We are beginning to live the result of what happens when we are determined to work together under a common banner. "Operation Sweeping Wave" Successful, headlined in the November 7 Analyst article lends proof to this. But, “Successful” at the end of the headline should not make our heads swell, get carried away, to the point of losing focus.

For now, let’s treat crime as BEING ON THE ROPES, and we must go straight for the KNOCK-OUT! Isakaba and its copycats must be put on the canvas and made to stay there!

In summation of the efforts against crime in our country, we find that we, the ordinary people, proposed strategies to the authorities, and they listened to take the necessary steps to ease the threat and stress that crime was heaving on our daily lives.

You remember the other time when the Ol Ma was leaving to go to the United States to go look for money for us, and we asked her, but Ol Ma you leaving us here while Isakaba robbing and killing us? What did she say? If you forgot, here is what she said, in a few words, “ I have asked UNMIL, LNP and the Ministry of Justice to help the citizens organize CRIME WATCH in our neighborhoods.”

Those were the magic words. Since we got organized, and with the backing of UNMIL and LNP, we have served notice to Isakaba and its copycats that we will no longer tolerate their actions. We mean business! I am so “abu” to quote what some ordinary people said to the Analyst about this. Here it is. "Our people stay out the whole night doing their ordinary activities, going to bed as they wish without being chased by gunmen," . And as the Analyst states further, “The citizens attributed the disappearance of the so-called Isakaba Gang from their counties to youth's involvement into setting up community watch teams and civilian defensive teams to combat criminal activities of the gang.”

Let’s caution that clipping the wings of the likes of Isakaba is just a battle won. It is a war that we have declared on crime. We must therefore, brace ourselves with an uncompromising vigilance against many more battles ahead. For all citizens, the battle cry must be, “If you hear ‘fuen’, call CRIME WATCH.”

We must strive to keep crime in sight. Its curtailment must be placed on the front burner.

A weekly radio talk show aptly named “The Crime Prevention Awareness Show” would keep the people’s interest alive in making their communities safe. Community effort in crime prevention must be rewarded, however small a token that might be. Don’t we, after all, award a trophy for County Football League competition? Let’s have a trophy for “The Best Crime Watch Community of the Month”. The award, to be presented by a combined team of LNP and UNMIL, should be well publicized. Have a cookies and cool ale party for the victors. No palm wine, please.

In furtherance of creating jobs for the youth in a context of dissuading them from the path of crime, it is highly critical that the licensing of in-pouring foreign investments are processed free of bureaucratic red taping and the ever present cold-water taking. The patriotism of the youth taking the lead in making our communities safe must be rewarded in the shortest time frame. What they are doing is making the country safe for investments about to brim over.

Public sponsored job creators, such as road construction, must pick up full steam in this dry season to take the lead in making employment available to our youth. In this long awaited dry season, we hope that our people are showered with mass employment. Road and other infrastructure constructions must lead the way for foreign and local investments to follow in putting a dent in the unemployment rate.

Hopefully employment would buttress our fight against crime by offering an alternative to would-be criminals, while empowering CRIME WATCH to stay the course in assuring a safe atmosphere in which jobs would flourish for all of us.

We want to thank all the citizens that are volunteering their services to community crime watch, and we applaud the leadership of UNMIL and LNP for providing the training and backing. Now we all know what working together can do - it makes us ’masters of our destiny’. “It take a village”, an expression that those of us on the African continent are associated with, has come alive in our determination to fight crime. Together we must stay the course. Let the criminals take note; we are not playing.

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© 2006 by The Perspective
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