Half-Truths Are Not Truth

Army joins search for escaped prisoners

Increasingly, we are fed a diet of half-truths about the nature of the society in which we live, about the nature of the problems we face and about how the problems of this society can be cured.
With almost every new development, whether in economics, politics or in the cultural or social spheres, the spin doctors whose job is to maintain the status quo release their latest creations – half-truths about what is taking place and why.
Half-Truths About the Economy
Take the question of the latest episode of the economic crisis which is a chronic feature of all societies, like ours, based on the fundamentals of political economy that determine their nature.
On one level we are told that every round of recession must be blamed on the policies of particular administrations or they and the policies are to be praised for the next recovery. Alternatively, the economic hardships that are imposed on the people with every downturn is due to the mismanagement or corruption of a previous administration. The ‘turnaround’ or recovery phase is due to the prudent management of the party-in-power incidentally during this phase. Half-truths.
For example, the recent mid-year budget review (new name for the annual budget supplementation exercise) was ushered in with great hype seeking to have the population focus on the latest ‘turnaround’.
Speculation was rife as to whether there was indeed a turnaround, or real growth in the economy.
In the end, the Finance Minister, declared there are ‘signs of a turnaround’, there is ‘some growth’ and with the advent of a double elections season, spending will flow again.
All the talk about improved economy, he exemplified by uninterrupted profit increases for the usurious monopoly banking sector, increased consumer debt and conspicuous consumption of vehicles. Relatively low inflation is also presented as evidence of the new economic ‘miracle’.
Since the entire object of the capitalist system in the era of monopoly is the making of maximum profit, regardless of circumstances growing bank profits do not illustrate anything more than the truth that finance capital is achieving that object of maximum profit.
Increasing consumer debt really means more profits for the banks from interest to be collected on this debt and mounting hardship for the consumers who have to pay the interest down the road.
More vehicles on the road add to the burden of consumer credit and mask the failure to ensure the right of most citizens, largely the poor, to have an efficient mass transportation system. The huge economic cost of the congestion on the roads is also ignored or disguised.
Well, with ‘growth’ figures of less than or about 1 and a bit %, spending more on largely non-productive aspects of the economy for the sake of hopefully capturing a few votes or seats in elections, is hardly evidence of ‘sustainable’ growth or economic health that the Government is patting itself about. Nor, is increasing the public debt by $1Billion (borrowed in US$) for road paving an illustration of ‘prudent management’ or economic success.
The truth is that since Independence in 1962, the overdependence on hydrocarbon resources has left this economy vulnerable to and rolling like a roller coaster up and down, boom and bust, recession and recovery largely dictated in timing by the fortunes of the global oil and gas market prices.

No administration in 56 years, has fundamentally reshaped this economy toward sustainable crisis-free economic development focused on human development and guaranteeing the rights of the population for basic needs.
Half Truths About Crime and Prison Escape
 As is now the rhythm of life in this country, there is no respite between the episodes that demand our attention; never a dull moment.
On the heals of the Parliamentary drama, another of a more immediately concerning type exploded this week.
Overnight, a posse of 8 remand prisoners (7 murder accused among them) escaped from the Golden Grove prison.  Through a hole in the upper wall of their cell, out of the building, across the prison grounds and up, over, under or through the perimeter fence, we are told all 8 departed detected by absolutely no one. Their absence only noticed the next morning during ‘rounds’.
So how do 8, not 1, not 2 but 8 men traverse all this distance totally undetected in and out of a facility under 24-hour surveillance by prison functionaries whose motto is to HOLD and Treat?
So, the spin, the half-truths roll out. “The escapees were frustrated by the slow pace of justice and the judiciary is responsible for this escape and many more will occur”, we are told. “There are many tools in workshops and other locations within the prison so they could have accessed their tools of escape that way”, another yarn. Or, “there are too few officers to 950 or so remand detainees”.
“The fence is not maintained and has gaps or holes, so it was easy for them to get out of the compound”, another tale from a strange land.
So, if all the prisoners on remand are tried speedily and the convicted ones are in prison, are we to believe that those who could not see, hear or detect by cc camera or otherwise this escape will somehow prevent all escapes if the justice systems miraculously attains efficiency?
If the old decrepit fence is replaced with a very high, very  thick, very strong one, no one will be able to get out of the same cells and cross the same compound space to reach this new Chinese Wall undetected ever again?
Neither the Commissioner of Prisons who is in direct daily charge of the operations of the prisons, nor the National Security Minister who is in policy direction of the Prison Service have offered a contrite word or accepted organisational or political responsibility for this major, possibly historic (in terms of numbers) lapse of security.
The population in near or far communities to which any of the escapees have gone were and are exposed to the threat of a group of ‘frustrated’ men already accused of murder and serious violent crime, safety and security of citizens further compromised in a situation in which the body count of murder victims is rising by the 2’s and 3’s in any 12 to 24-hour period.
Massive national security resources and police and military personnel had to be deployed to address this horrendous failure of the prison system while the murderous mayhem continues unabated.
The Commissioner of Police who at Carnival in February (3 months ago) was displaying the new drone technologies that we were told provided nation-wide coverage and ‘real time’ video images to operations command centre, etc, found it necessary to procure the services of a non-national-security helicopter in the hunt for the escapees.
What happened to the drone technology (tether and fixed wing) that we were assured protected us during the madness of Carnival?
Either they did not protect us now or didn’t then either or after advertised deployment in February are secretly deployed in May.
Whichever it is, what is the status of these assets purchased with public money for public safety and security?
No More Half-Truths
When half-truths become the foundation of the way a society is run, most serious problems are created for the people. When half-truths prevail, the Truth, the Reality of the problems we face and how they are to be solved is obscured and we are only left with a diet of Lies.
Consumer debt is NOT evidence of consumer well-being. Insecure prison systems are NOT evidence of an efficient and effective service which is to protect the Right of Citizens to Safety and Security.
To take a stand consistent with the concerns of the people and that serves their interests, the interests of the Majority of the body politic, the fog of half-truths must be cleared away and Truth illuminate every aspect of the society.
 
Clyde Weatherhead
A Citizen Fighting for the
Renewal of Democracy and
For the Future We, the People,
Deserve.
17 May 2019

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