Bahamians are one set of very interesting people. Take for example the fact that some of them will tell you to your face that your days are numbered; and then and thereafter work to make that damning prophecy come true.
Today we take note of what seems to be a fact, which is that pirates and other criminal types seem to be back. With their arrival, business is suffering and civil society throughout The Bahamas is feeling the economic pinch.
Here of late, The Bahamas shows every sign that it is a place where the law is only obeyed when Bahamians are convinced that it would be in their interest to do so. Conversely, there is another perspective that suggests that there are Bahamians who are quite prepared to take the law in their own hands.
This could not be good for the overall development of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas. Take for example an accumulation of damning evidence coming in from the Exumas, Andros, Grand Bahama, and a number of other locales that suggests that when some Bahamians are angry enough and fed up enough, they will take matters into their own hands.
It now seems that arson and other wanton destruction of state-owned facilities in The Bahamas is taking place at an increased pace. The evidence is mounting that there are shadowy forces at work throughout The Bahamas that are prepared to have their way, regardless.
What makes the situation all the worse is the fact that these crimes are taking place in very small face-to-face communities; places where every body knows every thing that is happening to or for anyone. To date, practically every one has been silent with the predictable result that the criminals who are burning down Government buildings; destroying records, and otherwise messing things up for every one else; are literally getting away with their crimes.
As we take note of what has happened in North Andros with the myriad of allegations concerning the movement of contraband and the rumored involvement of a number of prominently placed Bahamians, we are constrained to wonder how many more airports have to be burned to the ground. We need to know how many more customs offices have to be torched and razed to the ground before state authority asserts itself.
There is talk on the streets and in some of the nation’s plushest suites as to how much longer the attentive public will have to wait before it gets real answers from Government as to what is actually going on in some of these ‘lawless places’; and as to how much longer a long-suffering people will be obliged to cope with the consequences left behind by the nameless, faceless gangsters who are seemingly able to get away scot-free with arson, and probably much worse crimes.
In this regard, we must say –albeit in passing- that we are neither impressed nor amused with the decision made by the Hon. Vincent Peet to recuse himself in the matter involving his Ministry and an Andros-based airline company.
This decision is simply not good enough. Now that the Minister has decided to back out of the picture –so to speak- inquiring minds want to know why. If as Minister responsible for Immigration, he is not involved with certain decisions in that Ministry, who is?
While we have no way of knowing the whole truth about what is in play here, we are still concerned –like other Bahamians- to find out who is being truthful; and to discover who may be either lying or fudging the truth.
Like others who want to know and believe that the national security of this nation is not being compromised; and who need to know that the law of the jungle does not pervade some of our Family Islands; we want to know and believe that law enforcement authorities know what they are doing. And like so very many other law-abiding citizens, we want to know and believe that the Minister of National Security and the Minister of Labour and Immigration are of one accord.
As importantly, the public needs to be assured that appropriate measures will be put in place to protect public property; and that the ‘known’ criminals who have destroyed government complexes throughout The Bahamas will be brought to justice, sooner rather than later.
Editorial from The Bahama Journal
