PART one sought to project a graphic perspective on piracy and security response within its intertwining and often conflicting objective and subjective realities – fishermen, security, government and the press. In this segment, I offer my thoughts aimed at breaking down real, imaginary or deliberately concocted barriers. Breaking down barriers essentially means bringing together all who have a vested interest in this matter – responsible Minister of the Government, members of the Joint Services (should be high ranking Officers) and fishermen together at various meetings in all the affected areas to:-

(a) Listen to what the fishermen have to say without any prejudice to what was done before or how much Government is doing to alleviate the situation and a non-imposition of partisan views. Fishermen must be given the opportunity to candidly express their concerns. This at times is a very hard proposition for people in authority who may seem to think they have the solution, but who in fact are only reacting to the issues based on how they understand the problem and not from the perspective of the aggrieved who are directly affected.

(ai) Addressing issues of concern to the public or special interest group in a conflict situation is an art form which some political administrators are just not versed in. One should at all times avoid being like the proverbial bull in a china shop. Pre-conceived ideas, pre-determined solution and political arrogance are easily spotted and have the potential to incense and ignite negative emotions which can lead to intensification of a conflict. Even if you think you have all the answers based on your expert advice, listen to the people.

(aii) Many of these so- called experts are just arm chair quacks who point out to you already known approaches beautifully packaged in a jargon tailored to impress – great on presentation but poor on deliverables – mainly due to the lack of understanding of the underlying objective conditions and culture of doing things in a particular area. Solutions given therefore, may very well be contrary to the institutional memory and historic solutions that still exist and which are in fact even more practicable, reasonable and more cost effective than solutions given by “snake oil peddlers.”

(b) Show genuine interest in what they have to say. Quite often authority figures tend to display an air of nonchalance (either because they think they already know or have done so much which people should be grateful for). People easily pick up on these negatives which they interpret as paying lip service to, and the showing of disinterest in their plight, no matter how good the initial intentions may be.

(c)  Encourage solutions from the bottom. Taking them into confidence; they should be asked to come up with solutions which they think may be of some assistance in having a holistic picture of the difficulties involved, the modus operandi of the pirates and what best they think can be done to launch a counter offensive or putting preventative measures in place.

(ci) They will come up with a number of solutions – workable, unworkable and outlandish– most of which will be based on self- interest and may conflict with established norms. This is a given fact which is to be expected since we are here dealing with core issues of life and death. No harm in taking all on board since all initial meetings are more fact finding missions which will assist in the formulation of comprehensive solution oriented approaches – and not decision making sessions.

(d) Establish contact committees in each area, size and amount to be determined by the fishermen who will elect or select their representatives from among themselves. Politicians and members of the Joint Services must stay clear of this process. These committees would be the liaison between the Joint Service and fishermen, since it is assumed once operational plans are hammered out, the role of the minister or his representative will diminish accordingly.

(di)These Committees would be the enabling bodies that will facilitate the securing of important information –  name, address, contact numbers, date of birth, marital status, special skills whether they are Captains, mechanic, deck hands, captains/owners, boat/s, engine, seine/s
(colour, weight, type of knitting, if hand knitted, gauge) owner, registration of ownership, engine numbers, markets, average catch per trip, type of catch, fishing ground, days spent at sea per trip – which would allow for the establishment of a data bank, provide information for security vetting by the police once consideration is being given for the use of firearm (shotgun) and the possible weeding out of unsavoury characters who may be hand in glove with pirates.

(e) Establish clear lines of communication for contacting all sides involved and for feed-back on progress made — a continuous and smooth flow, maybe with specified time and dates (in the interim) while the response strategy  is being hammered out, after which communication will have to be continuous without any limitations imposed regarding time and dates.

(f) Establishing of a standard body – comprising  both Police and Army personnel – to which they can have immediate access in the event difficulties are encountered with lower level ranks; police in terms of retrieving stolen property, and army in the event of procrastinations in search and rescue, etc. The assumption here is that those involved in Organizational matters may not necessarily be the same persons involved in operational matters.

Confidence Building Measures (CBM).

(a) Committee to submit all required data as in (di) within a specified timeline. Let them be aware of the purpose of this information from the very beginning:-

(i) To ensure those involved in managing the interest of fishermen are themselves reputable and legitimate fishermen.
(ii)  The necessity of having a data bank which will present comparative evidence in the event of recovery of stolen property, assist in investigation or possibly crime scene processing.
(iii) Present an opportunity to have closer collaboration with the police/army with the aim of fostering better relationships among them and for enhancing intelligence gathering capabilities that are not limited to matters of piracy alone – wider law and order issues.
(iv) Direct involvement in the management of their affairs, moving from ideas and supplier of information to tangible and direct involvement in prevention, engagement and rescue.
(v) Data mining for the establishment of response possibilities and establishing systems, inputting of resources, Command Structure and staffing.
(vi) Communication, both intra -organisational (once structure becomes operational) and inter -organisational (operation center and committee), essential elements, which, if effectively coordinated and managed will constitute a major deterrent to piracy.