How is it some people want to count the murders and talk about crime, but want the people responsible for managing justice say nothing about their successes?

Dear Editor,

I as a citizen in the midst of this debate on crime I am very concerned as to what actions my government is taking on these issues. On Thursday [April 23rd, 2015] I was shocked to hear the Opposition Leader in the Senate the Hon. Carl Bethel making the point that the Attorney General should be cautious in sharing the data on how the courts are moving and how successfully today time for trials is being managed.

Firstly, I applaud the Attorney General Hon. Allyson Maynard-Gibson and her team on the stellar leadership the AG Office is providing the country. And I am happy to see that under her leadership the courts are up and running and are delivering results for the victims and families named as suspects.

Secondly, I want to add that it is our business as a nation to know what is happening in the courts and how smoothly the system is functioning. What is so incredible with the comments of Mr. Bethel is the fact that he and his side almost daily are counting incidents of crime and have advanced the argument as to whether Bahamians feel that justice is indeed working. In response we get data on the forward movement of justice in the country and the many upgrades that continue to evolve, and yet, here comes the opposition telling the Attorney General she should not be informing the public about what is happening to deliver justice in a timely manner for citizens?

You are wrong, Mr. Carl Bethel. It is our business to know what successes are being achieved in the courts. It is our business to know that we are repairing the damage of years of neglect by successive governments in this area. Just how we want to know who is being murdered and where crimes are being committed; we want to know who is being punished and how well our system is improving!

Signed,

E. Denise Bethel