THE PLP is on course to surpass the rate of deadly violence seen under the former government, Opposition Leader Hubert Minnis claimed.
He said during the last General Election campaign the PLP made crime a political issue, putting up large billboards touting the 490 murders since 2007.
“Today, less than two short years into the present administration with more than 231 murders from 2012 to now, we as a nation are well on the way to exceeding that gruesome total touted by the present government,” he said.
Dr Minnis said the PLP signalled to the electorate there could be a political solution to violent crime and that a vote against the FNM would achieve that goal.
“Our position then and now is that there is no political solution to crime. There is a community solution with stronger churches and social intervention; and stronger parenting particularly by fathers as a linchpin of stronger upbringing of our youth. “There is also a law enforcement solution which must be strengthened by political will and policy guidance.”
Delivering his New Year’s Address last night, Dr Minnis said: “Fellow Bahamians, the continuing upsurge in violent crime particularly in the number of murders is not only a cause for alarm, but it is also a call for immediate, sustained and effective action! For far too long Bahamians have lived in the shadow of terror that any moment could be the last for them or their loved ones. For far too long the culture of gangsterism, drug abuse and trafficking has led to a pall of fear throughout our society where even the home, our sacred place of retreat and family, is no longer immune to invasion and armed incursion.”
Minnis said the government’s approach to crime has been totally ineffective and has done nothing to comfort the Bahamians who have a strong sense of fear and despair.
“No comfort was provided to a fearful nation by the limp and vision-less response of the government to the recent horrific drive-by shooting of innocent by-standers in Fox Hill. Clearly, more must be done to effectively address both the causes of crime and the criminal element who threaten by their contempt of law and common humanity, to reduce our beloved Bahamas to the level of a failed state in the arena of crime and crime prevention.”
The FNM plans to table an amendment to the Bahamas constitution to address several weaknesses of procedures, he said.
“The Bill will mandate that an appeal against a sentence of death can only be made to the Bahamas Court of Appeal and nowhere else. This is a reflection of our considered view that in so serious a question as the sentence for a convicted murderer, a determination that a crime is ‘the worst of the worst’ or a similar legal formulation should only be made by judges who reside in The Bahamas.
“And if a delay between conviction of the murderer and the proposed date of hanging is caused by the appeals made by the convict then the five year limit imposed by the Privy Council will not apply. The Governor General acting on the advice of the Minister of National Security will prescribe time limits for the lodging and conclusion of all appeals against conviction, or constitutional appeals.”
Dr Minnis said the FNM would like a ‘know your neighbour’ programme, causes of crime education and an anti-drug education curriculum to be implemented immediately.
Comments
banker 10 years, 10 months ago
Sorry Minnis, but you are dead wrong when it comes to churches being part of the solution. The churches in the Bahamas are part of the problem, and not part of the solution. One man working beats a thousand praying.
The unraveling of the social and moral fabric of the Bahamas can be eradicated only with the Three E's*. The first is economic. Bahamians need to have jobs and well-paying jobs. The economy needs to be diversified and dollarized (throw away the Bahamian dollar and adopt the American dollar) so that Bahamians can participate in the commerce of the global village.
The second E is enforcement. Clean up the police corruption. Modernise the police force. Throw away the swagger sticks, and flatten the bureaucracy. Give the police the tools necessary to do the job, like a central police computer information system that they can access by radio or cell phone. Jail the corrupt cops. Make physical fitness a priority and make ongoing education of police officers a priority. And then throw the damn book at the lawless punks. Have chain gangs clean up the island. Have heavy labour in prisons for crimes. Decriminalise small amounts of marijuana. But most importantly, put the fear of retribution back on the streets. Make the message loud and clear that you don't mess with the law.
The third E is education. You have a bunch of animals out there. They are amoral, unsocialised, illiterate animals. They need to be tamed. Many are a lost generation, but the time to start is now. And you start with the young girls. Teach them that opening their legs brings a world of trouble, poverty and a mediocre life. A baby too early with an absent father is a recipe for disaster. And then you salvage the young men that you can. The rest of them are unfortunately disposable and must spend the rest of their days in Fox Hell.
Righting the whole slew of wrongs in the Bahamas will take time. But to send the message that you are serious, the first step is to jail the criminal politicians who have broken the public trust of election and stole from the people and the treasury. They are traitors to the Bahamaland and if anyone deserves the life imprisonment, it is them. Shame Gibson would be at the top of my list, and then Perry Christie and the whole PLP for being a criminal organisation with no moral compass who harbors criminals. Even Fred Mitchell took visa money from the Chinese.
A large broom and a river of righteousness is needed to clean the Augean Stables.
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 10 months ago
Completely agree especially about the corrupt officials. The webshops are also a cancer. Why should the guy selling drugs clean up his act if these two groups are allowed to function as they with the PM's blessing?
(I take back the "completely" I do believe in the power of prayer but what we have in the Bahamas are a bunch of fakers, pastors, bishops , priests who've set themselves up with the sole purpose of making money, the true mission of the church is lost. There should be no way that a REAL church should have some fancy edifice in a poor community. It's a slap in the face, God wants me to be rich but you keep praying sister, and remember to pay your tithes.
In reference to working, I always say God sets out the path for you and guides your steps but he's not going to push you, you have to actually move your feet)
concernedcitizen 10 years, 10 months ago
When we talk about weeding out the corrupt officials or crooked cops ,where do you think they came from mars ..They came from us ,and a great deal of us lack a moral compass . I put it to you that we would be hard pressed to have a 4000 man police force w/ out a third to half being corrupt ,same goes for immigration ,politicians etc ..In all reality our path is already charted ,another crime infested 3 rd world country where the tourist visit closed resorts .Religion here absolves so many of us of personal responsibility its a crying shame ,,
TalRussell 10 years, 10 months ago
A $1935.34 paycheck awaits Comrade Red Party Leader Minnis who is selling fear under false pretenses. While calling for the return of the hangman's noose, he is not willing to hire out his personal services to become a government paid hangman for a day. I've been told Minnis can earn a paycheck of $1935.34 per hanging (all tools and apparatus supplied by government ), if only Minnis was willing to pay more than the price of lip service but like the rest of us he doesn't have the stomach to actually pull the trap door to such a cruel and harsh death. If I'm wrong, tell readers, if he would publicly sign-up "today" to hang for a $1935.34 government paycheck, with all tools and apparatus supplied by government? Still better, maybe he can sub-contract the hangman's job out to Comrades Bran or Potcake, for even an lesser amount and pocket the difference? Comrade Activist Rodney would probably jump to tie the knot and pull the handle, for say $435.21? But Minnis being a trained medical doctor himself, he could opt to keep the fee for signing the condemned prisoner's death certificate?
Bahamianpride 10 years, 10 months ago
It is intellectually insulting to listen to this guy, he assumes we are all idiots so caught up in the plp, fnm foolishness that we cannot see both parties for what they are, cancers. Him & the large one are constantly politicizing these matters just like the plp did with no solution in sight. Decades of the same people, who only care for their personal ambitions has cause serious damage to society. Sucking the life out the country for 5 year periods has made solving serious issues like crime almost impossible.
sotiredoftal 10 years, 10 months ago
Oh shut the hell up.... im tired of seeing this bulldog chin in the papers....let alone read his views.
carlh57 10 years, 10 months ago
When can these people move away from blaming political parties?! It's an issue that doesn't follow political lines....it's everyones problem....time for our politicians to "grow up" and face the music....
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