Dear Editor,
Why is there so much strident and unreasonable opposition and criticism to the obviously necessary action to level and clear the dense vegetation at the back of some villages along the lower East Coast? A lot of this does not apparently represent, in many cases, the growing of cash crops but wild growing bush, and there is need to create a clear zone up to a certain distance from the back of the villages, so as not to provide convenient cover to criminal gangs and means of escape from surveillance and pursuit by the Joint Services.
Some may be sincerely upset, according to the comments and reports in certain sections of the print and electronic media, but the hostile and vociferous objections are merely a ploy in a vain attempt to delay or stop this necessary process in the fight against armed gangs and violent crimes in these and nearby areas, especially emanating from Buxton, which has been indubitably established as being a safe haven for these criminals over many years, and at one time, following the Mash Day jailbreak in 2002 was also dubbed as the ‘ epicenter of crime’.
Everyone knows that the majority of the people at Buxton are peaceful and law-abiding citizens, many of whom have reportedly emigrated to other areas, and who, through the manipulation of certain people with personal and other agendas have become ensnared and entrapped, getting a bad name from the activities of criminals operating from their village, some of whom may not even belong to that location.
Many of us have already forgotten the ordeal of the lady who remonstrated against the criminals for what they did to a man who went there to conduct his lawful business, as he was doing for years, and her house was set on fire, and the criminals shot at her and her family members as they tried to escape from the burning building, which they eventually managed to do.
We all remember the numerous occasions when members of law-enforcement agencies were fired upon by the criminal elements at Buxton and had to take evasive actions. We also read and heard on the television media of the many occasions when criminals, committing crimes elsewhere, fled to Buxton.
Those who suffer legitimate loss of income and livelihood from the, I believe, temporary leveling of the backlands, according to the government will be compensated in a timely and organized manner and will receive additional assistance in their faming activities and the marketing of their produce. This is all to the good for the residents in Buxton and nearby villages. It seems to me that this government is consistently and persistently attacked for not doing enough in the fight against violent crimes and yet they are also attacked by the very same people, when they take additional steps to improve their responses to such crimes. Finally, I was disappointed at not hearing residents of Buxton expressing sympathy or condolences for the victims’ families at Lusignan or condemning the atrocities. Maybe such sentiments were indeed expressed but were not caught on camera or printed, or maybe I simply missed them. Yours faithfully, John Da Silva
