Vernon Daley

Trinidad and Tobago's Minister of National Security, Martin Joseph, needs to rethink some recent comments he made. The minister has criticised businesspeople in that country for paying money to extortionists to protect their businesses and prevent the abduction of members of their family.

According to the minister, these people are encouraging criminality by forking out the money rather than going to the police to report those who hatch these wicked schemes. Maybe the minister felt that it was the responsible thing to say when in the full glare of the public limelight. He was, after all, speaking in Parliament.

Dilemma

But surely the minister would appreciate the dilemma faced by these businesspeople who know that making the 'wrong' choice could lead to a loved one being snatched from them and perhaps never seen again. When faced with a situation like this, which businessperson is going to give two cents about what morally upstanding people like the minister is going to say? It's a choice between paying some money or having your life or livelihood destroyed.

Recently, a prominent member of the Trinidad business community, Vindra Naipaul-Coolman, was abducted by men who gave her a brutal beating before taking her away. Her family has, reportedly, paid part of the ransom demanded by her kidnappers but she has not been released.

Her family is now in anguish. Who would want to suffer such a fate?

Extortion has so spread its tentacles in other Caribbean countries including Guyana, Haiti and Jamaica that it's going to take much more than talk to clean it up and it does no good blaming the victim.

Of course, in an environment where members of the security forces are efficient and are able to nab these criminals before and after their criminal deeds then maybe businesspeople could have some faith in reporting extortionists to legitimate authorities.

In fact, this is the very point made by president of the Greater Chaguanas Chamber of Commerce, Garvin Seemungal, when he responded to the minister's criticism. He said the business community had a low level of trust in the security forces and their ability to protect them from falling prey to criminals and that's the reason why some give into extortionists.

Well, that tells the tale. The experience in a number of Caribbean countries is that the police tend not to be as efficient and responsive as citizens would sometimes like. Maybe this has more to do with the unavailability of resources and inadequate training than anything else. But that's a failing of government and can't be passed off on members of the public.

Minister Joseph said that kidnappings for ransom in Trinidad had fallen in 2006 compared to the previous year. He trumpeted this, noting it suggested that the Government's anti-kidnapping strategies were working. However, it might or might not mean that.

'Coward tax'

It could be that more businesspeople are willing to pay the 'coward tax' thereby reducing the need for the kidnappers to go about grabbing up members of their families. The situation in Trinidad, perhaps, needs more study before the minister draws his conclusions.

Government in Trinidad and other countries in the region, faced with this problem of extortion, can't go around taking morally righteous positions against those who pay while not fully addressing the duty of the state to provide a secure environment for its citizens.

Insensitive and ill-conceived criticisms, such as those made by the minister, are unlikely to do anybody any good.

Vernon Daley a journalist.