THIS week, the island recorded its sixth homicide for the year. While the loss of even one life – especially via violent means – is a legitimate reason for our collective concern, the rapidity at which this year’s homicide rate has been going of late is cause for serious concern.
After about 93 days without a single homicide being recorded, we’ve now had six homicides within a 17-day span. That’s at least one homicide every three days. At this rate, one would hope that we do whatever it takes to stem what many people are describing as an upsurge in violence that will stop at nothing. Some are already calling this month “Bloody April” and “Appalling April”.
The proliferation of bad influences and associations are being blamed for runaway crime now infesting Saint Lucia. While the police have been limited in their efforts at thwarting criminals’ evil intentions, they have reaped a few successes. However, the fact remains that as much as we are progressing as a nation, there exists an under-current that seems to want to leave us with dropped jaws.
Almost on a weekly basis, police are reporting the seizure of guns, ammunition and illegal drugs. Given the porous nature of our geographic borders, one can well imagine from whence these weapons of destruction are pouring in. Nevertheless, people continue to stockpile as if some kind of uprising is expected to take place soon.
It doesn’t help that as socio-economic conditions worsen daily that people will feel less respectful of each other. Trying to eke out a survival in what has virtually become a dog-eat-dog climate is proving that people are willing to do just about anything to realize their ends. A number of suicides over the past few weeks have demonstrated how difficult it is becoming to function as a human being facing difficult times.
The essence of the narrative is that there seems to be no real push to discuss and remedy the serious issues affecting people. The proliferation of politically-charged programming and utterances seems to dominate over the concerns that are affecting so many people who are facing so much having been forced to survive on so little. That needs to change. Too many people are busy playing the role of politician instead of being pushers for social change.
With a new session of Parliament set to open next Tuesday, Governor-General Dame PearletteLouisy’s Throne Speech will undoubtedly express worry about the social fabric of this nation continuing to lose some of its fine threads. After her speech would have been over, however, it would serve us all a great deal of good to really make a greater effort to remedy an out-of-control ailment that seems intent on crippling us.