An SOS to the Almighty

THE EDITOR: Oh Lord, we are in deep trouble now, as an unknown evil has spread over the land and our only way to stop the murder rate from rising is by turning to the Lord our God. Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher is seeking divine intervention to reduce the murder rate in the country.

She is not depending on tried and true old-fashioned policing; we need the Lord’s hand. She is not depending on planned systems and stepping up police activities throughout the country, on investigations and forensic evidence. No, she's depending on God to put a hand and miraculously save TT.

Recently it seems like the top cop and the Minister of National Security have been trying all types of schemes to attack crime and the murder rate. In fact, they probably can’t face the reality as in recent times the newspapers have been filled with many depressing stories about crime. They seem to be disconnected from reality.

They constantly find ways to blame others for the problems and deflect attention from the exploding crime epidemic and their inability to have a proper plan to fix the country.

We have given up when we have to turn to the Lord for answers. Every minute of the day we seem to be faced with stupid statements by our leaders that make no sense and they seem to be weighed down by heavy questions. Like what plans do they have to deal with the escalating murder rate or how will they tackle the gangs to stop the violence?

Citizens are concerned about the escalating murder rate so we are hoping that the CoP is really up for the job. But following the statements she made recently at her first public appearance, we are left to wonder if she is up for the job.

We understand some of what she’s dealing with. A police force that is full of bureaucracy and corruption. The porous borders that allow drugs and guns to pass freely into the country. And, of course, a National Security Minister who doesn’t understand that his job is to ensure the safety of all citizens.

Why can't we face the issues head-on, such as stopping the funding of gangs via CEPEP and URP projects, and stepping up police activities in the hot spots.

Many citizens are also concerned about the state of the economy. We see no end to the hardships this year and no amount of reassurances from the Prime Minister that Finance Minister Colm Imbert is doing all he can and better days are coming can put our mind at ease.

These false promises cannot put bread on our tables, provide job security or tackle the shortage of foreign exchange. We continue to deal with low energy prices, with the Government spinning the facts and saying everything is going well in the energy sector.

However, this clearly isn’t the case. The writing is on the wall, with the state of our energy sector plain for all to see. We are witnessing a continuous downward trend in the local energy sector, which may result in more retrenchment of workers. We have have already seen Atlantic LNG recently stating it will be sending home workers and offering voluntary separation of employment packages (VSEP).

So it's not hard to come to the conclusion that the Government is demonstrating incompetence and inadequacy every day. So the CoP has taken a pattern from that and thrown her hands in the air and is hoping for God’s intervention in suppressing the murder rate.

Of course I’m paraphrasing but I think we will find that when the history books are written by the current administration they will say that Dr Rowley was one of the best prime ministers TT has ever had. Not!

DR NEIL GOSINE

UNC treasurer