The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

CITIZENS for Justice, (CFJ) a non-political advocacy organisation for justice and order, is outraged at the number of recent murders in the Bahamas.

Bishop Walter S Hanchell, Chairman of CFJ believes that the murder and crime situation in the country must be addressed at all levels post haste. Two or three brutal murders in one day is unacceptable, yet common in The Bahamas.

Bahamians have become too violent in recent times. It is time for all stakeholders to come together and do something to bring an end to this violent crime wave of killings that have left the nation in shock. The many murders are symptoms of deep rooted social problems in our nation. Our once peaceful people are evolving into a bitter, angry mob-like society with no value for human life or law and order. We must address the epidemic of lawlessness that is so prevalent today. We must find ways to deal with a generation that no longer fear or respect institutions such as the church, the police and the judiciary." The Bahamas must be safe for citizens, residents and tourists. We must all reject this culture of murder that has overwhelmed our nation.

It is the view of CFJ that the time has long passed for us to correct this lingering problem of violent anti-social behaviour. We can and must do more. Our future depends on it. Law and order must be restored and every decent citizen should join the fight. The police cannot do it alone, despite the great and valiant efforts they perform each and every day.

Citizens for justice continue to advocate for much stiffer penalties for repeat offenders, rehabilitation for convicts, restitution for victims of crime and the implementation of the death penalty after due process has been exhausted. We also believe that persons charged with murder, attempted murder and the sexual abuse of children should not be granted bail.

CFJ commends the churches, civic organisations, youth clubs and governmental agencies that are providing a variety of services and programmes for our nation. We must now all focus on restoring peace in our communities. Our efforts must now target each family through spiritual and social outreaches. We believe that each church should open their doors to the neighbourhood around them and utilise their facilities as community centres for counselling, recreation, youth programmes and parenting classes. Creative evangelistic outreach to our youth will make a huge impact in our society. CFJ is recommending that churches throughout the nation train their members to effectively share their faith on a regular and consistent basis. We strongly believe that there will never be any real change until the hearts of men have been changed by the power of God.

Members of CFJ are appealing to service clubs to increase their community programmes, especially those that offer educational and youth-services. Prolonged unemployment has caused tremendous strain and hardship on our families. People are suffering and need relief. The concern now is how do we help the thousands of homeowners, who have recently lost their homes or those who are now in foreclosure. CFJ urges all banks and financial institutions to relax their policies and extend courtesies towards their clients who simply do not have sufficient income to meet their commitments as a result of conditions beyond their control.

More needs to be done for the enormous number of unemployed persons now living below the poverty level. We need to do more to empower the masses and end the frustration of so many Bahamian families.

BISHOP WALTER S HANCHELL

Nassau,

May 8, 2012.