A neglect of common sense

C Roy Reynolds, Contributor

SO, IT has happened again only this time in even stranger circumstances. Not only did 50 detainees escape a security facility but apparently in broad daylight.

I can understand escapes in the dead of night, since those guarding them might be afraid of duppy and hence reluctant to patrol the perimeters of the confinement area, but escape, and, a mass one at that, at high afternoon defies explanation. It is almost as if the duty of some cops is to bring in the suspects and that of others is to let them out.

Which reminds me of a little ritual my mother used to employ when I was a small boy and got something in my eyes. She would massage the eyelid and chant..."Bad duppy put it in; good duppy teck it out. Duppy if you teck it out ah give you little rum." Only this seems to be a reversal of the duppy roles.

If we go by prior experience it will be infinitely more difficult to recapture them than it was to apprehend them in the first place but it seems as if previous experience had taught them nothing. Granted the confinement facility might not have been the most satisfactory. But since you know that in advance the sane thing to do is to increase your watch. Not only that but you pick your watchmen carefully. Assuredly not a job for the sight-impaired. But the rope-skipping goes on: "As I run in you run out!' Not the sort of scenario that is likely to build confidence in either the force itself or its administration.

It is a strange aspect of life in this country how often situations develop into crisis when they ought to have been anticipated and avoided. The other recent reminder of this is the closure or attempted closure of the Old Harbour Bay market. I guess we are expected to commend the St. Catherine health administration for its decisiveness.

Accommodation

But there is a totally different other side to the situation. Old Harbour Bay is a village with which I had been very familiar for several years. It is the lifeblood of that isolated community. Almost all economic activity in the area is in some way connected with what goes on at the beach.

For a long time things have been allowed to deteriorate. Not only because many of those who use the beach mistreat it. But facilities like the lockers built years ago had deteriorated so badly that they offered neither security nor accommodation of equipment.

Yet apparently the authorities took little notice of what was in progress and did nothing to arrest the situation. To my certain knowledge there had been at least the beginning of an environmental awareness programme in the area for several years. Among the activities in this regard was a lady I seem to recall, named Rema Watt of the Hope Zoo and a very informed Rastaman whose name eludes me. It should not have been difficult for the parish authorities to come in as partners in these efforts and to foster an ongoing programme of care. To wait until conditions deteriorated so much that closure was necessary shows an abysmal lack of foresight. And to now expect that the lifeblood of the community should be shut down while there is not even an announced programme of restoration, is both stupid and impractical. To insist that this be done is to court unrest for people cannot just walk away from their only means of livelihood.

Finally today, let me say a few words about Mr. Paulwell and his big surprise. According to the news reports the minister did not know that Cable and Wireless was planning to discontinue responsibility for the telephone instruments in its clients' buildings. One of the net effects of this is that clients will not have to pay indefinite rent for their instruments. The reality is that this merely regularises a situation where numerous customers have long had instruments independent of what the company provides.

On the other hand the Government's own agency, the Office of Utility Regulation, has endorsed the proposal. What therefore is the necessity for the minister to be in on such a decision. The OUR is his eyes on the matter. And if he did not have confidence in the body he ought not to have appointed it.

As far as I can see, the Minister should only have been peeved that there is not sufficient communication between himself and the OUR. Presumably that body is much more technically competent to access the impact on the service generally than Minister Paulwell. Methinks, sir, that you doth protest too much!

C. Roy Reynolds is a freelance journalist.