Gregory Aboud of the The Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA) in Trinidad says the country is in a state of near-panic.
The association issued a media release last week that said it had been “inundated” with communications from the business community and the public “in tones of near panic” regarding the acceleration in violence and uncontrolled lawlessness currently being visited on the country.
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The association is calling for changes to be made to the management approach of law an order, border protection and a “return to basic parameters of public safety” in Trinidad and Tobago saying,
“We stand ready to join with the many business leaders who are devoting hundreds of hours of their time to many other issues in the interest of building a better Trinidad and Tobago…Silence and withdrawal is not an option—collaboration will assist to restore some sense of hope and quell the rising tide of panic.”
The release pointed out – “This state of near panic is a direct result, in our view, of a sense of hopelessness that has been growing consistently. The constant, stark images of persons dead and dying are overpowering our natural buoyancy and creating a demoralized population of citizens living in greater and greater distress.
“In contrast, criminals are living in an encouraging landscape of zero consequence.
“The overall result of hopelessness and potential panic is destroying community life, visiting pain and suffering on the families and friends of victims and permeating the national economy by not only stagnating investment decisions but also by destroying consumer confidence.
“There is little or no job creation and existing jobs are at risk by shrinking levels of confidence,” the release stated.
“The porous borders which are being talked about so often and in which fingers are being pointed have seen no improvement in the passage of guns because no courage exists to discuss the real heart of that danger.
“This country is filled with administrative aptitude in many categories of the private sector—those capable of managerial analysis and problem solving have been kept outside of strategic decision making in crucial matters for every wrong reason,” the release added.
