse” is one of the most disrespectful and heartless things anyone can say to a victim.

It's akin to telling a domestic abuse survivor, "At least he/she didn’t break your jaw," or pointing out to a kidnap victim, "Well, they didn’t rape you," or saying to the parents who just lost two children in a vehicular accident, "Doh worry, you still have one remaining, it could have been all three of your children."

Our Prime Minister had no problems whatsoever in allowing words to that effect escaping from his lips during his last press conference when questioned about the country's frightening crime situation. Incredibly, he did so without offering one piece of evidence to support his claim.

No crime figures. No major busts of illegal guns. No facts and data whatsoever to justify his claim that "It could have been worse."

To be honest, I understand why he would say such a thing, because had any one of us spent half our lives in a gated community or have heavily armed state-paid security protecting us and our families 24/7, for the past nine years, we too could become disconnected and lose touch with the realities of life for regular, common folk.

So, to help Dr Rowley be less disconnected and appear less ignorant and arrogant in his public pronouncements, I offer him the regular people's list of what "could be worse."

It could be worse if you remove a police commissioner after he oversaw some of the best crime-reduction statistics in years and replaced him with people who clearly don’t have a clue as to what they are doing and are just not fit for purpose.

It could be worse if, after seeing the error and our country recording consecutive annual 600-plus murders, and when the said ex-commissioner offers help, and after many citizens begged and pleaded with the government to take this help, the PM refuses.

It could be worse if, after putting the most incompetent person to serve as security minister, the PM insists on keeping that person in the post even as the security apparatus appears broken and the majority of citizens want that minister run out of office.

Finally, the thing that would be the most "could have been worse" of all, is if, after the next general election, the people have to take another five years of disconnected, incompetent and arrogant governance from the current office-holders.

It could have been worse. Ent?

TIM TEEMAL

St James