In a State of War

By anthony sylvestre

The Prime Minister of our Jewel a couple weeks back in Trinidad proclaimed to the world that Belize is “in a state of war”. He was of course letting all know of his intense dislike for Ashcroft and committed the resources of the country to his war against Ashcroft. Now when the leader of a country commits its people and its resources to a war, it is because of the need to annihilate that national security threat that is posed: Ashcroft, it is supposed, is that impermeable national security threat to Belize, just as Saddam Hussein was to the United States. But surely, even in war, there must be restraint and soberness by the general, otherwise there is a consequential buildup of collateral damage as energies and resources are misdirected and misapplied in the war.

And herein lies the folly of the Prime Minister’s war.

There is a real war unfolding in the country right now for which the Prime Minister and his government should be even more concerned and should concentrate more energies on. I am referring to the war in the streets of Belize City.

Unless you have been sleeping under a rock of late, or you have not been on the streets, you certainly would have felt the frenzied violent combustion in the air.  This week alone, there have been three murders, all which are said to be gang affiliated. One young man was gunned down on Kraal Road; another slain not too far away in the same area; and one killed on Fabers’ Road. Two of these three killings were in the Prime Minister’s constituency.

Earlier in the week, another young man, who still remains in critical conditions in the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, was shot on Supal Street, again in the Prime Minister’s Constituency.

The vehicle of the young taxi man who was killed was found on Basra Street and Euphrates Avenue, which are the northern boundaries of the Prime Minister’s constituency.

And in the same week the Prime Minister was in Trinidad telling the world that he has declared war against Ashcroft, another young man was being shot up at the corner of Mex and Amara Avenues, yet again in the Prime Minister’s constituency.

This again is the folly of the Prime Minister recklessly committing the resources of the state in his war with Ashcroft when his own constituency needs some of those resources to find solutions for our young men. Must these young men then continue to be collateral damages?

There is a parallel reckless regard to consequences which the Prime Minister demonstrates in his war with Ashcroft that our youths adopt in their violent war in the streets. Just as how the Prime Minister seems to not be concerned with the consequences of his war (possible loss of jobs for Belizeans as BTL put the death choke on Smart and the ballooning of the national debt with the hundreds of millions of dollars tax payers will have to pay in compensation for BTL and legal fees for attorneys from the Supreme Court to the United Nations), the youths in the streets could care less of the pain and suffering they bring to families as warring gangs intensify their beefing.

And what is the Prime Minister’s response to all of this?  News 5 reported on Wednesday that when they raised the issue of crime with him, the Prime Minister said police patrols on the streets will be doubled for the holidays.

We truly are in a state of war in our country with youths killing each other with such frightening callousness and brazenness. The Ministers of Social Transformation and National Security need to do what they have been constitutional charged to do, having done nothing to address the gang war in our streets for close to two years.

But it is idle thinking to expect that the Ministers will do anything now for the man who holds the purse, the Prime Minister and Ministry of Finance has his own personal war with Ashcroft which now trumps all other national priority.

| | | | | |