The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

DAILY, I thank The Lord God, Jesus Christ, the He allow and permitted me to become a lawyer and advocate back in the day. We all have our attributes and talents, mines, is and has always been, despite eventual disbarment for an innocent act of malfeasance. Of course, I am not proud of that fact but the consequences and financial impact of the same, in my view, has been more than punishment. I have suffered it, however, to be so.

In the so called modern Bahamas today, it is unsettling that a large number of our political and religious ‘leaders’ seem to believe that legislation by Parliament is the panacea and solution for what we commonly refer to as ‘crime’! That, my beloved Bahamians is the core fallacy in recognising that phenomenon and addressing the consequences. For far too long, these so called ‘leaders’ have subscribed and seek to actually implement legislation in the face of unrelenting crime and its economic and societal consequences.

Crime is NOT, I submit, a political issue but the consequences of the same have produced and continues to nature a severely disjointed community and society. That ancient Book but still very relevant, The Bible, lays it out plainly that ‘There has to be a renewing of the mind’. Well do I recall former Prime Minister Hubert A Ingraham, one of our BEST Prime Ministers to date, despite his obvious political faults and abrupt mannerism, said it well many years ago that ; Parliament was unable to legislate morality’... As he rightly stated then, so it remains to this very day.

The Bible also says: ‘As a man/woman thinketh , so is he/she’. No Prime Minister or no Member of Parliament, much less the Police and law enforcement, able to anticipate, much less prevent crime. The planning and commission thereof lies solely within the domain of the intended perpetrator and/or his allies. No more, no less. Yes, the Police may have intelligence and off radar informants but they STILL would not know the time or the hour. We really need to formulate and adopt a different approach to the causation of crime; the rehabilitation of criminals and, of course , reentry into the community and society.

The collective family and church are, foremost, at Fault for the criminal mayhem and culture which are destroying the very fabric of this otherwise wonderful nation. The Parliamentarians and the police are not too far behind. With your leave, may I suggest why?

The traditional family has gone by the wayside for any number of carnal reasons. There is little or no input of accepted Christian principles and Biblically based spiritual concepts and dogma. The average church is about its own business and the personal agenda. The advancement and guarding of the flock entrusted to it is not a priority, or so it seems. Parliamentarians are good at preening and pontificating BUT rarely follow through with action.

In that vain, I am constrained to compliment that Joshua of a Prime Minister in the form of the Hon Philip ‘Brave’ Davis, KC, MP, for the establishment of The National Youth Guard, an embryonic form of National Youth Service. long ago espoused by the late and deeply lamented Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling. Detractors called Sir Lynden’s proposal for National Youth Service as an attempt co create ‘Pindlings’ Army!! Now, decades later, the Chickens have come home to roost.

The nation collectively must find the ways and the means to inculcate and reestablish the old landmarks in the minds of our people, especially the younger ones. We have evolved into a sort of a dog eat dog world and environment. It is now, truly, Out of all of my mother’s children, I love myself the best!! Most of you all are uncouth; no mannered and crass, to be charitable. We are now longer checking for community or even a Bible based church/ community. God and personal morality have been relegated to the back of the bus.

Crime, despite being real, is a political fallacy and has long been so no matter attempts by all politicians to label it otherwise. We need to get past this bogus and biased opinion. Crime is not PLP or FNM. I doubt that it is even of the come and go fringe groups and starry eyed individuals who pop up at any and all electoral process for photo opportunities.

I invite ALL Bahamians to do some serious soul searching and come to the stark realization that those who are criminals and want to be criminals are in moral and spiritual decay....nothing to do with Brave or , God forbid, Pintard. Crime is, I submit, a fallacy, even if a real one. To God then, in all things, be the glory

 ORTLAND H BODIE, Jr

Nassau,

September 8, 2024.