THE PRIME MINISTER”S BAR SHOP The Prime Minister’s Bar Shop The crime situation which has engulfed our two communities for the past several years remains as deep a sore as it was when it began to fester many years ago. It is ironic that it has flourished under the Labour Administration which, when it was in opposition, loudly claimed the championship of law and order. The Labour Party has ruled the federal government since 1995, and from then to now the crime in our communities has escalated to unprecedented heights. While it is true that several factors are responsible for this terrible development in our two islands, it cannot be gainsaid that much of the blame must be borne by the federal government which controls the portfolio of National Security. The Ministry of National Security must he accountable for the deterioration of law and order in our federation and, in the national order of business, must offer some kind of explanation as to why things have got out of hand so badly. It is not enough for the Prime Minister, who is also directly responsible for law and order to come forward with crocodile tears every time there is an upsurge in crime. It is not enough for him to play crybaby when a couple of our youth lie like dogs in the street and a couple more hide away, their hands stained with blood. The Prime Minister needs to take the logical step of someone who has failed, and failed miserably, to provide our citizens with peace and safety, at home, at work and on the road. If the Prime Minister had a bar-shop and failed to run it properly, he would lose customers and lose money and would be forced to find another means of livelihood. The Prime Minister must take an honest look at himself and liken himself to a bar-shop keeper whose bar-shop has failed. By right he should pack up and find another job. In all well run political systems this is how it goes. A minister fails miserably and repeatedly, to get on top of his problem, he capitulates, he resigns. In all honesty, after fourteen years of failure, it is time for the Prime Minister to resign and let someone else try to solve the problem of crime in St. Kitts-Nevis. Its time to leave the bar-shop, sir.
