With violent crime in Trinidad and Tobago fast inclining towards another of its periodic steep spirals, the Trinidad Express reported that the private sector in Port of Spain is advocating urgent external intervention to try to alleviate the situation.
Last week the Express quoted President of the twin-island Republic’s San Fernando Business Association as advocating that the government take the approach of securing international help to deal with the crime.
In the wake of yet another spike of murders and gang-related killings the administration of Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley has seemingly locked horns with what has become an increasingly jittery private sector over what the latter sees as the lack of meaningful response on the part of law enforcement. While Rowley used the occasion of a post-Cabinet media briefing last week to assert that his administration was doing all that it can to decrease crime, President of the San Fernando Business Association Daphne Bartlett retorted that “If you are doing your best, then your best is simply not good enough.”
Both the tone and content of Bartlett’s response to what the Prime Minister had to say reflects the no – holes barred approach that customarily characterizes exchanges between government and the private sector. Bartlett said that government’s efforts seemed to be in vain since criminal activity was increasing and advocated that government should now take a different approach to tackling the problem.
