UNC politicians tend to treat it as an established fact: when PNM is in power crime rises; when UNC is in power crime falls, But party rule does not drive crime. Crime tends to rise when the economy is doing badly and falls when it is doing well.
This doesn't mean that PNM leadership drives crime per se nor does it necessarily lead to more crime. To put it another way, UNC politicians are misrepresenting our country's crime problem. That also doesn't mean that they are entirely wrong in what they are saying. It just means that focusing on crime by itself is showing a fundamental misunderstanding of the basic problem. And, I'll say it again, the basic problem is that the country's economy has tanked. Almost (but not quite) everybody is worse off today than they were at the beginning of the Rowley regime.
The truth is that there are a few (very few) people who are better off today than they were eight years ago. The truth also is that crime worldwide tends to be higher in urban areas than in country areas and in the cities and towns there tends to be a greater African population than in Indian areas which are largely in the country areas. That is why the general perception that most of the criminal element is largely African rather than Indian. But that is not the whole story.
Poverty and race play a major part in crime. But also affecting the problem is access to guns - which, apparently, is very easy. I am aware that not a few UNC supporters will read this post and think that I am making excuses for the PNM. Far from it. Crime is a complicated issue driven by the economy, social issues, personal disputes, drugs and almost every other issue. And while a few issues can make a big difference partisanship is not one of them, I believe that fixing the economy is THE major issue, just not the only one.
No. A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step, and the first step here is to define ALL of the problems and to put down clearly and succinctly the solutions to each one. If this has ever been done, I am unaware of it. Remember always: there is only one reason for politics - only one reason for Government: to make life better for the people! Full stop! There is no other reason.
P.S. Happy Independence Day
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