This situation calls for an urgent forensic audit

Jun 11, 2012 Letters

Dear Editor,
I accepted my son-in-law’s invitation to accompany him to a community security meeting at Paradise Housing Scheme on Sunday May 27 and was surprised at the large number of persons who turned out at that meeting. This level of attendance suggests that there is a serious crime problem in that area. But before going to the meeting we drove to the back of the village and I could not believe the appearance of that place, which simply put, was disgraceful.
I had been reading letters in the newspapers about the Paradise Scheme and was kind of reluctant to believe everything that was written, but my own eyes saw the evidence of a housing scheme where the residents seem to have no sense of pride in their surroundings. There are partly done buildings which are overgrown with bushes and trees; yes trees in the buildings!
My son-in-law told me that someone was trying to get things straightened out but his efforts are being blocked. I understand that a government Minister had promised to have some forensic audit done on the affairs of the Cooperative but nearly three months after, nothing has been done and it is business as usual with an almost indecent haste to sell off vacant lands at high prices with no one knowing where the money is going. The neighbouring villages are nowhere near the disorganized state Paradise seems to be in and no one is any the wiser on what is really going on in Paradise.
I am concerned for the well-being of my two grandchildren who have to be kept cooped up with no place to go and interact with children their own age except on the roadways. I am told that the affairs of the village is in the hands of the Ministry of Cooperatives but I fail to understand how the Ministry can conduct the day-to-day affairs of a Cooperative and still be reporting to itself on those affairs.
This appears suspiciously like conflicting interests and calls for a serious rethink of the situation. As my late husband would say ‘Something smells to high heavens in the state of Denmark’.
I asked my son-in-law to point out the people who are managing the affairs of the village at the community meeting and was flabbergasted when he told me that no one was there; he said that it was the third meeting he attended and none of the people who allegedly run things are ever present but can be counted on to call meetings whenever it suits them to dictate to the members.
My son-in-law advised me that the village is almost divided with one side wanting positive development for their community while the other side enjoys the status quo and is content to prey on the ignorance of their followers. When I heard of the incidents of crime like cattle stealing and such like, I was not really surprised considering the state of the place and the lazy sprit which you could actually feel oppressing you; people were actually reluctant to volunteer for committee membership. What would surprise me is if they can really get their act together and unite to take back their community from both the violent and subtle criminals and make their village a model of harmonious coexistence.
Emily Boatswain

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