BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, October 29th 2009 (PAM Secretariat) - Describing Sunday’s double homicide as unwarranted, shadow Minister for Youth and Sports in the People’s Action Movement, Juni Hodge said that the latest murders should be an “eye opener” as there are “too many unwarranted killings” in St. Kitts and Nevis and this latest incident demonstrate just how fragile the community has become.

Hodge said that the majority of the killings are as a result of an ongoing gang war committed by .the youths, whom he described as “hot blooded”, adding that the old persons within the community are victims of countless robberies and assaults.

Hodge strongly believes while some are of the view that the youths could not be controlled, it is obviously learned behaviour. He reiterated his call for a change in government while urging that it is pivotally important for young people to unite for the betterment of St. Kitts and Nevis.

The former police officer noted that while the victims of the brutal attack were senior citizens of the community, the gruesome act was committed by a 22-year-old, which is quite alarming. He noted that it is critical for all young people to learn a lesson from this latest incident.

The PAM candidate said that the young people need trusted and respected leadership. He also noted that there are some young people who are out of control and would prefer to be involved in social ills rather than making a meaningful contribution to society.

Hodge said that while many young people are desperately frustrated and unemployed and many would express the view that parents should be blamed, he strongly believes that Government should also take some of that responsibly as they have failed to put relevant programmes and projects in place to address such problems.

He said that the young people believe that doing this is the “best thing”, thus while parents should be blame to some extent the Government of the day has to take full responsibility for failing to set the right example.

According to the Youth and Sports shadow Minister, because of the many challenges and difficulties being faced in the Federation, it seems as though many parents either do not show an interest in their children’s welfare or are hardly at home owing to the fact that many of them are forced to do two and even three jobs in an effort to survive the continued hardships they are faced with.