EDITOR, The Tribune.
Crime does not belong to any political party as it affects all Bahamians without regard to race; politics or creed. The recent uptick in homicides, especially involving young children is troubling and a matter of grave public concern.
This is not the time for the blame game but rather a tine for serious reflection by the powers that be and social stakeholders.
They need to get together in a conclave and hash out, again, the root causes of the crime phenomenon and where possible come up with sensible and sustainable solutions.
The Bahamas Christian Council is basically a useless and lost religious (not spiritual) body of men and women who apparently don’t have too much to do.
The children of a nation, it has been said, are the trustees of posterity. They are among the most vulnerable in our society and should be treated as such. What have we done with a lot of them, however?
Those who are not being sexually; mentally and physically abused are being neglected (by dead beat lousy so-called Dads); pimped out by desperate single mothers and exploited by older predators... male and female.
New Providence and other Islands are fast becoming ‘killing fields’ where the law of the jungle reigns supreme.
Ask any young child today what he/she wants to become and, invariably, they will tell you: a gangster; a drug dealer; a kept woman or a shop clerk (not that anything is wrong with the latter but that is the extent of their ambition especially if they dropped out of high school. They tend to associate with the criminal elements or live in hot spot areas which are now “killing fields”.
In recent times at least four young Bahamians have had their lives snuffed out, seemingly with impunity.
Yes, the police always catches up with suspected persons, but far too often the criminal justice system grinds too slowly and multiple suspects are released from custody without charges.
When a person is in fact charged the judicial process takes forever and a day. Evidence is lost or misplaced and a mistrial is declared and/or the accused are acquitted.
I would have hoped that by now the PM would have made a national address to the nation accompanied by the Minister of National Security and the Commissioner of Police. The least that he/they could do would be to demonstrate empathy with the survivors and to reassure an anxious people that they are safe and secured.
This senseless violence against our children must cease and desist sooner rather than later My sympathies and condolences are extended to all surviving family and friends of the deceased children.
To God then, The Great I Am that I Am in all things, even death, be the honour and glory.
ORTLAND H BODIE, Jr
Nassau,
October 5, 2020.
Comments
themessenger 4 years, 2 months ago
Repost: the fact that you have to ask where and when our people became so socially disconnected speaks volumes. Where were you living or were you in fact alive when the Columbian hitmen would rampage through our streets and neighborhoods during the Pindling administration time.
Where were you when those same Columbians operated with impunity from their base in Normans Cay a mere fifty miles from the Capital, where large sums of money exchanged hands and in jam jars and when the standard response from our politicians and religious leaders was "I don't recall," "Don't mind where I get my money from, or if I tief it" and "Principle don't put bread on the table."?
Where were you when Opposition members and Judges houses and cars were firebombed, drug money flowed throughout the country like water and our Nation was for sale?
All of this perpetrated on us and presided over by The Father of the Nation. And all of this leading us to where we are now by the compliance, consent, and the avaricious nature of the Bahamian People.
We have met the enemy and it is us!!
Bodie, do you recllolect those bad old days?
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