Garth Rattray
RECENTLY, DR. Omar Davies staunchly defended his 'hands-off' stance concerning crime, relegating that job instead solely to the security forces. I first heard of this policy late last year when someone complained to me that his life was being threatened. A killing had already taken place followed by a 'you're next' message. I advised him to move out of his (inner-city) community but he lamented that he had nowhere else to go. The anonymity of the threats and the lack of any verifiable information made him rule out my suggestion that he contact the police. Besides, in his community, not only do people fear and distrust the constabulary but 'informants' are routinely killed. He didn't want to enlist the help of his friends because that would start a 'war'.
Desperate to assist and hoping to avert the loss of lives, I sought and received his permission to (indirectly) contact the Member of Parliament (MP) responsible for that area. I thought that the MP could put out a general word on the matter to the constituents and let it trickle down to the grass-roots level that whatever was brewing must be stopped because it would not be tolerated. It seemed logical to me that since MPs represented the people and since around election time they can be seen campaigning throughout their depressed communities, surely a word of peace from someone so influential would be respected and hopefully obeyed.
My naive expectations of help from the politician were shattered when I was informed that the MP never gets involved in such things. I was told that it was a matter for the police. I didn't request that the MP speak with any don or area leader, all I needed was for the official elected to represent the frightened and oftentimes defenceless little people of that troubled community, to issue a word of peace in order to save lives.
CRIMINAL ELEMENTS
I learnt that the hands-off attitude of this MP was not an isolated case. I was told that the fear of being linked to criminal elements has caused them to take the position of non-interference in anything to do with potential or actual criminal activities within their constituencies. This frustrating affair made me realise why dons have a niche. Fleetingly, the thought occurred to me that I would be better off getting someone to speak with a don because, in spite of their nefarious ways, they always seem to get things done.
Several other things came to mind. I agree, now more than ever, with the opinion that parliamentarians should live in whichever constituency they represent. This case highlights the detachment that some experience from the very people who put them in 'power'. If several honourable members of Parliament had to endure hearing their friends and neighbours being brutally murdered in the middle of the night, they would be more proactive in finding solutions to crime. If they had to 'sleep' on the cold floor to reduce their risk of being hit by a stray bullet, they would find ways to get the guns off the streets. If their children had to miss school and they had to scurry fearfully along blood-soaked sidewalks and streets to work or stay out of the community when it is 'hot', they would fix the social ills that facilitate crime.
Politics introduced strife (and therefore violence) into the ghettos. It is not right for members of this professional group to now so distance themselves from the mess that their predecessors (and perhaps they) helped to create that the mere issuance of a word for peace is forbidden.
Dr Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice.
