By Jeffrey Phipps
 
The recent spate of gruesome murders has left many of the local residents of the twin-island Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis in a state of shock, outrage and desperation, and for the government to solve the problem of violent crimes that has been on the rise since 1993.

Crime and violence have become ubiquitous in our society, and the youth of the Federation have become nihilistic towards the fundamental principles that have guided our ancestors for generations. The breakdown of these principles can be attributed to the number of young parents who are unwilling to instill moral values in our youth, lack of motivation to parenting because of the absence of a father, and the disappearance of a community that was once active in the raising of children. Also, there is a desire to mimic the lifestyle and culture of African-Americans, whose culture does not really equate to that of Kittitians and Nevisians. Some other significant causes of delinquency amongst young people include, over-worked single parents who have no time to parent accordingly, an antiquated school curriculum, and a lack of industries including small businesses that employ and sustain a large number of young people.
 
Kittitians have become so desensitised to crime and violence that the mere policies implemented by the government have gone unnoticed and unchallenged. On St. Kitts, the government, for a very long time has refused to pay attention to the spiraling crime wave that has engulfed the country, and our citizens have become too engaged and in love with political party affiliation that they too appear blinded by the exceedingly high crime rate (I will in my article stress on St. Kitts more because it is not only the bigger island, but at this epoch, our crime rate is way higher than Nevis). Now, it is true that the problem of crime did not start under the present Labour administration. Labour’s answer to their newly inherited criminal problem was always to cast blame on the former administration (The People’s Action Movement, PAM). However, by continuously attributing the blame to PAM, they [Labour] have allowed the problem to fester. The present administration has focused the majority of their attention to the building and maintenance of an army which is totally irrelevant for a country that has not been in a conflict for almost 300 years - apart from the disorganised uprising in 1993 in which the local police, who was also unequipped to handle the confusion, could have handled, but members of the force took political sides. However, with the pertinent training applicable to law enforcement (police and S.W.A.T units) the regular constabulary could have easily quashed the uprising, and avoided regional forces on our soil. Before 1993, there was the failed coup of June 10, 1967, where Ronald Webster of Anguilla led a group of three American citizens and 15 Anguillans, conspired with the opposition PAM party to overthrow the government of Premier Robert L. Bradshaw. There was already an active army in the Federation of St. Christopher, Nevis and Anguilla, which repelled the attack, not because the army was that good, but because the plan was poorly orchestrated. At the end of the entire comedic debacle, 400 British paratroopers and 22 London police came to St. Kitts and quelled the situation.

Why was an army needed if British paratroopers had to invade the island along with British police? It is important to take note that armies are trained for conventional warfare, not to enforce and maintain civil law and order. We always have to be mindful of unnecessary spending especially in crucial financial times. Therefore, I am in favor of disbanding the army as an active force and replacing them with a well trained reserve force that can serve as an auxiliary during national crisis and natural disasters. During the administration of Premier Robert L. Bradshaw, the army was used as a tool for propaganda and intimidation, but the political climate of the 1960s-1980 was different. Therefore, today, under a microscope the army may have outgrown its purpose. With 23 murders for 2008, Kittitians still cannot define the purpose of the army. Gone are the days where St. Kitts and Nevis, after many vicissitudes of fortune as the freest nation in the world, is now known to have one of the highest murder rates in the developing world. There can be lessons learned from countries with successful reserve armies. With St. Kitts’ size and population, they can activate their reserve force in a matter of hours. After dissolving the army into the well funded constabulary force, EMT, and fire services these men and women are always on call if there is a crisis. I do, however, support an active coast guard to protect the Federation’s coastline and act as an auxiliary to Immigration and Customs border protection. Their duties are also to protect shipping, illegal fishing and violators of the 12-mile contiguous zone. As a former law enforcement officer, with an understanding of security as applied to law enforcement, I know that the Customs Department is being under utilised to its maximum potential in respect to enforcement. We need all the tools available to combat and stem the flow of illegal drugs and guns, and to be effective, Customs enforcement must also be given the authority to stop and search (It’s actually in the law book, but must be enforced), and conduct residential searches of suspected gun dealers and possessors of illegal contraband. The present system in place is selling Kittitians and Nevisians short of a safe and secure future, and it is one that is strongly rooted in nepotism and close ties to the present administration. Constructive criticism is always seen as dissent in St. Kitts and Nevis, and in the wider region as a whole. Constructive criticism always faces a harsh backlash, but sometimes silence is not golden, so therefore, constructive criticism is necessary.

I am a proud son of the soil whose criticism should never be seen as a ploy to undermine the Federation, but like every concerned citizen at home and abroad, ensure that the government act accordingly where safety is concerned and maximise its full potential to earn the well deserved Yankee dollar. However, with eight murders in the first three months of 2009, why be silent? A demonstration was staged on the 3/18/2009 by concerned citizens of the Federation and supporters of both political parties in front of the inactive and dysfunctional St. Kitts and Nevis Mission. Their demonstrative stance is a testament to show that Kittitians and Nevisians are ripe for change and solutions of the dogmatic cabal that governs the Federation. The demonstrators’ legal and peaceful actions were quickly dismissed by the propagandist employees that pollute our nation’s Mission; saying that they were water hosed by a nearby building attendant and chased by the New York City Police Department (NYPD). That claim is false and absolutely ludicrous. Mission employees should know that the first amendment of the American Constitution allows for peaceful assembly, so why spread false information to bolster their agenda.

The desperate clarion call is for any party (Labour or PAM) who will willingly implement sound, effective and meaningful policies that will root out the evil vestiges of crime. The demonstrators’ call are for the present Commissioner of Police, Austin Williams, to step down and rightfully so, he should. In September of 2008 in a town hall meeting at the Mount Carmel Pentecostal Church, White Plains Road, Bronx New York, the embattled Commissioner of Police stated that there were no gangs in St. Kitts and Nevis, but only small pockets of troubled youth. However, with the recent brutal murders, reprisals, and a gang-styled funeral there is no doubt that that is a clear indication there are not only one or two gangs, but several gangs within the Federation. How can they, the Commissioner of Police, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security and Immigration wake everyday to the allegorical barrel of a gun knowing that the gangsters may already have their intended targets in their cross-hairs, but their ill-intended actions can violently stray to family members or peaceful and law abiding citizens. The call for their resignation is just, and should be now. As an independent nation, we have not carved out any laws that are uniquely ours, and we still act (proudly) as if we are under the colonial mandate. Our police force operates and trains as if we are still in the 1950s and 60s and our army’s mission has been turned inward on its own people.

I know there are many individuals, supporters of the present administration at home and abroad whose tireless work must be commended. These individuals have created social programmes to curb the onslaught, and must be supported by the opposition PAM party.  We are the descendants of Africans, and for generations the social practices that were heavily extant within our society have been severely eroded. We have deviated from the fundamental precepts of stewardship; importing over 90 percent of food, failure to develop a sustainable, thriving agrarian society, and most importantly, the ability to use our arable lands for self sustenance when trying times such as these presents itself.

Finally, I know by virtue of my last name (Phipps) non-progressive individuals have already assigned me to a specific political party. However, as an individual thinker and a supporter of progressive change (as I thought our country needed in 1995), I don’t ascribe to any political party as the current opposition’s plan of change has not sit well with me. Fundamental change comes by the “people” denouncing political affiliations, taking their concerns to the streets and then to the ballot box. That is why governments fear the people who can articulate the rudimentary policies that affect them. I was touched a couple years ago after reading Randolph Robinson’s ‘Quitting America’ and how he decided to leave America, the country of his birth for the tranquil shores of St. Kitts and Nevis because of the unfair treatment towards blacks, the erosion of civil liberties and the use of the American military might to preemptively wage war against disenfranchised nations for their wealth. However, if Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas and his administration remain deaf to the desperate call of the people to enhance their security, economic stability, and continue to vilify, chastise detractors, and non-supporters, Randolph Robinson might already be penning his last chapter of ‘Quitting St. Kitts’.