Sidney Sweeting, DDS
I have become aware of a disturbing number of Bahamians who who have stated that they now intend to take matters into their own hands as far as crime is concerned. Their patience has been exhausted and they feel that enough is enough. Just this week while in line at a bank a businessman was saying that he was robbed by two armed gunmen and he went looking for them. He caught one and he and a friend gave him a thorough beating and dropped him off at a police station with a warning that if there is a next time he will kill him. That is just one example.
Calling the police to have them show up and write out a laborious report to stick on a shelf is a waste of time. Perhaps we can be charitable and say that they are burdened with too much work or frustrated from catching the same criminals that they caught the year before and the year before that and the courts have decided that they should be out on bail or their sentence should be shortened or they don't have room at the prison, or whatever.
It is bad enough that the God-fearing, law-abiding citizens have to live behind bars with surveillance cameras and alarm systems while the prisoners are walking through the revolving doors at the prison but now that the tourists are being targeted on a frequent basis we have to wonder why the US Embassy has not placed the Bahamas on its no travel advisory. They must have the proverbial "patience of Job."
Time is short, very short. Either our politicians stop the finger pointing, talking nonsense and start taking a sincere interest in curbing crime by working together as Bahamians instead of looking to the next election there will be nothing left for anyone to govern.
Dr. Sweeting:
I don’t want to sound like “Chicken Little,” but it seems we are in a state of melt down. Where is the PM? The newspapar reports he is getting ready to fly off again for another conference. We can’t even get a response from the Government on where our funds were spent for community upgrades at a cost to the Treasury of $100,000 per MP. I haven’t seen my MP since before the 2007 election.
Does the Government expect this crime problem to just go away with no action??
Saturday we hit the national record on murders. We are a ship without a rudder or sails and the captain (PM) has jumped over board.
The politicians must get over their personal fear of their close family and friends being caught up in a drag net, if they choose to get tough on crime.
Immunities are a rite of passage for those of titled surnames that have us in the pradicament we are in.
We have acted for our present circumstances, if not by out right plan, certainly by the consequences of our actions.
Vigilanteism is rampant, as the senior generations have taught the youth that this is an option and they have taken it as a workable option.
Others swear fealty to Individuals they hope can shelter them, protect and feed them.
We can sit and say all we want about the disfunctional courts, but not too many realize the ramifications of this pillar of justice, of lawful organized society being absent or unavailable.
The politicos do however, as it is the absence of the rule of law that gives them the lattitude to do as they do, free from justice.
Dr. Sweeting I couldn’t agree more.
I wonder what role we play as individuals in this process as well?
Do we also fall down as citizens by avoiding jury duty, or not reporting petty crimes?
And Chris, you are spot on as well.