THE most fundamental responsibility of any government is the protection of its citizens, DNA leader Branville McCartney reminded the present administration.

If a government cannot ensure the protection of its citizens, then it ought to leave office immediately, he said in a statement yesterday.

“In the Bahamas today, the law abiding citizens of the Bahamas are seriously at risk of assault and battery, grievous bodily harm, robbery, burglary, rape and murder, just to name a few,” he said.

“There is a fear of crime in this Commonwealth. A country of just under 350,000 people has one of the worse crime rates in this region!

“And despite the so-called statistics, the fear of crime is getting worse. The average Bahamian is fearful. Monies are spent to protect businesses that are then paid for by the consumer.

“Persons are prisoners in their own homes having to put extra locks on their doors, purchasing alarm systems and having burglar bars on their windows. We live in paradise but we are paralysed by fear.

Asking when the government will finally get serious about crime, Mr McCartney said no matter how we try to improve our economy, crime will forever be the deterrent to investors and visitors.

“The PLP administration campaigned on crime. Their first political commercial was on crime and ‘Safe Bahamas’.

“They, in my view, irresponsibly posted billboards on every street corner condemning the former administration on its failure to get crime under control. The PLP said that they had the answers to crime – Urban Renewal 2.0.

“One year later the PLP seems to be clueless as to what to do with this crime problem. We have a Minister of State blaming the United States of our crime situation and when he is not blaming the United States he intimates that if the official opposition were in power, crime would be worse.

“What a shame. Quite frankly, it is an absolute disgrace.

“Have the PLP forgotten what they promised on the campaign trail? Let me remind them. They said that they had the solution to our crime problems. Did they again misrepresent the Bahamian people? Did they just say things to get elected?

“The Prime Minister has recently admitted that his government is having a difficult time finding a solution to this vexing problem. Did they not have the solution to crime prior to the election? They said they did.”

Mr McCartney said the government must declare war on crime, and get tough.

“They must send a resounding message to these criminally minded persons that crime will not prevail in our country. They must start to sweat the small stuff and make examples out of these criminals who dare break the law.

“Make legislative provisions for the enforcement of the death penalty and carry it out.

“A former commissioner once said that the only thing these criminals who commit murder will understand is a rope around their necks.

“Do not interfere with the Commissioner of Police and police and let them do their job. Invest in technology to help with the fight against crime. Do not continue to do the same old same old and believe that it is going to work this time. Make the criminals fearful of the law.”