The people of the Caribbean who are struggling to deal with the high incidences of crime in the region must take full responsibility for the high murder rate and other violent crimes. Coming out of the CARICOM Heads of Government in Jamaica this week, we note with great interest how certain Prime Ministers wish to rely on external forces to assist in the reduction of crime in the Caribbean.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Doctor Ralph Gonsalves for his part, praised Jamaica for its advances in using technology to combat crime.
He said: “Among some of our countries, what we are witnessing is almost a low-intensity civil war between various groups. Some call them gangs. Some call them associational groupings. Whatever we call them, we need to act, and fast.”
Gonsalves also urged better coordination among CARICOM members and greater engagement from key international partners, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France and the European Union.
No matter what imperialism we face as a people, we must take responsibility for our level of civility and the social challenges.
The youth of The Bahamas, like other small island states are motivated by values imported from North America in particular.
Anecdotal and persuasive evidence in the Caribbean suggests that children and students in early childhood, primary and secondary schools are experiencing more anti-social behavioral problems than hitherto. More school fights are taking place, and some teachers are having a difficult time coping with these behavioural challenges. Further, young adults, especially males but also females, are becoming more aggressive than usual and are lacking elemental social restraint. Facebook and other social media platforms are exacerbating these disturbing tendencies.
In The Bahamas, for the last decade at least 100 homicides are recorded on a yearly basis. It is as if a war is taking place and we are losing our young citizens in particular because of the high level of violence. The increased amount of suicides is also alarming.
While law enforcement officials are challenged and the courts are overwhelmed, there are too many troubling signs to watch and arrest sensibly, not by incarceration but by appropriate psycho-social interventions, quality parenting, quality school leadership, quality teaching, religious mentoring, family and community solidarity and national unity around achievable goals of sustainable development.
Over the last several decades, we have witnessed a coarsening of our youth, many of whom are miseducated and poorly socialized.
If we claim to be a free and sovereign nation, that comes with certain demands. One has to do with how we train and shape future generations of Bahamians. That cannot be left to the developed countries of the world. The moralizing institutions in our society must be creative and invest in the proper education of our people and teach them how to live. The elderly of the country say we must teach them “living sense.”
In a post-modern Bahamas, we need a paradigm shift. It must involve designing educational programs not for, but along with young people with a view towards building a sense of belonging to a community; positively channeling their energy and anger while developing the skills to become competitive citizens of the world community.
Many of the problems that plague the system of education are rooted in conditions prevailing within the contemporary Bahamian society and cannot and will not be solved by the schools alone.
The problems of lack of civility and violent and disruptive behaviour, to cite but one example, reflect the tenor of life in the wider community, and are often products of the baggage that children bring with them to school. While the schools cannot abdicate their responsibility in these matters, there will need to be ever closer dialogue, connection and collaborative effort between school, parents and community if such conditions are to be improved.
The level of crime and violence in The Bahamas will reduce when the youth develop a genuine sense of self-worth and an ability to appreciate the worth of others, qualities that will be necessary to enable them to become more confident, responsible citizens, not only of The Bahamas but also of the world.
We wish all Bahamians a happy 52nd Anniversary of Independence. May God continue to bless The Commonwealth of The Bahamas.
