CHARLESTOWN, Nevis – AS a result of the recent murders in Cotton Ground, Leader of the Opposition on Nevis, the Hon. Joseph Parry is calling on the Concerned Citizens Movement-led Nevis Island Administration to convene a meeting of Parliamentarians to address the crime situation on that island.
“I call on Premier Amory to convene a meeting of the Parliament, specifically to debate the upsurge in crime. All Parliamentarians should put our ideas together and find workable solutions.”
Parry, who is the Leader of the Nevis Reformation Party (NRP), has suggested that Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris should “immediately give both Premier Amory and Deputy Premier Brantley leave of absence from their Federal portfolios and allow them to concentrate on stemming the bloodbath in Nevis”.
Over a 30-day period, four young people, including a mother of two, had lost their lives in Cotton Ground.
The first murder victim was 23-year-old Randell Chapman of Rawlins Village, who was gunned down by two masked assailants while he was in attendance of a cricket match being played at the Cotton Ground Playfield on Sunday (Mar. 26).
Twenty-two days later (Apr. 17), 28-year-old Morella Webbe was shot while seated in a car with 34-year-old Sonia Grant near her Cotton Ground home and succumbed to her injuries at the Alexandra Hospital. Grant also suffered injuries during the incident and was warded at the Alexandra Hospital.
The third and fourth murder victims were 25-year-old Shariff Williams of Colquolouns Housing Project and 21-year-old Elvis Lawrence of Cotton Ground, who were shot by a group of masked assailants, dressed in black, in the vicinity of a bar in Cotton Ground shortly before 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday (Apr. 25).
Prior to those murders, police had discovered the partly decomposed body of Leon Gumbs with a bullet wound in his Cotton Ground home on Sunday (Jan. 29).
Parry, who is also the NRP’s Representative of St. Thomas Parish which includes Cotton Ground, stated in a release that while at his home in that village he had heard the report of gunshots that took the lives of Williams and Lawrence.
“We are losing our children and it hurts. It hurts because we are losing them in the most horrific of circumstances; in the most savage of ways. Bodies torn to bits by bullets fired from guns designed for one purpose, mass killing. We need answers on how these guns are finding their way into the hands of trigger happy young people. We also must find out what is causing these murderous acts.
“What is compelling is the pervasive sense of hopelessness and helplessness that has taken hold in so many communities across this island. This hopelessness and helplessness have reared their ugly heads right here in my beloved community of Cotton Ground. I have lived here most of my life, never once giving any serious thought that this community of hard working families would ever become a crime statistic. Yet, Cotton Ground has experienced four gruesome murders in less than one month,” the politician lamented.
He claimed that since the brutal murder of Chapman, “it was anticipated that whatever ebb in the violence we might have enjoyed was about to end and that it would get bad very quickly”.
In an address to the people of Nevis following Webbe’s shooting-death, Premier Amory, who also holds the portfolio of Minister with Responsibility for Security in the NIA, had said: “I warned about reprisals at the shooting-death of one Randell Chapman. Is this a case of that reprisal? I do not know. The police will have to determine that. However, what I do know is that the image of the country of Nevis and St. Kitts and Nevis is being tarnished with every incident of this type.”
Parry referred to that statement as being casual and questioned what measures were taken by the law enforcement agency to nullify the threat.
“While Premier Amory casually mentioned the possibility of reprisals, I am curious to ascertain what efforts were expended by our security operatus to neutralise the threat? The four murders in Cotton Ground occurred within earshot of the Cotton Ground Police Station and three of the four were brazenly committed in broad day light!
“Our police are hard working but we must wonder what measures did the police put in place to prevent a repeat? Was community patrolling increased? Were the police more visible? Did the stop and search of persons of interest entering or exiting the communities increase?”
He is also of the view that more could have been done by the police to apprehend the suspects in the last shooting incident.
“If as suspected the getaway car left the crime scene via Barnes Ghaut, why were the exits at Paradise and Jessups not secured? It is almost as if a welcome mat was instead rolled out for these murderers to come in and shatter so many lives.”
Parry also pointed fingers at Premier Amory, claiming that in a statement he apparently blaming the society for those horrific murders.
“I it is clear that he has waved the white flag and has surrendered us all to criminals, every man for himself. He said he had a new plan to deal with these criminals, a plan that would be revealed in due course. Apparently, Mr. Amory forgot to share that plan with anybody including the police before flying out once again and leaving us to battle alone,” Parry added.
The former Premier said that crime is everybody’s business and accused the CCM of Administration of politicising it, while referring to the “let the guns blaze” statement he made sometime in the past.
“The actions of Premier Amory are symptomatic of a CCM in opposition that played politics with crime and wasted no time blaming my NRP Government for any and every criminal act. I personally was accused of promoting crime when an innocent statement I made was taken totally out of context. It was malicious but it is a reminder of the lengths they were prepared to go to tarnish the work of the NRP. But unlike them, I am calling on this government to open bilateral discussions with the NRP to chart a better way forward. Crime is neither a NRP nor a CCM problem, neither can it be simply dumped on the lap of our security services. We are all equal shareholders in this.”
Parry emphasised that going forward all citizens and residents on Nevis must not allow their consciousness to become numb to the carnage; for if they do nothing many of the things they still take for granted, such as having a night out, going to the beach, going to school and to church, going to the bank or to shop, would be put at serious risk.
“We must not allow this situation to imprison us in our own homes,” he added.
He intimated that what took place in Nevis is a human crisis and it happened in large measure because too many young people are in conflict with a society that has left them behind to fend for themselves.
He again attacked the NIA, claiming it is clear that the Government had removed some of the institutional safeguards that were established under his Administration and has offered no workable substitute in its place.
“How did we get to this point when people are reduced to saying, ‘Let them kill one another, they will stop when they had enough?’ Bullets do not have eyes. The two children left to mourn their mother Morella will find no comfort in hearing that their mother was wrongfully taken away from them at such a tender age. Families left to mourn will have long lasting mental scars. None of us are immune to these senseless murders. The only question is who will be next?” Parry explicated.
