With curiosity I read National Security Minister Jack Warner's comments about the reduction in crime "without foreigners".

Among other delusions, he seems to think that he can make murders a thing of the past. To be honest I am unaware of any nation in which this is the case or has ever been the case, and do wish that he would inform the public otherwise.

Mr Warner also mentions that he reduced crime without the help of foreigners.

I do wish he would do something about us who feel like foreigners in our own country.

I still do not feel safe because I know that murders are not the only problem in this country.

What about the corrupt policemen?

What about the people who park on the highways and main roads Jack?

What about the spate of robberies in the Diego Martin area that a soldier of our army was committing?

What about the road fatalities and the rampant violation of road regulations? What about the general lack of enforcement?

What about that ineffective, seive-like thing you call the Coast Guard?

What about the wholesale occupying and decimating of state lands? What about the legal and illegal quarrying in the Northern range, Uncle Jack?

You see, this mentality of scapegoating is part of the problem. This is how we tend to solve our problems here in Trinidad, by blaming other people.We defend our behaviour by basing it on the action or inaction of others.

Such phrases as: "If I doh tief it he go get it instead", "The police doh charge anyone for dat, me eh fraid", "I had to eat ah food too" or "Yuh doh think he doing dat too." As if these could ever serve as defences in a court of law.

I wonder also what Uncle Jack is doing that the other national security ministers were not doing before to curb the crime rate at such a "rate".

I am sure that the answer would make many "irate" and want to "berate" him. Can we "corroborate" these figures? He is bullying us into believing him.

On a less serious note, I expressed that I read Jack's comments with curiosity because I wasn't sure by those comments whether he was expressing pleasure or surprise at those claims!

Isidore Gabriel

via e-mail