BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – “WE are not politicising crime…We have not forced people to look at crime based on who is in power”, was the declaration of Parliamentary Representative for Constituency Number Five and Opposition Member, the Hon. Shawn K. Richards.
Richards, at the time of comment, was responding to questions posed to him by SKNVibes following last week’s edition of “Ask the PM” (April 13).
During that edition, Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Denzil L. Douglas, as he had done on countless occasions, called for persons to refrain from politicising crime and join in the effort of crafting ways to combat it.
“We must not, for God’s sake, politicise crime in this country. We need to continue to do serious analysis into the causative factors. We need to know what it is that has gone so wrong in the minds of some people with the brutality of crime, because crime was always there. But…the brutality of crime and the senselessness of crime that, I believe, is troubling to our people,” the Prime Minister expressed.
Asked if either his party, the People’s Action Movement (PAM) or the Opposition politicises crime, Richards responded in the negative adding that what they have done is to highlight the importance of a national response rather than a single-entity approach to crime.
“We have not forced people to look at crime based on who is in power. We have always said and we have written to the government that crime requires a national approach. We have written to the government requesting meetings with them. We have nominated persons to committees, we have taken part in debates about crime, we have presented recommendations on dealing with the crime situation and we have even gone as far as to say to the Prime Minister that his statements and his actions are not in the best interest of solving the crime and discouraging persons from becoming involved in crime.”
Recently, the Prime Minister made comments to the effect that he hopes the Opposition’s constant harping on crime and suggesting that crime is the responsibility of the Government is not a sinister attempt to encourage politically motivated crime.
Richards explained that the PM, by making such statements “is trying to make persons look at the crime situation along political lines rather than saying that they need to take action and take action immediately”.
Recounting the efforts of the Opposition to inspire a national approach to crime, Richards requested meetings with the government and had forwarded recommendations.
“Crime requires a national effort. It requires all persons within society to see crime as an issue which affects all of us. By looking at it that way, then persons would recognise that we need to come together and come up with solutions that we can say are our solutions. That way, we buy into those solutions, we feel a part of it and we go out together as a unified body to deal with the crime situation. This is what the Opposition is calling for. That is what we have done.
“We have tried to involve all stakeholders. In the past we have had town hall meetings in different communities, we have spoken to different stakeholders within society, we have requested meetings with the government, we have presented recommendations, not only to the government but also to the public.”
The Opposition, Richards said, could do so much and no more but rather, action to accept and implement recommendations could only be taken by those who hold the reins of power…the Government.
