EDITOR, The Tribune
Much has been said about fighting crime in The Bahamas but whatever strategy the government employs the situation will reach Nash equilibrium – a stable state of a system involving the interaction of different participants, in which no participant can gain by a unilateral change of strategy if the strategies of the others remain unchanged. This means it will become ineffective it might work for about two years, but the criminals will adapt. It is mathematical.
The government is a finite player trying to decrease crime for political gain while the criminals are infinite players playing to continue their way of life. Whenever a finite player goes up against an infinite player the finite player eventually loses like the United States (finite player) and Vietnam (infinite player).
A strategy like Sun Tzu prescribes that subdues the enemy without fighting has to be implemented. Social protection for poor people. The present situation in The Bahamas leaves the poor to struggle to survive. Many take to crime because the education system seems difficult, uncertain and irrelevant.
No successful democratic country can thrive without a welfare system. US, Europe, India all have a robust welfare. system – without it their crime problems would be far worse than the Bahamas.
Social protection (welfare) is only a bridge to creating a just society. Schools that have students from low socio-economic status need excess funding and programmes. How could The Bahamas be asking for reparations when it treats a certain class of its own citizens like they have little value?
Finally the ideology of taking care of others to make a better self must be adapted. Martin Luther King said “live as brothers or perish as fools”. This unjust system we live in needs to be gradually improved. Tackling crime in isolation is futile!
BRIAN ELLIS PLUMMER
Nassau
December 5, 2018
Comments
Porcupine 5 years, 4 months ago
Brian, Minds like yours need to affect the entire country, the entire world. Your observations are precisely right, eminently human, and beyond critique. Your words are necessary, to help right a capsizing ship, if it is possible. For you not to spend more time exposing us to your wisdom would be a great crime. An infinitely great crime. I expect to hear more from you, under any name you wish to write under. Your words will be easily identifiable in any case, in the midst of such untutored nonsense which seemingly prevails. Thank you and please.
sheeprunner12 5 years, 4 months ago
The philosophers do not run ONE government in this world ..... Why???
Porcupine 5 years, 4 months ago
Sheeprunner,
The "philosophers" are merely thinkers. Politicians are now the diametrical opposites to thinkers. They got where they are because for the most part people have given up thinking. The distractions are many. Television, sports, video games, gambling, Facebook, church, anything but rational thinking. I'm not sure you were serious in your question anyhow.
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