First published in The Tribune on Friday, July 20, 2007 under the byline, Young Man’s View.

Murder in The Bahamas and what to do about it.

THE Bahamas is speedily becoming an anarchic, barbarous state where vicious murders abound almost daily.
 
It is only July, barely pass the midpoint of the year, and the country has already recorded 46 murders. An upsurge in violent crime is gripping Bahamian society by the throat, and is threatening to pulverize our already fragile economy. The Bahamas’ number one industry, tourism, is slipping into the doldrums as droves of tourists are now choosing other destinations. The present crime wave can only worsen the already bleak outlook for tourism, and therefore put the Bahamas in a peculiar position such as that faced by crime riddled Jamaica and Trinidad, where the tourist industry has been weakened to being on the brink of collapse.
 
These days, murder is becoming a common practice carried out by callous young men who show no respect for the value of human life. Many of the murders being committed stem from domestic disputes, arguments about women where one man feels he must demonstrate his machismo, robberies, rapes and gang-banging and retaliatory killings.

Frankly, it appears that many Bahamian youngsters have lost their collective minds. As a teacher, I’ve seen firsthand the fascination of many youngsters with violent television shows/movies and rap videos that they identify with being cool. Many young men (and women) are copy cats, obsessed with being thugs like rapper 50 cent, and constantly seeking to be seen as a thuggish gangster, rather than a weak “wanksta”. 
 
As violent crime surges, it is clear that we must introduce programmes to socialize our youths, as many are ill-mannered, uncivilized and uneducated. Bahamians are generally not settling their differences responsibly, choosing instead to resort to using weapons to take a life rather than having a sensible discussion. It is my opinion that conflict resolution must now be taught in family life and social studies classes, beginning at the elementary level.
 
I am told that numerous uneducated young men, who are unable to obtain their desired job, resort to “tiefin” and smoking marijuana on the blocks, as they believe that cutting grass and handyman jobs are “below” them. In many instances, these young men are said to earn a living through illegal activities and by committing criminal acts against hardworking Bahamians. Crime prevention begins with each community and both the government and community activists should join hands to propose programmes/jobs to rescue these youngsters before they fall through the cracks to face a lifetime in prison.
 
Attorney General Claire Hepburn recently said that there is a 500 case backlog in the Bahamas. The fact that such a backlog has occurred over the years is indubitable proof that our court system is in a perilous and discombobulated state. When I asked a Bahamian banker about the murder rate and Mrs Hepburn’s comments, she said:

“Lord, help us! Maybe we will soon have to run from Nassau to hide in the caves on the islands, because before you look ‘round, these two-bit punks will be openly warring on our streets, killing left and right. And, since Mrs. Hepburn is saying that, how will her government seek to alleviate this backlog and show that they will tackle crime? Whatever happened to an eye for an eye; the government needs to start executing these wack jobs! Why should we (tax payers) be feeding them three times a day and housing them for free?”

I also support the death penalty. It is my belief that the Bahamas could save money to care for the elderly, children and the infirmed rather than housing cold-bloodied, convicted murderers. I believe that the state has the right to execute murderers who threaten the welfare of society and, in the words of Edward Koch, “it is by exacting the highest penalty for the taking of human life that we affirm the highest value of human life.”

Statistics show that murders in Britain have more than doubled since capital punishment was abolished in 1964. On the other hand however, in Singapore, once a convicted murderer or drug trafficker has exhausted all appeals, the death penalty is forthrightly carried out. When compared to Britain and other societies that abolished the death penalty, the crime rate in Singapore is said to be much lower.

Over the years, the traditional family has become a rarity in the Bahamas as many children live in single parent homes, typically with their mothers. Today, because some single parents are not usually at home, a nation of “latch-key” children are growing up alone, behind locked doors without any parental supervision while a parent is working or exploring the social scene. Indeed, there are neglectful parents that abandon their children, and leave an everlasting, negative imprint upon their minds.

It is true that many young men have no father figure to emulate, so they admire the social deviants and neighbourhood hooligans, who they illogically perceive to love and appreciate them. For their delinquency and parental failures, some Bahamian fathers deserve a cut-tail from a stingy tamarind switch! When fathers are missing from their children’s lives, there is no wonder why the children rebel or could think that being beaten to be inducted in a gang or that being instructed to rob and murder by their gangster father figure, is an act of love.

Negligent parents produce negligent children, and in some instances, these are the same lousy parents that are found coming out of the woodwork and crying about their “good child” when that child commits a heinous crime.

Recently, two friends visited the Bahamas and stayed with me for three weeks. They were curious to as to why so many houses had security bars like “mini-prisons”, as this was apparently not the case in Holland. I explained the necessity of burglar bars and other security mechanisms, telling them that it was a precautionary measure that Bahamians hoped would avert break-ins and other crimes, which are on a rise. They understood that like many societies, there is a dark side to the Bahamas that goes beyond the casinos, sun, sand and sea.

If the recent spate of violent crime continues unabatedly, living in the Bahamas will be nightmarish. It is my belief that it takes a village to raise a child, however, hardly anyone in Nassau seems to believe in that old-time proverb these days, as many Nassauvians don’t even know their neighbours. While growing up in Long Island, I called many older persons “auntie” and “uncle”, whether they had relations or not. These island folks all contributed to my growth, whether by caring for me or offering advice, or even by disciplining me. Where is the love these days? What happened to the spirit of oneness and brotherhood/sisterhood that once permeated Bahamian society?

I am uncertain as to whether enforcing the death penalty will lead to a reduction in crime, but at least it will cause potential murderers to think twice as the consequences of their actions will be embedded in their sub-conscience. In accordance with the recent Privy Council ruling, I am of the view that if a convicted murderer has exhausted all options and is sentenced to death, then the death penalty should unreservedly be carried out.

To effectively prevent and fight crime, we must develop contingency plans not only for law enforcement but also to encourage neighbourhood interaction as in days gone by. In our fight against crime, we must also recruit, properly vet and hire more police officers; construct a new prison to contain these criminals, preferably on a far flung cay/island similar to the Alcatraz prison; review and urgently reform our archaic court system and hold parents more accountable, even if it means jailing some of them.

E-Mail Adrian.