AS A COUNTRY, today we reflect on that terrible incident which shocked us two years ago, when six innocent lives were tragically lost in a fire on Tudor Street, The City.
It enraged us as a nation to know that such a callous act had been perpetrated. While we await the law to take its full course, we support the efforts of the September 3 Foundation to ensure that the victims are not forgotten.
Of the Campus Trendz Incident, as the September 3, 2010 tragedy has become known, questions were raised which we hope those responsible, both in the public and private sectors, can now answer.
Hopefully, we have not been only long on talk and poor in delivery with little being rectified. All Barbadians need to know that the buildings in Bridgetown are now properly equipped with operational emergency exists; that fire and other emergency drills are being undertaken; and that businesses have proper security measures in place to make those working and shopping there safe.
This concern for the safety and well-being of people must be extended to workplaces across the island, and it is incumbent on those responsible for upholding such standards to do their jobs scrupulously as the welfare and the image of this country and its people are at stake.
Such demands for the highest standards must be rigorously applied as we build more high-rise buildings; and as we seek to better conditions for those living in the depressed areas, where in some instances there is no easy access for emergency personnel, including ambulance crews.
Many agencies and businesses have a role to ensure that we successfully police the required standards which we must achieve as a nation. They range from those involved in occupational health and safety to those responsible for building codes and emergency responses. Even the private sector must rigorously enforce its rules and regulations.
General insurance companies, whether directly or through the brokers, must stop giving cover without undertaking the necessary inspection of premises, whether annually or biennially.
The other matter which the Campus Trendz tragedy raised was that related to the root cause of crime and, hopefully, the discussion mounted by the September 3 Foundation will only be a first attempt at an academic level to understanding why such things happen.
We have seen that these types of incidents can recur, given the many examples thrown up worldwide. We must not say it cannot happen here again. So those studying the causes and affects of such behaviour and how to address the problems need to do their examinations and make their suggestions.
Some things, good or bad, we as a nation must always remember. We need to reflect on those things which strike at the root of all that we uphold. There must be no false sense of safety and security. We need to do the right thing at all times. We must show respect and honour.
