Sometimes one thinks that civil society is hanging on by a thread in T&T. Nothing symbolises this as much as the mauling to near-death of the little four-year-old boy by two dogs the other evening in San Fernando. Ten years after the Dangerous Dog Act was passed in Parliament after public outcry at the deaths of several adults from dog attacks, it has still not been proclaimed. People are still being bitten to death. Bitten to death! Hesitate a moment and think what that means, to the person being killed.
"I am going to die. Oh Gord! No, no, nooo! Help! Help! Pleaseeee!"
And not a man move. Not a man could move in the face of such ferocity, unless a big piece of wood and an uncontrollable, ferocious anger was present. Too bad that that anger cannot be turned towards those responsible for the delay in proclamation of the law or those who messed it up in the first place.
To think that, week after week, month after month, year after year, they do nothing but rain talk down on us and people continue to die from dog bites. Dog bites! As if this is such a difficult proposition, such a dreadful objective, such special interest groups involved, that we cannot pass a simple law to protect the most innocent, the most harmless, the weakest, the most in need of protection, the poor, the old, the young.
You mean to say that a granny can no longer take a walk with her grandchildren in the peace and cool of the evening in her neighbourhood? You mean to say that a little boy, barely old enough to know himself, cannot look forward to walking with his grandmother in the front of his house, without being afraid of being bitten by a dog? You mean to say nobody can do anything about this? Where are all the "big boys?" Fighting to stay out of the USA? The parliamentarians? Pelting tea at each other? The businessmen? Drinking with bankers, perhaps? The lawyers? Presiding at commissions of enquiry? The ministers? Posing for pictures? Are the doctors still liming in the Oval? Where are the professional organisations? Defending their petty interests, no doubt. Where is the public outrage? The other night on one of the TV channels, 25 per cent of the respondents, granted God knows who they are, voted against the implementation of the Dangerous Dog Act. Does that really mean they see nothing wrong with what happened in San Fernando?
Where are the letters to the editor? At the time of writing I've seen one and another sent to me from a good lady who does not live in T&T. Her outrage was palpable. Since her letter was not published by any of the dailies, read what she said: "One can shed tears, dry them, and move on laughing. One little boy torn up! Big deal. For the second time? These are 'sweet family pets?' Ridiculous! People on the street should have taken matters into their own hands a long time ago. Killer dogs need to be killed. Poison or gunshots, whichever is more practical."
She went on: "For a dog biting a child, the fine should be $1,000,000, plus medical compensation. If the child dies, the fine should be $20,000,000. With fines like that, irresponsible people would learn. As soon as a dog bites someone on the street, that person's assets should be frozen by the State. Everyone knows whose dog is whose, and there should be no escape for those who think their Pit bulls, Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Dobermans and others are toys of terrorist threatening. We want to continue to be a people of laws not individuals, but if individuals allow their weapons (dogs) to irresponsibly attack four-year-olds, then the people must take matters into their own hands."
A people of laws? But people will only follow the law when they see the law being applied seriously and uniformly, by all participants, at all levels, to all groups. Is this the case in T&T? With such national hypocrisy, do you still wonder at the attitude of the youth? Do you honestly believe that they are not observing us, wondering at our behaviour, bewildered at the corruption coming out of the same old tired, cynical mouths that political parties, UWI, trade unions, professional organisations, NGOs, religious groups and the media keep forcing on us? Let us bypass these useless, beaten-down humans.
Let us think of the little boy, at the start of his life, so horribly traumatised, physically and emotionally scarred for life. Let us think of his fear and bewilderment as he was picked up and tossed in the air and bitten so that his intestines fell out of his abdomen. Let us think of his grandmother, helpless in the face of such ferocity and what she must be going through. And let us vow that this will never happen again to another Trinidadian child by demanding, as a country, that Parliament amends the Dangerous Dog Act and that it be proclaimed immediately by the President.