How funny our little experiment at independence must appear to our former masters, how comical we must look in British styled attire bowing at British symbols while consistently breaking all the rules? It is impossible to be truly independent until we find a way to rise above the racism that still haunts this nation, yet we labor on in ignorance of that truth furthering the divide and widening the crack with each passing holiday. Until we end its power to keep the mases in squabble and distracted from their own interests once and for all, how can we ever hope to have a common vision, especially when our brother is our enemy?
There are at least two organizations in this country whose philosophy and reason for existence is the domination and/or destruction of 'the other half' of the population, and who use the media to spew the drivel they espouse as if that is in any way good for the nation. In this game we say we agree that if you do the crime you must do the time, but that does not apply to Party financiers. We say corruption is a crime against the people and agree that no corrupt officials should hold Public Office, but that does not apply if they on 'we' side.
Regardless of the reason behind it, the absence of real leaders with anything close to a vision for ALL the people of this country exposes the pretense for what it is, and, regardless of the current flavor of the Ministers getting to play 'drunken, dress-up, high-society' at the State's expense, it is the same stupid 'Mas' all ah we playing, year in year out.
When corruption and bribery can provide us with our annual Independence Celebration firework display with the same individuals getting rich regardless of who is in power, what are we really celebrating?
As long as wealthy powerful Drug Barons who masquerade as successful businessmen are allowed to buy up all the property and manipulate the price outside of the average man's reach, who we really fooling with this independence talk? When it is all but impossible for a minimum wage earner to own a home except as a handout from the Government; how is that independence again?
We use our democratic power to change Governments, but we hold on to and defend systems deliberately designed to keep our people enslaved to the point where our complete and total distrust for each other has seen a slow reintroduction of a foreign ruling class in our highest Offices.
How is that independence?
Until there is Leadership willing and able to deal with corrupt Judges, Magistrates, Lawyers, Police, Ministers, Members of Parliament and Public Servants, that has the balls to investigate, prosecute and remove them from positions of authority over the citizenry, how can we ever be free?
Until there is Leadership willing and able to deal with corrupt Judges, Magistrates, Lawyers, Police, Ministers, Members of Parliament and Public Servants, that has the balls to investigate, prosecute and remove them from positions of authority over the citizenry, how can we ever be free?
When Governments can no longer be hijacked and used by money launderers and illicit businesses for their own agendas;
When crime is 'controlled' through proper parenting and the instilling of a sense of personal responsibility and of pride into our children;
When the diverse races of the country no longer rely on racism to make a point;
When material wealth is no longer the yardstick for personal value;
When social status is granted only to those who deserve it in reward for achievement in endeavors that raise the collective;
And when we can live as one people in this country as brothers and sisters under common symbols regardless of origin, with one national identity regardless of heritage, can wen hope to understand why ethics & morals are so important, and what intangibles like tradition and convention mean to independence.
Until that day, regardless of our color, our class and our individual identity, we the people of Trinidad & Tobago remain bound together, properly colonized for all eternity chained to a vision of a tomorrow that can never come.
Forty nine years ago we may have left our colonial 'Massa' behind but we kept the shackles of our minds firmly intact. Looked at honestly, we are no where near independent yet.
Mr. Alexander
ReplyDeleteI notice that there are as yet no comments to this article. There might be two reasons, one, that the day following the printing was a holiday and you know Trinis, and two, you said more or less everything that needed to be said. I however have one thing to add, just in case our politicians are reading this, which I believe they are.
We cannot be truly independent until our politicians start treating us as equals in intelligence and intellect and telling us the truth, no matter how painful. We don’t want to be told that what we actually saw and heard were misinformation or misprints. Tell us mistakes were made, we can understand that. Tell us that situations were misjudged, we can understand that. We are a forgiving people, we forgave the PNM time after time and we probably will forgive them yet another time to come. But beyond that, we have grown. We have been exposed to education and information and we know when we are being lied to and when things are being covered up and excuses are being made. And we are begging, please stop.
wow..deep and TRUE..sad though...
ReplyDelete