Fighting Crime Requires REAL Effort!

Friday, June 18, 2010, 8:15

This news item was posted in From the Desk of the Party Leader category and has 1 Comment so far.

Many Belizeans were of the impression that the problem with crime and violence was not so much a Belize City problem as a south side issue confined to the south side.

While it is unfortunate that a well know athlete and educator Aubrey Lopez was murdered and Rodwell Williams, a prominent Belizean attorney is clinging to life after being shot, these incidents bring home the fact that violence can strike each and every one of us without warning. These incidents bring home the fact that for a long time now, crime has moved away from being an issue stemming from and affecting only residents of the so-called south side.

From the beginning for the UDP’s term in office, different sectors of society have been complaining that crime was getting out of control. We in the Peoples’ United Party, as early as August 2008, brought this issue into prominence and called for a bi-partisan approach to fighting crime, which we believe is not a partisan political issue.

Crime affects everyone, from the young men killing each other to children left behind and their grieving mothers and loved ones who cry out for justice. Crime also has an effect on business people, and it affects the ordinary citizen who has to spend more money on personal security.

Unfortunately, it took the Prime Minister almost two and a half years to finally recognize that crime was a “national crisis” and he promised to personally lead the crusade against crime, make necessary adjustments to his Cabinet and present a National Crime Policy to the nation.

Before the announcement of a Cabinet reshuffle, many people were aware that the Minister of National Security would be replaced. When the reshuffle was finally announced, the Prime split the ministry in two and appointed Senator Douglas Singh as the new Minister for the Police. Minister Perdomo remained as Minster of Defense and Immigration.

Douglas Singh, a well-known businessman, is not known for having any special knowledge or experience in law enforcement; as such many question his appointment as Minster for the Police. While Singh has some managerial skills that could be used in the execution of his duties, his resume is limited when it comes to issues of law and order. We certainly wish him success and will support his efforts whenever and wherever they constitute a serious, committed and credible plan to rid our country of the scourge of crime.

On June 2nd, 2010, one day after the Cabinet reshuffle, the Prime Minister finally unveiled his plan: Operation Restore Belize. It is a multi-layer approach to fighting crime.

Within these four layers, there are six sub-committees that will do the actual work, according to the Prime Minister; addressing Police Department reform, Human Development, Legislative and Judicial Reform, Establishment of Safe Zones, Municipal Government and Infrastructure, and Communications. Members from the different sectors of our society, including the Opposition, will be invited to participate, or so we have been told by the Prime Minister.

We in the PUP have been very clear that we will support any credible and serious government initiative to fight crime. But at the same time we will be making recommendations and we will continue to work on our policy position.

Fighting crime requires an attack on all fronts and the sacrosanct role of the Judiciary will be integral. Over the past few weeks we have been hearing reports from the media of the strained relationship between the government and the Office of the Chief Justice.

Under the constitution a Chief Justice or a Judge who reaches retirement is allowed to finish all cases that they have started even if they have to stay beyond their retirement age. It seems that the governments has a different interpretation and has given a deadline for the Chief Justice to demit office whether he concludes his cases or not. This has forced the Chief Justice to stop all cases he has been hearing and reassign them to other judges. This will cause untold delays and unnecessary cost to Belizeans who are trying to get their cases heard.

It does not auger well for our democracy to have the executive branch and the judiciary embroiled in controversy, especially at a time when crime continues to wreak havoc on our national development. More so, if Operation Restore Belize is to succeed it will require long term planning, a lot of resources and it will require a meaningful relationship with the judicial branch of government.

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One Response to “Fighting Crime Requires REAL Effort!”

Manford said on Tuesday, July 20, 2010, 0:30

All of the above looks well on paper, but for someone who lived in big cities in different parts of the world this just hype, reaction. what the young Belizeans want is oppertunity. None of us came into the wrld of our own choice,and it is the responsibility of the older in society to care a nerture the young amongst. We seem to forget that its the young that will continue the process as keepers on the nation to provide industries and employmnet that will result in revenue to pay pensions. New money must be prodced to perpetuate old money; get it? Old money without gaining profits will be exausted, so the economy must be ever producing to make for a viable economy for continued desent standard of living.

The answer to most of this youth violence is oppertunity. The governments are not doing what they should be doing to attract new investors to the country that will provide employments to curtail this rampant idleness amongst the youths. If so many youths are going to school hungry, how can they inculcate what is been taught to them? There are many adverse effects as a result of been malnorished. Low retention in school, because of poor nurishment to the body and brain. Much of the anger in the society is as a result of a confused mind. If we think that heredity is foolishness we better wake up and smell the coffee as we are witnessing its hard result day in and day out. Kid are carried by mothersw that are malnurushed, of a serious negative mind set, and raised these kids in very unstable environment, what do we expect but the strong possibility of social mist fit. THE GOVERNMENT MUST DO MUCH,MUCH MORE TO ATTRACT INDUSTRY TO THE COUNTRY. This is the begining of the so-call fight against crime. stop the stupid blame gain because of been incompitent. a person can perform lest that he/she know; but cannot perform above what he/she know; and from the irrefutable conditions in the country, the governments are not capable of running this little country. When you come to realize that there are many companies in the world whoes work force would be that of all the available capable worker in Belize; so why should employment has to be so high in this little so-call jewel? The governmet should be a shame of themselves. Who remember the little dust bin of a town Chetumal was not too very long ago? someyearsago the Mexican commercial attache to myself and another person that us Belizeans spent over a $100,000,000.00 the previous year in Chetumal. While corozal is still a sleepy town with hardly anything gong for it. We have to be mad as hell and stop accepting execuses from our political leaders. Oh! yes you all don’t like to hear the truth, but its the truth that make man free. you voters must stop vote individuals into office because you know him, that is not good enough in these times as the world is in each others back door as a result social net working on the Internet. You have no excuse for ben uninformed anymore because you can teach yourself all you want to know from the internet. Unity is strength,not only politic. at the end of the day we al want pretty much the same thing, whether we are Blue or Red, so why in the name of god’s green earth should we take this stupid notion that because we are not of the same political persuasion we don’t deserve to make a desent standard of living? We are our own worst enemy due to lact of knowledge and stupidity. when we live in a neighbourhood where everybody is well off we don’t have to worry about our neighbour stealing from each other as it would consider low life to do so. It is te deprved amongst us that we have to build all the bars to keep out. My first time to visit a country where the citizens lives with real dignity, was Switzerland. I watched the clearks open the show window to the stret and left it open as they rearranged the jewels inside and while I looked on I never saw anyone attempted to took any of the jewels that hang on the door to the side walk. Riders prepay to ride the train in the city and got off without any conductor. The pont that I making is that they live a high standard of living because they are able to provide for a hgh standard of living, and all citizens are made to feel a part of the society, thus every able man must serve in the military up to a giving age, whether he is bank president or othe high position. And every Swiss has gun(s) in the house. It was said that more foreignors are in Swiss prison than Swiss. I read lots of stupid remarks against Dr. Carla Barnnet and others who talked about a long term strategy for Belize. I wish those mist guided individuals would find out what Japan’s long term planning looks like. During the early 1970’s many mexicans told me of their palns to catch the United States economically. During that same period of time I have the oppertunity to have met many South Korean business men who told me that they were about showing up Japan industrially because of what the Japanese did to them. In Belize we seem to have little real economic ambition. In the news the other was the President of Russia visiting the United States of American and told his country men and women with skills that the should go back to Russia as Russia need them. How about the government asking the many talented belizeans abroad to come home and help with their skills they learned? Hell no; just the opposit. When talented Belizeans come home and try to get involve and show new learned shills.the atitude is: da whe he di play? Dis da de way we do it ya. wake up Belizeans there is much hidden talent amongst us but we can do with a whole lot more. Especially those with capital creation skills.