Law makers should show some compassion tempered by mercy
Dear Sir,
It is with consternation and disgust I write in regard to the latest conservation law in our Legislative Assembly regarding fishing in these Islands.
I, like many others, am appalled at the way things are done and the lack of thought that goes into the making of some of our laws.
We are all aware of the depletion of ecology not only in these islands but worldwide and if anything will be saved for future generations, efforts must be made to preserve what we have.
This should not only apply to the sea but the land as well.
It's not wise to chop down the tree trunk to please the limb.
The way it appears, this law is directed solely at foreigners who seem to blamed for all that is wrong in these Islands.
One has to wonder what happened to our communications and if the law will apply to friend and foe alike?
My reason for asking is, for some time it has been rumoured that the Jamaicans, Philippines and Hondurans were killing out our fish.
I have no doubt that some of the blame rightly belongs to them but who was responsible before we had them to blame when the Seine, the gil net and any other method of destruction could be employed to get it the easy way? Who was responsible for the conch depletion?
I hope all of our immigrant population does not think of all of us in the same light or they will all pack up and leave as they did in The Bahamas years back leaving them with their buildings, beaches and sunshine.
Fortunately for them their leader changed course.
The question is, what about ours?
Although the work permit holders are used in a general sense we know the brunt will be borne by the poorer class who, if they had a thousand dollars that they could pay for a licence (one month), would not be here in the first place.
I would like to suggest to our law makers before putting the final touches on laws, show some compassion tempered by mercy, produced by a clear conscience not guided by the whims or fancies of a few who would invite others to our shore then drive them away because there is dirt on their shoes.
I believe it's time we stop being like scorpions and rattle snakes looking for someone to sting and bite.
These kind of actions tell the world the way we think and the way we think of the world and although it seems that many don't believe it, this is Our Father's world.
Rupert Ebanks