MURDER MAYHEM MEANS PARADISE LOST

THE horrible new murder record is dreadful news for all aspects of life in Trinidad and Tobago. 

Studies have found that the worse the homicide rate, the wider the income gap, meaning that the poor get poorer. 

Already, according to a Central Bank study, four out of five nationals are having difficulty in making ends meet in the current free-fall economy. 

The more brutal a society the more pressure is placed on the health care, education, and welfare systems, international investigations have also found. 

A steep crime rate also heavily affects commerce and trade. 

Under the Rowley Government, Trinidad and Tobago has already been sidelined by international investors. 

The severe travel advisories issued by the United States and other major countries would result in the total collapse of the struggling tourism sector.  

The T&T killings fields could decline to even more widespread social and economic hardship in a country in which more than 150,000 workers are unemployed and poverty is at a 40-year high. 

With 550 murders and an entire month still ahead in 2022, T&T has the most catastrophic rate of killing among small States that are not involved in conflicts with other nations. 

That is a scandalous and awful illustration of a society that only a few years ago was described as a model nation. 

The implications are dire. 

More local businesses are likely to shut up shop, leading to more joblessness, and some proprietors would take their families to safer lands. 

The atrocious rate of violent crimes flies in the face of the promises of the 2015 PNM general election manifesto. 

 “The murder rate is out of control,” Rowley’s party said, adding: “The murder toll has exceeded 400 in the past two years…” 

The PNM identified a litany of ills pertaining to crime and then detailed a string of measures to make T&T safer and more secure. 

For example, the PNM pledged to deal with the proliferation of handguns, secure the borders, provide more resources to the protective services, boost intelligence-gathering, and various other initiatives. 

The party promised to adopt “a whole-of-government approach” to solving crime. 

Seven years later, T&T is a sea of violence and an international pariah. 

The stringent travel advisories by the US and other countries have set the tone for the global response to paradise lost. 

The postcard image of T&T has been replaced by gushing blood, armed thugs, a clueless administration, and a desperate population.