BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – A call has been made by Member of Parliament and Representative for Constituency Number Eight, the Hon. Cedric Roy Liburd, for the entire community to put their hands to the wheel and devise strategies to assist youths in dealing with their issues.

The call came following the Federation’s 14th homicide victim, Randy ‘Jah Fire’ Daniel, which occurred in Upper Cayon on Friday, July 10.

Speaking in exclusivity with SKNVibes, Minister Liburd said he passed on his sympathies to the family of the deceased and is continuing to recognise the need for a holistic approach in finding effective solutions to replace those which are clearly yielding an undesired result.

Over the past years, there has been an upsurge in criminal activities perpetrated by youths, particularly in violent crimes including shootings and woundings.

Minister Liburd appealed to persons within and outside of his constituency who have chosen to settle their scores violently, to stop, think and at least make an attempt to devise more civilised solutions.

“I want to appeal not just to members of the constituency but the entire country that this way in which young people are seeking to sole their problems is not the right way and they should really put down their arms and let us discuss the issue and find ways and means of solving their problems. I believe that we can find a way of solving the problem. …we really need to really try and see where we can help.”

With particular reference to his constituency, Liburd said he has made efforts to get stakeholders involved in the solution-finding exercises and gave approbation to a particular man of the cloth for his efforts to this end.

“In my constituency I have been trying to talk to church leaders and community leaders. I do believe if we are able to come together and the parents along with the guidance counsellors in the schools in Cayon, we should be able to come up with some proposals to help the young people and find a way of how we can design programmes in helping the young people to meet the challenges that they are facing at this time. I am going to be pursuing that and continue to pursue that path. I wish to commend Pastor Webbe for the work that he has been doing and I have been trying to work with him in finding ways and means of how we can address the concern.”

The MP said his next step is to “coordinate, by whatever means, a meeting where we can bring all the partners together, which include the parents, the schools and everybody, to find ways and means of resolving and see if we could come up with programmes to assist the young people”.

The Hon. Liburd expressed that the situation would improve only when all members in society resolve to put their hands to the proverbial plough and effect change. He said it is only then that lives would be saved and youths would be nudged along positive paths.

“As the Parliament Representative in Constituency Number Eight, I am appealing to all social partners. I am appealing to young people to let us work together in finding a solution to the problems of the young people so that we can have a peaceful community and, at the same time, save lives and make sure we can see our young people in productive activities in the future.”