LOO and Government Minister Argue over Crime

Shyne Barrow

The House of Representatives met today in ordinary session where the issue of crime also became a matter for debate. The Leader of the Opposition, Shyne Barrow chastised the government over the current murder rate. But Minister of Home Affairs, Kareem Musa explained that fixing the crime rate is not an overnight job.

Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition

“I don’t know if you take these things lightly, but it’s not good for tourism, it’s not good for economic development, for investor confidence, it’s not good for our citizenry. PlanBelize promised citizen-security as a priority, a gender item. And we are not seeing that and it gives me no pleasure to point this out. I wish that you could resolve this and what I’m asking for in the first instance is to get up and call a press conference and face the nation and accept that we have a problem. This liberal approach, this leftist approach that “okay, yes, there is social issues, there is poverty,” we understand that but there must be justice.  People are killing with impunity. Murderers are acting as if they don’t respect the authority.”

Kareem Musa

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs

“Crime is not just a policing issue. To be able to reach out to my Cabinet colleagues and to know that they are going to answer that call – the Minister of Education has answered that call, offering forty scholarships to at-risk youth at ITVET. The Minister of Youth and Sports, the Hon. Rodwell Ferguson has participated in so many training activities for young people because we know we have to break the cycle. This is not an easy fix, Member. This is not about band-aid fixes. This is about the long walk back. You rightly pointed out – it’s forty-one years that it has taken us to this point, but you gave us this broken vehicle. Your party gave us this and you want us to fix it within a year, when in fact, it will take time. And you know that, deep down you know that. You understand that. This is a big problem.”