Today, most observers are in agreement that the current administration has talked a good talk about what they propose to do to bring help and hope to this chaotic situation. Otherwise, things seem to be getting worse.
For the most part, then, the administration and the current Minister of National Security have gotten any number of high marks for their enunciation of what they propose to do. But again, as in such matters where talk and action are in mismatch, the Christie administration comes up short. This was amply illustrated in late breaking news coming through on the wire, in the past few days.
As now appears to be the case, despite all the prison’s many negatives, there are any number of people who have turned this bad situation into a money making machine.
New information suggests that Her Majesty’s Prison in Fox Hill is neither safe nor secure. This is cause for alarm on the part of all those good and decent Bahamians who have been led to believe that the prison had been made more secure. Contrariwise, the news that the authorities had made a sweep of the prison and had discovered cell phones, marijuana and other contraband, confirms stories that many ex-convicts had been telling for years. Many of them had reported that Her Majesty’s Prison was little more than a breeding ground for crime. They also suggested that the system had been completely corrupted. They also suggested that the rot went far and wide, implicating any number of officials.
As now appears to be the case something is dreadfully out of whack in this nation’s main jail. And that something which is out of joint appears to be a system which has been allowed to run free for far too long. At this juncture, then, as the Ministry of National Security gets set to provide the public with its latest explanation for what is going on this time, the Hon. Cynthia Pratt should take note that the public will not be impressed by high sounding words about corrections, her resolve or any number of other earnest campaign promises.
Like the rest of the attentive public, we have heard it all before. And like them, we need no more of it. Most of these purported explanations amount to little more than artful spin.
Our readers and the community at large want to know and believe in some fundamentals. We need to believe and know that prison officials are not themselves criminals. We also need to believe and know that when those in custody – whether on remand or serving time – will be kept in conditions which are safe and secure. And quite evidently, these conditions must make real the expression “in the protective custody of the state”.
But even as we note some of the matters we would like to believe and know, we are fully aware of the corrosive influence which might be wrought upon prison officials by those with “money and connections”. Truth be told, we were not at all surprised when we heard the news about what had been found on the precincts of the prison. It all seemed so predictable, once the facts were revealed.
As home to an extremely diverse population of criminals, Her Majesty’s Prison Fox Hill, would also be a venue for any number of games and charades.
Among them would have been efforts to ‘turn’ certain officials. So, while we await more of the details concerning this weekend raid and consequent discoveries, we hazard the gusess that none of it could have transpired without some inside assistance.
It is this aspect of the matter which prompts us to call on the government to do the right thing, by bringing to bear upon the prison a spot light and totally transparent review of the entire system. Such an inquiry should focus on trying to find the means, motives and personnel behind the crimes and criminals involved in this latest Fox Hill caper.
From what we have heard and believe, the road ahead as far as investigations are concerned is clear. Prime Minister Christie must see to it that his deputy and Minister of National Security, the Hon. Cynthia Pratt makes a move, and gets to the bottom of this sorry affair. Having been promised decisive action in times past, the attentive public should be forgiven its current skepticism and cynicism about politicians, their many words, and their very many promises.
The truth, then, is that this administration now has a golden opportunity to prove the naysayers wrong. This they can do by resolving to leave no stone unturned, as they search for answers as to who brought what onto precincts that were supposed to be among the most secure in the nation. As it has been said in another context and for other and more benign reasons: the time for action is now!
Editorial, The Bahama Journal
