Dear Editor,
In the past weeks, we were informed of the many inspections carried out by the health inspectorate supported by the uniformed services. And from a public health point of view, our society should feel a might safer and our visitors reassured. The old folk always say that because what you eat can’t be washed, it ought to be clean and free of dangerous bacteria before it is served.
We have read that people were pleased that this action was being carried out in the protection of the entire society and from the silence of the politicians; it was thought they too were pleased. Strangely enough, we recently got a reaction from our council of ministers which said that the inspectorate was ordered to cease all inspections and controls because of a complaint made by the management of Maho Beach Hotel of a supposedly embarrassing situation, where an arrestee or a detained individual was shackled in front of their guests.
Now we can’t be truly in favour of any type of undue use of force or embarrassment in our private sector. But when we as government choose to interfere, we should make the real reasons known. We must also adhere to the principle of equal treatment under the law. All of the places inspected felt the same degree of helplessness, but nobody intervened on their behalf.
And as is well known that this company not only employs mostly foreigners, they are also one of the premier campaign financiers and in an election year the meddling of government can hardly be seen as a corrective measure.
With the increase of crime in this country, it has become customary for the uniformed services, when placing someone under arrest or detaining anyone, to put on the cuffs for their safety and that of others. And oddly enough, there has never been any interference from government before, even when citizens complained of abuse of power.
Information reaching us said that at this resort, where almost all employees are either Dominican Haitian or Jamaican, there has never been a formal complain before when one of these people is detained and carted away. But woe be onto the uniformed services, when they dare arrest a Caucasian chef and his wife, who are residing and working illegally on the island. Not to mention in a country where we are presenting a lean-and-mean budget, asking the community to tighten their belts, we refuse to apply the law for the employment of illegals. (Some NA f.10.000 per person)
As can be seen from our policy or lack thereof like Caribbean flights that are targeted as high risk only Caribbean people of African descent are counted as foreigners. Just look around you all over Front Street and Back Street there are French nationals blocking traffic peddling shady time-share deals … no intervention. In our yachting industry many so- called boat people work at the abovementioned company and are declared as guests when our underpaid and overworked men and women of the uniformed services do their duty.
What we are witnessing today is not a new or unexpected phenomenon, but it’s always more obvious in election years. A good friend of mine, immediate past Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson and I have often discussed the difficulty of being professionals functioning on my island with the continued meddling of the political landscape. Civil servants have in the past been disciplined and even released for doing their jobs too well to the chagrin of our politicians. Some at the Receiver’s Office were read the riot act and without reservations instructed who not to target.
The many governments we elected continue to value the contribution of the private sector to their campaign over the general interest of people and country. I was brought up around fishermen and it would be nice if government can sometime in the future explain the mesh of the net they use that permit the big fish to swim through and only snare the small fish. It’s truly peculiar.
Elton Jones
