Some Bahamians are shocked to hear that more than 10,000 young men belong to 54 gangs in the country.
But it’s not really news. In the 1960s there were neighbourhood groups like the Farmyard Boys or the Kemp Road Boys, which engaged in altercations but seldom committed serious criminal acts.
In the 1980s political corruption and the growth of the drug trade led to the development of new groups such as the Syndicate and the Rebellion, which often engaged in fights, assaults and vandalism.
By 1995 it was reported that there were 15 youth gangs at large, claiming some 8,000 members.
In his consultative committee’s report on youth development at that time, Anglican Archbishop Drexel Gomez said part of the solution was to strengthen family life and build a sense of community. Fixing the country’s educational system was also high on the agenda. And perhaps most tellingly, maintaining a level of prosperity that could keep joblessness and underemployment at a minimum.
If the latest statistics are real, we need a concerted effort to ensure that boys turn into men rather than gangsters. And policymakers need to be creative and do whatever is necessary to promote economic growth. That means supporting the private sector ﾖ not controlling it. It means facilitating foreign investment ﾖ not discouraging it. It means listening ﾖ not dictating.
It means working together. Not trying to score cheap political points.
Editorial, The Nassau Guardian
