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Azeez Warns Against Politicising Crime

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Independent Senator Noorani Azeez has warned against politicising crime while emphasising the need to address failures and shortcomings as policymakers.

Azeez spoke Tuesday during a Senate motion on establishing an anti-crime initiative fund.

“The worst thing we can do about crime is politicise the issue,” he declared.

“The harsh reality is crime and the communities which are currently inflamed have been before us for decades. They have been sitting and they have been festering,” Azeez asserted.

“We are past the point of no return when it comes to dealing with violent crime. There is nothing we can do to my mind right now to get us back into a safe zone,” Azeez observed.

“What we have to desperately try to do is address our failures and our shortcomings as policymakers and to dramatically expedite healing that must come to these communities in order to mitigate issues of violent crime,” he stated.

He hoped the anti-crime initiative fund would include many more social programmes, critical to healing those communities.

And he declared that fighting crime is a short-term measure and not needed long-term community healing.

In this regard, Azeez spoke of the need for land rationalisation, prisoner rehabilitation, education system transformation, and being ‘our brothers and sisters keeper’.

He told the Senate that no political party could solve crime.

“If anything, political parties have failed us time and time again. This is an opportunity for civil society to be the tip of the spear,” Azeez said.

” I encourage all political parties to fall in line and get behind civil society actors who have been walking these communities, sitting with these people – not for political gain, not to be expedient politically, but to sit down and to listen. Finally to hear the cries of these people and to understand what their issues are,” the Independent Senator said.

“It is unacceptable when these individuals lose loved ones that the only thing we do is show up with our armed guards, our police officers, our SSU. But in showing up, where are our social programmes and our support programmes? ”

“Where are our counsellors and these people who can intervene at the developmental level? Where is the caring? Where is the compassion?” Azeez asked.

He said those qualities are usually absent from the initial solution.

 

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5 COMMENTS

  1. ALL THE ABOVE TRUE, NO LIE SMART MAN. ALL WHAT IS GOING ON IN LUCIA CANNOT BE REVERSED, IT IS OUT OF CONTROL, NO RESPECT, FOR EACH OTHER OR COUNTRY. THE WORLD IS OBSERVING, LESS TOURISTS OR VISITORS COMIMG LIKE BEFORE. SHAME.

  2. In many countries, political parties have significantly reduced crime. It’s nothing new. They brought it down to negligible levels. Success generally depends on the crime-fighting strategy. What has been our own strategy? In the Caribbean, governments don’t fix minor problems. The wait until they mushroom into something unmanageable…see the local roads.

    One can politicise healthcare, education, taxes, infrastructural works etc. Unfortunately, crime is taboo according to him. As silly it gets. His attitude stinks of defeatism and a lack of will. Here is some bad news for that clown. If the taxpayers money is being spent in any area, then it’s up for discussion and therefore politicisation. Never a dull moment in this place.

  3. Sorry Mr Azeez. I cannot agree with you on that. Crime is definitely a political subject.

  4. @Poule Foo and @The Crow …. Mr Azeez has raised a very valid point of certain “community agencies” PUT IN PLACE by government policymakers to DO THEIR JOB!! He is very right. I would like to suggest that both of you read the article again to UNDERSTAND where he is coming from. The reason I say so, is because these very thoughts have crossed my mind many times, when I read about the de-escalation and regression of the country – it is not always the politicians to make things right (they make us THINK so!!), but the agencies THEY HAVE PUT IN PLACE: the educators, the counsellors, the social transformation officers, the gender equality people, etc. etc. and so forth. These departments NEED TO DO THEIR JOB, and if there is any interference from the politicians – tell them to f***-off! It is not easy – but certain departments need to pull up their boot straps. Kudos to Mr Azeez for saying it like it is!!

  5. Mr. Senator, we elect politicians to form government to protect and safeguard our security and to help improve living standards. Crime is a political subject. We are not blaming the government for escalation of gun violence, but we want government to do everything within it’s powers to keep us safe. It is evident that our gun laws and judicial system are not deterring the use and possession of illegal guns. We definitely need a kick ass approach to this madness. We can do this while we address the causes of crime. The criminals are violating our rights to live in a safe and peaceful society.

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