PRIORITIES

 It would be a joke if the consequences weren't so serious and tragic. In this morning's newspapers Camille Robinson Regis spends her time in castigating Robert Sabga for allegedly doing nothing when he submitted his report on the abuse being suffered by children and alleged that he (Sabga) was "rewarded" for his report by being made High Commissioner to Canada. Of course, the minor fact that the process of appointing a person as an ambassador starts about six months or more before the appointment is actually made is ignored; that and the fact that within a very short time after handing in his report Mr. Sabga was sent to Canada. But somehow it is his (Sabga's) fault that no action was taken and that it is to the credit of this Government that this has come to light now and that they are doing something about it now such as holding meetings and drinking coffee.

But leaving all that aside and assuming (though not accepting) that the goodly lady is right to castigate Mr, Sabga, Mrs. Robinson Regis defends the Government's seeming inaction by saying that a meeting has already been held and actions will be taken and the Prime Minister really cares about the children and , in any case, the wicked and evil UNC sat on its hands for twenty-five years and did nothing about it until the PNM came along.

Oh crikey! This woman can't be serious! First question: in the last twenty-five years who has been in power and when? Did the PNM at any time know about the report? Didn't the good lady herself refer to it in Parliament, or is the Hansard wrong?

Next question: what is the Government doing NOW to save the children who (it seems) are STILL being abused up to today as you read this?

You see, it is as if a house is on fire and the Government instead of trying to put out the fire is appointing a committee to discuss the best ways to put out the fire. The fact that the house is burning down is less important to them than trying to put out the fire. In fact, they seem to think that it is more important to find out who is to blame for the fire in the first place rather than putting it out. And when somebody asks them to put out the fire FIRST and then argue afterwards, that person who made the unreasonable suggestion of putting out the fire first is totally ignored and regarded as some sort of crazy person who doesn't understand how the thing works. If somebody is removed (much less arrested and charged) then, heaven forbid, the whole ugly story might come out and we  (whoever 'we' are) might be blamed for it.

But, the abuse in the children's homes is continuing. And now, twenty-five years later nobody is doing anything about it other than sitting around a conference table and drinking coffee. But the people in charge care. At least, so they say!