Plain Talk - Phillip Edward Alexander

Questions on Confidence...

2012-02-29T04:53:00.001-08:00

Dr. Keith Rowley has moved a motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar and in an immediate response all of the minor players of the People's Partnership have been summoned into relevance for an all out assault. Even as Dr. Rowley's motion attempts to breathe new life into his struggling leadership of his own hobbled and limping Party, it is energizing a waning Partnership that, long having served its primary purpose of unseating Patrick Manning, has been searching for relevance ever since. Demonstrated from the very start that if it is anything it is a campaign machine, given any opportunity to do so (no pun intended) the Partnership can campaign with the best of them and does it with professional expediency if nothing else.

Campaign tee shirts and flags do not make a government though, and the cracks that were starting to appear in the facade are still plainly visible despite podium thumping claims to the contrary. Sports Minister Anil Roberts' underwhelming declaration of love and support to all those who have bested him, defeated him and otherwise had their way with him is equalled only by Jack Warner's lukewarm enthusiasm this time around. The embattled UNC Chairman, former FIFA Vice President and all around action man seems to be slowly deflating before the national community even as he promises to defend each new damning revelation being made against his less than stellar fiscal management and allegations of outright theft by international organizations and countries alike. If not properly dealt with and addressed before things deteriorate further, his seemingly inevitable collapse could pull the very government down with him and this one thing should be greater grounds for concern for all the political investors in the Partnership than Dr. Rowley's motion. Prakash Ramadhar's and Ashworth Jack's now 'not so new and exciting' routines are not stirring the crowds as they should, and looking at the expressions on the familiar faces lined up to defend their livelihoods it is clear that there is a lot more at play here than just a vote of no confidence; winning this little battle may not be enough to heal what is clearly a government at war with itself.

The rumbling sounds of a disenchanted and marginalized Congress of the People, whose newly elected Political Leader had to publicly demand a meeting with the Prime Minister and the other Partnership leaders to address the shortcomings of the Fyzabad Accord demonstrates a display of no confidence from within. Despite protestations to the contrary by the leadership of the Party, the membership of the COP feel used and betrayed and are so tired of the sham they are ready to call it quits and go their own way. If the Prakash Ramadhar led leadership of the Party was to put this one motion to a vote the results would stun and shock them, such is the disenchantment and outright disgust with which this partnership ruse is held. The coalition's labour arm (MSJ) has found itself increasingly at odds with its purpose for existing now that union after union of its former comrades have had to challenge the government to keep the promises made to labor on the campaign trail. Its leader Errol McLeod has had to step down in order to wear one hat effectively, and its new leader is proving even harder to 'control' as he seems to have not lost his union struggle roots. If that is not a vote of no confidence then what is?

The only real benefit of this whole exercise is that the people are finally getting to see and hear representatives of the Government answering for their behavior in Office to date. This one thing is of such value to the electorate I would like to suggest that we move a vote of no confidence every six months so as to at least give the people the type of respect that they are supposed to be shown. If it requires forcing the government to account to get that respect then so be it.. As the camera pans the audience there are many very unhappy supporters who feel betrayed and let down and who, despite being there to make up numbers have lost faith in an organization long on promises but short on delivery.

Watching the performances of some of the players on the platform reminded me of the quotation "Methinks the lady doth protest too much." Taken from Shakespeare, Gertrude says it when Hamlet asks her if she's enjoying the play in which the Player King and Player Queen act out what Hamlet believes was the murder of his father. The phrase has come to mean that one can "insist so passionately about something not being true that people suspect the opposite of what one is saying" and may be very apt here.

Beyond all the talk and touting of accomplishments there is a question I want to ask. If all that is being said on the impromptu campaign trail is true, if the Partnership is so strong and the accomplishments so many, if the votes in the House of representatives are so absolute and the motion so sure to be defeated, if the people are so in love with their government and the members so happy, why would you need to campaign at all?

Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, Me... (What Carnival is REALLY About)

2012-02-28T04:10:00.000-08:00

A very peeved letter writer to one of the daily newspapers said indignantly that she paid 'good money' to prance on the savannah stage and like many of her fellow masqueraders in the mas band Tribe she was outraged, enraged and upset at being denied that singular highlight of the carnival. Accepted as THE place to 'get on bad' and to wave to those in the stands and watching on television at home, the savannah stage became famous due to the all day television broadcast of the Parade of the Bands and had become a fixture of the carnival to many; for those who could not be there in person for one reason or another, the pleasure of watching the different bands portray their mas was quite the treat and one that was looked forward to with eager anticipation. Now no longer the spectacle of creativity and artistic expression it used to be, the carnival itself as been reduced to nothing more than a 'look at me' fest and the Parade of the Bands has become one of the first casualties of this new order as not many are interested in the soft core porn that the Parade of the Bands has become.

Now in broad response to the letter writer, according to Maslow's Hierarchy of needs, the need for intimacy and belonging are almost as important as safety and food and much more important than self actualization. It seems we human beings love to have our engines stoked, and there is no better way than to feel loved and cherished by those we consider our peers. Beyond that there is the need to serve ego by 'lording it' over others, and this one need fuels the explosion of reality TV shows and homemade videos as everyone strives for that fabled fifteen minutes of fame to be a 'star,' and why Facebook and other self promoting social media are such a success. Also according to Maslow - “All humans have a need to be respected and to have self-esteem and self-respect. Esteem presents the normal human desire to be accepted and valued by others. In terms of the carnival this has been reduced to body image and displays of wealth. Like peacocks at mating time we display our plumage designed to adorn the culmination of a grueling regime of diet and exercise to sculpt a beautiful body that would be the envy of any, and then immerse ourselves in a sea of thousands of others similarly toned and highlighted. The camaraderie and feeling of belonging is made complete by the exhortations of the music commanding as to perform mindless acts in unison and on cue.

There is a new style of graphic joke on the social network sites that basically goes (in different variations on the theme) - “What the world thinks I do, What my friends think I do, What my parents thinks I do, What I think I do and What I really do.” Put to that simple test, Trinidad Carnival comes away perceived by outsiders, spectators and masqueraders alike as an orgy of flesh and an opportunity for free sexual indulgence, a mass of almost nude bodies writhing to music simulating if not engaging in lewd sex acts in public. While the masqueraders themselves may want to believe that that is not what carnival is about, their own behavior over the two days makes that belief a lie. In an attempt to imitate art, life and culture in T&T seems to have perverted itself and in trying to become something else, may have succeeded all too well; the business model of Tribe and the other new 'Rio' styled bands seems to be built on encouraging excess for profit.

In years gone by of the most fun things to do as the band made its way along the parade route was to race ahead and climb up on anything high that you could find and let the band pass you by, up there in all your splendor, gracing the world and those below with your magnificence. It may seem like a waste to spend thirty million to provide a stage for a display no one really cares to see anymore or to support a competition that no longer seems valid, but in defense of it, for many of the masqueraders it's more than worth it, even if it's only somewhere high up that's easy to climb.

Is Port of Spain General Hospital Safe?

2012-02-27T08:48:00.003-08:00

From time to time I receive information that could be considered to be of urgent National importance and this is definitely one of those times. On Monday the 13th of September 2010 I published an article that asked if the Port of Spain General Hospital was safe and despite comments from engineers and architects that there were reasons for serious concern there had been no follow up. Almost two years later the structural integrity of the Hospital is once again making news despite the trite remarks of the Minister who is reported to have said last week that it looks 'okay' to him. Mister Minister with all due respect that is a gross dereliction of duty and an abdication of responsibility. Those in authority with responsibility for the maintenance of the nation's hospitals should be held criminally liable if they take no action to safeguard the public should the worst occur, and we again call on the Minister to take a serious look at what is alleged here.

For your elucidation, here again is the meat of the matter of what was forwarded to me by professionals knowledgeable in the fields of architecture and structural engineering:

"In recent decades, whenever there has been a severe hurricane or earthquake in the Caribbean, hospitals have suffered as much damage as less important facilities. We do not need to be reminded about the Haitian earthquake, but we may need to be reminded about hospitals knocked out of action in Dominica, Jamaica, Montserrat, Antigua, Saint Maarten, St Kitts and Grenada in the past three decades.

For nearly two decades engineers with a knowledge of the fundamentals of earthquake-resistant design who have visited the Port of Spain General Hospital have been commenting on the clearly and seriously vulnerable concepts of the six story Main Central Block. It is understood that this was brought to the attention of the authorities as long ago as the early 1990s and on several subsequent occasions.

The reasons for the concerns would be obvious to many knowledgeable professionals – architects and engineers working in areas subject to earthquakes. The reasons are manifest because they have to do with the fundamental geometrical characteristics of the Central Block. In determining the vulnerability of buildings to earthquakes the shape of the building and type and configuration of the structure are very important. In many buildings these characteristics can be assessed, at least in a preliminary sense, without detailed analysis. Such is the case with the Central Block. The casual, but observant, visitor to the Hospital could also notice distress to some of the columns in this building.

It would not be surprising if the Central Block collapsed during an earthquake of the severity envisaged by the recommended standards for Trinidad.
In January this year a number of oxygen tanks exploded in the intensive care ward of a hospital in the Ukraine causing three floors to collapse and killing 16 people. To compound the structural problems of the Central Block, the main oxygen storage facility for the Hospital is located very close to the building. Is this safe?
All of these features are noticeable to any private visitor to the Hospital who happens to be observant and knowledgeable about earthquake-resistant design of buildings. Something can, and should, be done about this as an urgent matter."

It is not overstating the obvious to emphasise the level of preventable risk being discussed here, and I would like to ask the Honorable Prime Minister to look into this matter as a matter of urgency as, should we suffer a serious earthquake or other catastrophe, it would certainly be better for all if the General Hospital did not collapse.

If I were in her shoes I would dispatch the Minister of Health to conduct an urgent evaluation and verification exercise as to the veracity of these claims, and to take immediate steps to evacuate the areas of the facility most vulnerable to collapse.

It would be wise that those with interests and qualifications in these types of matters be included in a discussion with a view to an effective solution, as it is much better to be safe than sorry.

Our Colonized Minds....

2012-02-21T06:22:00.001-08:00

What happens if you threw the greatest show on earth and nobody wanted to see it? The clash of multiples of diverse global cultures, their histories and how they/we all came to be on this tiny island expressed through the eyes and hands of the craftsman and artisan has been replaced by someone else's version of what the two days before the start of lent are for, and the immense and colorful spectacle that was Trinidad Carnival has been cast aside and no one seems to know why.

Titles like band of the year are now meaningless as there is little if anything left to judge. This is no longer an expression of culture but an exercise in excess set to music. The fact that the majority of mas bands are themselves owned by people who specialize in promoting parties and sponsored by alcohol companies is apt, because what remains of our carnival has been stripped down to its bare elements, one big party on the move. You don't so much as pay for a costume per se but a 'cover charge' to get into the dance. Now the running joke seems to be how to take the exact same costume used this year and rename it something else and sell it with a straight face next year.

Our music has become what music becomes when you allow a few to control what the masses gets to hear. We have no artists anymore, just clever businessmen, collusion and a stable of performers willing to gyrate for their share. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with profit, but profit for profit's sake destroys creativity and individual expression and delivers instead the bland, tasteless, styrofoam packed 'mac-meal' that soca has become. I have nothing against the individuals in this list, but tell me, out of a population of one point three million, how do we get the same tired, rehashed, reheated performances of Destra, Bunji Garlin, Iwer George and Machel year in and year out? If this is pure coincidence and these few are always the best of the crop every year then I think that is the most telling sign of all that the art form is dead. It could also be the result of the rumored 'control' of soca, where unless you 'belong' to one of the 'outfits' that control the airwaves and the party stages there is no sense in writing much less incurring the expense of recording your song. The fact that ninety per cent of the major parties are promoted by the same two or three groups and the soca stations owned by an even smaller number contributes to this stranglehold and if the government is serious about 'culture' something has to be done here.

Instead of a two million dollar grand prize why not make the National Soca Competition a year long event, with ten competitions spread out over the course of the year open to anybody with a soca song vying for a hundred thousand dollars first prize and a chance on the Soca Monarch stage? If twenty people take part in each of those monthly prelims we just gave two hundred hopefuls a chance at a life changing opportunity, instead of funneling state funds into already full hands.

To the investors in carnival the name of the game is sponsorship, profit and prize money and ideas like those above are reprehensible, but society requires governing for much the same reason children require parenting. We need to set boundaries that works for the greatest good of us all, to help us develop a healthy sense of self even as we attempt to indulge our desires. Imagine what television would be like without rules for a moment, even the weather report would have a car chase, a shoot out or some other 'kill scene' ending in gruesome death and gratuitous nudity and sex. Carnival is no longer something to be proud of but two days of decadence that undermines our society a little more each time. Our inability to like ourselves is a sad condition that needs to be addressed if we are ever going to find and keep our identity in the 'global market place.' To me the fact that we took sugar and made shit is not even the problem here, the fact that we as a people are not even aware of it is.

Welcome to Fantasy Island.........

2012-02-18T05:53:00.002-08:00

Okay, okay, I get it now. I refuse to believe it that it took me so long to get it and I must admit I am feeling a little ashamed, but I get it. Only after watching the illusionary splendor of our politically influenced carnival for the second year in a row did it all click, and wow, it's really like looking through the looking glass when you get it.

I finally understand why the Prime Minister's residence is called La Fantasie, I mean, what other name could be more apt? Living there is usually as the result of mesmerizing the electorate with grand promises and nothing gestures like a magician manipulating time and space to deliver illusions, and in T&T the best magic show gets to go on to claim the first prize, five years in our own Magic Kingdom, La Fantasie. In La Fantasie the rules do not matter. You could make things appear, disappear and then reappear by just saying a word. You could conjure up whole new realities for everyone, and everyone is supposed to suspend their powers of disbelief and play along.

Similar to the 'results' in the Soca Monarch show, it's not SUPPOSED to be real. While the grand spectacle of the show is fantastic and the effort that most performers put out lulls you into the belief that there is a chance that the decision is being made based on the quality of the song, the performance and the stage presentation, it is obvious now that those messy details are taken care of well in advance so as to prevent any untoward or embarrassing mishaps.

Or the plot against the Prime Minister, it's meant to pull your leg, nothing more, and if anything I want to thank THIS government for the effort they put into the misdirection show. Whoever is coaching them backstage is doing one helluva a job, because once they agree on a story or a plot line, they all work so hard to sell it. Were the conspirators 'in' on the plot to expose a plot? I want to believe so because we've heard nothing since, not even a highly paid lawyer raising the messy spectre of a wrongful arrest lawsuit, so it must be that they all were part of one well planned, well delivered, piece of theatre.

I guess that's the reason there were at least seven different reason for the State of Emergency. Like plot lines in a 'coming attraction,' they were simply 'floating ideas' to see which one got the most traction and I must say as a policy it makes sense. I love the commitment to decision once made and I would like to applaud John Sandy above all else for the role he played, channelling a career in the disciplined armed forces into a strict one line delivery is hard and shows that this man has a huge future in the theatre if he chooses to pursue it.

I am laughing at myself for now 'getting' what Party Manifestos are. They're not like, promises or anything, but are there for pure entertainment value. Take last election and 'Rise' for example, anybody Rise? No, they weren't SUPPOSED to. Next election could be 'Twist,' as in 'We will Twist,' but don't expect to really twist, is just a joke, a make believe, a come along. Or 'New Politics,' that was a good one. It could just as easily have been Candy Coated Oxtail, just meant to sound interesting, nothing more. If 'New Politics' mesmerized them this time, then next elections let's try 'Focused Governance' or 'Prioritized Deliverables.' Anything really, that the masses could bite onto and use as a mantra, and I feel relieved to finally understand why none of the words and actions of any of our politicians ever add up.

All the time that I have been referring to T&T as La La Land, or quoting David Rudder and calling it Pappy Show Land I didn't know how close to the truth I really was. Now I have to reorganize my plans to make use of this eye opening discovery. Next year we are going to bring out a mas band/music troupe/political organization all in one called the People's United Congress, and we are going to PUC down the place for sure. Now that nothing that is said has to be real, our campaign slogan/soca monarch song could be either 'PUC You' or 'PUC Away' and we could win, we could sweep all the titles, because if is one thing we in this land of make believe loves, it is a PUC-ing good time.

What now Prakash? (Voting Confidently)

2012-02-16T05:38:00.000-08:00

The clock is ticking Prakash. Do not doubt for one second that the nation does not see you chafing at the restraints of this partnership and surely by now the leadership of the UNC must know that you will not be as easily 'handled' as Dooks was, so what now? It must be a hell of a struggle balancing Party interests with government interests through MP's who would be called upon to choose loyalty to pocket over Party, but we're there friend, we're there. Losing a couple of greedy MP's who may have forgotten where their loyalties are supposed to lie and who may misguidedly think that they have a snow ball's chance in hell come next election is much better than the hundreds and thousands of members that have fled the Party since May 24th 2010 and who are fleeing daily. I do not envy you your position, but you volunteered for the post so let's move forward.

It is no secret that I believe this UNC construct is equally bad if not worse that the PNM kleptocracy it replaced, and my arms length from the Congress of the People since the Fyzabad agreement was signed is due to this and this alone. I cannot in any good conscience consider myself a country first political activist and then stand by and benefit from the abuses that we fought against. As it stands the cancer is spreading and the rumors of corruption are starting to taint the COP through the allegations of investigations into abuses at the Ministry of Sport. My advice to you is the same as it has always been, bite the bullet and sever ties with the People's Partnership now before it is completely too late and all is hopelessly lost. The people of this country are not going to forgive you if you opportunistically part ways when you think the timing is right, as they are looking to you for the guidance of real leadership that you promised to have.

Sever ties and begin the work of building the Congress of the People into the only alternative for patriots and country first citizens, set up offices in every constituency and appoint candidates now so they can begin the work of familiarizing themselves with the issues of the area and offering themselves to the voters based on ability and not notoriety.

There is no turning back now, and while this vapse vote of no confidence in the PM by the Opposition will bear no political fruit for them, it will train the spotlight firmly on you as to the choices you make and where your loyalty lies in the face of this much bungling incompetence, outright nepotism and corruption. The ship is sinking and you're standing by a life boat, get on board before you sink with it. The people of this country are so frustrated with the political environment right now that they are ripe for real leadership and training in a new, more patriotic direction. If there is any truth to the belief that, if given a choice the people will vote in their best interest turns out to be false, then what have you lost if you lose? If they completely reject the politics of the COP, then so be it, at least we tried. Isn't it better to know that you tried rather than to become what you say you hold in contempt just to be close to position or power?

I am absolutely sure that that is not the legacy you want for your name, and I am telling you with all the confidence that I have that the Congress of the People is facing Waterloo right now. We are almost out of time and risk sinking with the mortally wounded UNC who are only benefiting from an Opposition themselves in self destruct mode.

Prakash, ready or not your moment in time is upon you. Do the right thing for the country and the COP and separate from the UNC before it is impossible to tell where the COP ends and the UNC begins. Do it now so that the confusion of who is fish and who is fowl will be over, and the question as to the strength of your leadership and moral fiber definitively answered.

The Illusion of Splendor... (Towards Anger Management)

2012-02-15T09:34:00.000-08:00

When my son was not yet quite three years old he asked me a question that, even though I was accustomed to his searching, uncharacteristically-deep-for-his-age questions, still managed to catch me off guard and left me grasping to string something like a coherent or even logical response together. A little backstory is required here as the particular circumstances of our family life required that we spend every afternoon between five and seven together, so one day while we were on one of our little afternoon 'find something to do' jaunts, out of the clear blue he looked up and asked me (as if he was pondering it on his own for some time at first) what it meant to be a father. Not what it 'felt like' mind you (which would have been a lot easier to answer), but what it 'meant,' and I found myself struggling to put what I thought it meant into words. Sixteen years later and despite him being a legal adult and a full man in his own right now, I still find myself at times trying to answer that same question everytime we have to deal with something new. To be honest I did not have such a good relationship with my own father growing up despite the excellent relationship we have today, and I think my becoming a father so unexpectedly and being so amazed at this little person who always appeared like he was trying to devour the whole world put things in a different perspective and helped me grow my own self up along the way.

The only thing I had then was my own personal view (so new was I to the concept of fathering myself) I told him that if ever your back is to the wall and no one else is around, your father would be. That a father protects and a father provides, a father answers questions and if he couldn't he'd go find the answers. I got to thinking about this today after receiving a call from the principal of a Port of Spain Secondary School who, at her wits ends for solutions and reaching out to anyone reached out to the Jericho Project and got me. She asked if we would be interested in coming to the school to talk to her male students, many of whom had no fathers and were acting out angrily because of it and I said yes of course. Speaking bravely on behalf of many of our stronger, more well known and qualified male members I said we would definitely be interested in helping and the relief in her voice could be felt over the phone.

So many of the problems that plague our society comes from the destructive cycle caused by bad or non existent parenting, leaving young developing minds at the mercy of much of the puerile drivel that Hollywood and the music industry keeps dreaming up to warp them. We've found ourselves in a place where gangs have replaced the family, and instead of trying to find out what is happening to the family and fixing it, we're attacking the gangs. Is it that we are so bankrupt for ideas that all we know is war? The needs for human connection will not be denied and if anything all we're doing is introducing violence and advantage into an already difficult equation. These children need surrogate parenting, functional schooling, hope and opportunity and they desperately need our understanding, our caring and our love.

The first pillar of the unwritten social contract implores that our society owes it to itself for the strong to look after the weak; it is a non negotiable condition of our humanity that we all start and end weak, and if the point is lost on us in the beginning it surely will hit home in the end if, along the way of living selfish lives we sow the seeds of our own unhappiness and destruction. We can only know peace in the sunset of our days if we build a peaceful world while we could and the choice between barbed wire and open fences is still ours to make. As the saying goes you cant plant oranges and pick apples, and if what we want are healthy adults making healthy choices then we need to raise ALL the children of this nation with that goal in mind.

Love in the Time of Confusion...

2012-02-13T05:04:00.000-08:00

I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way, show them all the beauty they possess inside. Give them a sense of pride to make it easier, let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be....

The Greatest Love of All, sung by Whitney Houston.

Her voice may have opened the door for her, but it is that song that thrust her into overnight stardom and made her the superstar she eventually became. Ironically the latter half of her life became the polar opposite of those words and left her a crushed spirit unable to love herself enough to withstand the pressures of self destruction. The death of Whitney Houston has once again thrown the spotlight on the myth that a life of vanity and self indulgent consumption can deliver happiness, or that when it finally fails the broken spirit left behind can be medicated by either legal or illegal mind altering drugs or alcohol. The truth of the matter is that the deepest needs of a human being cannot be medicated away; human beings, people, need love, acceptance, intimacy and a feeling of belonging as much as air, water and food to develop, regardless of how unfashionable and contradictory that statement may sound in this made-up marketed world of raunchy, grungy, meaningless sex and the orgy of self indulgence.

The red carpet lifestyle, the celebration of all things young and beautiful and the marginalization of all things 'not' that is being sold to our people is leaving them confused and self loathing if for some reason their lives and worlds fail to deliver. Many end up spending their adult lives trying to get strangers to fill the needs that family and community used to, and turn to zany self help theories and half baked ideas and suggestions to raise their children out of ignorance instead of raising them in the love, care and guidance of a family.

Our society is now at the cusp of a complete breakdown because we bought the lie wholesale and sprung for all of the attachments as well. Our young girls have their self worth so skewed by the idea that they are life support systems for their genitalia that they're sweating it out in the gyms to package and present their 'wares' from as early as twelve and thirteen; posing nude or semi nude in their online bios and in their dress choices so as to be chosen for mating and discarding, as if that is the best use of a woman or a person on the whole. Our young males are told that emotions are taboo and to express them is wrong so they hide their feelings and behave like pack animals instead of sensitive, caring souls. They are told that they are made 'more man' by conquests, so they live a life of gathering and consuming with no real purpose for their existence, yet we wonder at some of the choices they then make.

The modern day man-made dilemma of depression that is caused either by the abandonment or outright abuse of our children when they are at their most vulnerable can only be turned around through deep self examination and acceptance in a healthy loving environment and by a life of purpose and of service to others, not by drugs. Our women are genetically programmed to a life of purpose, our men to provision for and the protecting of something of value and we need to return to a place where they can be whole, where they could reconcile their feeling with their public image.

The disconnect between the generations is being further amplified to prevent children from seeking and taking advice from their elders in order to isolate them into soft targets, consumers and posers. The biggest problem with this model though, is that the 'leaders' of this new order, the shiny happy people of today, the purveyors of the illusion fade from popularity and relevance long before the consequences of the lie, the empty existence and the loveless life that comes with it could warn their followers away, like the Marlboro man who died quietly from lung cancer.

The wake up call when it comes will be people with enough vision to recognize the signs and symptoms of brokeness, and leaders capable of warding off the potential social collapse. We need to re-empower the family, the community and the tribe again, return to a world where our heroes are those who have suffered and triumphed life's vicissitudes, not the illusion of ripped abs and fake breasts hiding dysfunctional minds and broken spirits behind a life of flash and no substance. We need teachers who love children, who chose the profession out of the desire to mould and develop healthy young minds in a world of immense possibilities and dreams. We need to put back the structures of a healthy society into place, that encourages family life rather than its destruction; that rebuilds our nation into a place where it is safe and beautiful to be a child, and where it is healthy and possible to grow up and become an adult. We need to love each other, take care of each other, and to treasure and grow our communities into spaces of human development and care once again, so as to have somewhere to retreat to when times get dark and we need the trust and support only loved ones can give. Our children need positive role models and messages of hope and self belief from their parents and family to launch them into life. More than food sometimes, the right words, being there for them is all it takes to make a difference between a life of well adjusted happiness and a lifetime of misery trying to find meaning everywhere else.

…..The greatest love of all is easy to achieve, learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all....

Pressing Freedom........

2012-02-11T11:37:00.000-08:00

Who granted the warrant that was used by the police to storm the Newsday's Offices, and on what criteria did he/she rely to circumvent the freedom the Constitution guarantees the press? Who was the architect of this excursion into such a questionable and heavy handed exercise and who in authority granted them leave or permission to pursue it? The nation is in shock at what took place and, were it not in the middle of the distracting and busy Carnival season, may well have ground to a halt until some very serious questions were answered as to the freedoms that we all take for granted. The fact of the matter is we do not need multi million dollar foreign policing advice if all we do is tear up the Constitution and I daresay we may have arrived at a place of no return for Commissioner Gibbs and Assistant Commissioner Ewatski. Damned if they knew and further damned if they didn't, I can see no way forward for either of them that does not first involve the tendering of their resignations.

Ostensibly being justified to protect the internal workings of the Integrity Commission, looked at strictly from that point of view, the non disclosure and secrecy that certain public institutions such as the Integrity Commission rely on should in no way be used to hoodwink or deceive the population. Oaths of confidentiality should never be allowed to trump the greater good as they end up either being a law onto themselves or worse, working against the nation's best interest. Take the issue of CLICO/CL Financial as a recent example, which was allowed to threaten the entire region's economy all because those in oversight and supervisory positions who knew of the coming collapse years in advance were not allowed to blow the whistle, much to this country's regret. When former Attorney General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj gave the nation a heads up in 2002 there were many who wanted to use the opportunity to expose the abuses taking place since then and, had they done so, the cost to us all would have been far, far less.

In Europe during the Middle Ages it was felt that there were three estates or classes — the nobility, the clergy, and the common people. The press didn’t really fit into any of the existing classes and so in the 1800s the term “fourth estate” came into use as a short-hand expression for journalists.
Today government has replaced the nobility and the press has become the “media.” Still the concept of the “fourth estate” applies: The media is separate and apart from the rest of us for a reason. John Stuart Mill approached the problem of authority versus liberty from the viewpoint of a 19th century utilitarian: The individual has the right of expressing himself so long as he does not harm other individuals. The good society is one in which the greatest number of persons enjoy the greatest possible amount of happiness. Applying these general principles of liberty to freedom of expression, Mill states that if we silence an opinion, we may silence the truth. The individual freedom of expression is therefore essential to the well-being of society.

Back on point, the nation needs a resolution to this matter in quick time that tells all and sundry just how seriously we take our democracy. There is an old Afghan saying - “That which is obvious does not need to be explained.” The abuses we allow, regardless of how small or temporarily justified could have the cumulative effect of changing where we stand now and what we stand for in the future. Reporters without Borders 2011-2012 Press Freedom Index ranked T&T tied for fifty first with Latvia, but just ahead of Haiti out of one hundred and seventy nine countries. Surprisingly Canada came in tenth, which indicates that at the very least our Commissioner and his assistant knows better.

There is a slippery slope here and like it or not we're on it. Trinidad & Tobago is a Republic governed by law and for that to remain so the ends must never be allowed to justify the means where the means contradicts that basic truth. Respect for the Constitution and the rule of law must not be open to negotiation, no matter what.

Probing Deeply...

2012-02-08T11:18:00.001-08:00

All of a sudden Trinidad seems to have moved from being a place where nothing mattered to one where everything matters. I do not know if it is because of the sheer number of Attorneys currently practicing needing work, but as everything that is being questioned wants to generate an expensive enquiry or probe, and based on the all 'of a sudden' and numerous requests for probes by certain highly placed officials, I thought I would take a look around myself and see who else could benefit from a good probing as well.

I did not have to look further than the daily newspapers where there seems to be countless probes into anything that stands still long enough. Take for instance the fracas at the pan semi-finals last weekend, where Head of the Mounted Branch Supt. Wayne Dick called for a probe into whoever was responsible for the rough play took place. Police spokesman Sgt. Wayne Mystar, who should have suggested that perhaps everyone should have put their batons away, insisted instead that "The officers acted in an appropriate manner and acted lawfully” should also be probed in my view. Some say that if there is any justice in this world, whosoever was responsible for that lack of anything like a security plan for such a sizable and predictable event should also be probed. Head of Pan Trinbago Keith Diaz, in an attempt to head off any probe into his business distanced himself from the fence idea but said any probes would be welcome as he wanted to get to the bottom of things.

With Attorney General Anand Ramlogan probing Deputy Commissioner Ewatski at the Prime Minister's behest and the Police Service Commission probing Commissioner Gibbs, it may only be a matter of time before things become explosive at the top of the Police Service. Others in the know see nothing to be concerned about as a lot of probing has been going on in the service for quite some time.

Crime Watch star Ian Alleyne who has made a success of probing and does not seem to care who knows it, makes no apologies for his brash probing style. He has set his sights on the Top Cop position and does not mind who he has to probe to get it. Together with his dream team of Attorney Om Lalla and businessman Davy Boodoosingh he has threatened to remain probing long into the future regardless, and has sent a cryptic message that “he coming hard, and who doh hear will feel.”

Also on the topic of probes in the media, Foreign Affairs Minister Suruj Rambachan, who seems to be proud of his own probing prowess has allegedly probed former CNMG Board Chairman Brian Stone completely out the door. Eerily similar to the time he attempted to probe morning show host Fazeer Mohammed live and on air, many say Stone knew what was coming and, like Fazeer, opted to run away instead. The formerly vociferous Chairman and Party loyalist for his part seems satisfied and has reportedly said that this opportunity would free him up to do more probing of his own.

The Minister of Health (a urologist comfortable working in tight spaces), in trying to keep a firm hand on things has decided to probe the junior doctors and some of them are pushing back hard. He has also signaled his intent to probe members of the Pharmaceuticals Board and just about anyone else who get's in his way.

Chandresh Sharma, a swordsman of some repute seems bent on probing the Mayor of Port of Spain much to the Mayor's dismay. His Worship, himself no stranger to probes has decided to stand firm and cross swords with the erstwhile Minister, causing many to look away over a situation that seems to be becoming more and more personal.

Also on the issue of public displays of questionable intentions is the fiery relationship between Leader of the Opposition Keith Rowley and the Attorney General Anand Ramlogan, who seems to have taken a special interest in Dr. Rowley and has allegedly probed him repeatedly. Spokespersons for him (Rowley) said the Opposition Leader would like an opportunity to probe back has not found his footing as yet and so the thrust remains one sided and hoisted on whatever the AG chooses to erect at that time.

Sports Minister Anil Roberts who is allegedly being quietly probed by the Integrity Commission is reportedly cooperating fully and has laid himself bare as he says he has nothing to hide. Some in the know have hinted that some measure of modesty should be called for here, but if Anil chooses to throw caution to the wind then it should be entirely up to him. Others who prefer to remain anonymous say he should have known things would heat up to this point when he chose to get into bed with questionable characters, but again his choices are his own.

There seems to be no let up in sight and as the Carnival season heats up there is the expectation that the probing situation is going to heat up also. Many who find themselves exposed are best advised to keep their backs to the wall so as to avoid being open to unexpected probing, unless of course they have nothing to hide.

Political Sense & Sensibility...

2012-02-05T05:59:00.000-08:00

If (as David Rudder said) 'how we vote is not how we party,' then why do we vote the way we do? Is it that the people of this country are predominantly racist, or are we somehow stuck with a racist political system? To me this is the question that most needs answering if we are to ever grow into one people (if such a thing is indeed possible) and the reality of course is that for our politics to ever mature to that level, the first thing that has to happen is that the openly racist PNM and its spawned adversary the equally (if not more so if such a thing is again possible) racist UNC both have to be destroyed.

Not sidelined, marginalized or voted out mind you, but destroyed; destroyed the way you kill a cancer before it kills the host; destroyed the way the PNM was obliterated and on the way to destruction prior to the staged and funded attempted uprising of 1990. Make no mistake, what occurred in 1986 was the most important thing to happen to us politically since Columbus, because (ignore independence for a while) for the first time the people had real political power within their grasp. So important actually that the unseen hands that 'controlled' the nation from behind the scenes had to take it upon themselves to unleash an up 'til then little fringe religious group with axes to grind against the state, and so perfect was the deception to this day Bakr, Abdullah and others still believe it was their idea in the first place.

Putting a pin in that too for a while, I want to remain focused on the divisive issue of race because real change will forever elude us as long as half the country has to be marginalized for political victory to occur. Neither of those two Parties could ever be a national Party simply because their base and base ideology is an 'us against them' posture based on race, the ability to recognize the enemy from a mile away. Add to this the idea that half breeds and douglas should inherit the whole thing because of their ability to exist in both camps simultaneously, but no, the game has been organized in such a way as to leave them even further marginalized because in Trini racist politics, half a thing is not as good as the whole.

Independence changed the handlers but not the way we were handled, and it was only until the Black Power Uprising of 1970 were 'the people' given real citizenship (not belonging to a country, but owning it), and it was sixteen years later at the height (depth?) of the recession that we finally pushed the handlers aside and seized the power of the state ourselves. Had we been able to keep our racism in check, if we did not need to visit Mother Africa and come back with useless, jackass titles, if we did not need to take we 'indian self' to Aranjuez and build Club 88 to say Indian and African really cant saddle the same horse, 1990 would not have or could not have occurred. The Unity that Basdeo Panday and his Club 88/UNC was peddling was a 'Unity on an Indian Bed,' a concept that furthered our descent into the racial quagmire that has allowed Ishwar and Calder to rape and pillage knowing that as long as one side 'claimed' them they would remain free. Short of a calamity of tragic and destructive proportions that upsets the entire thing a la Haiti, Katrina or Japan, I do not know from where we would find the impetus to build real unity into what we think ourselves to be. Rest assured though, until we do we will continue to be divided and conquered, separated and culled, to the delight of those who want us to never find an equal place. Noted journalist, publisher, poet and thinker Charles Mackay said “Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one."

Sitting here contemplating the continued madness of our unwillingness to unite I see the vast wasteland that the squandered opportunities have wrought for us, but I remain hopeful for a better day. It's what keeps me writing long after I can no longer remember what was the point in the first place.

How to Save a Life....

2012-02-04T06:55:00.001-08:00

Forty odd murders in thirty five days is a ridiculously high number for a country of one point three million people and we should be getting little comfort from statistics that indicate the numbers may or may not be minimally down from last year. The fact of the matter is that one murder per year is one murder too many, and we have to face up to the fact that as long as our people are killing each other we are failing as a society. More importantly to this issue, the way that our successive governments have been doing business where social management is concerned is contributing in no small way to this horrific state of affairs and we need to bring the discussion back to here.

Make no mistake we are at the mercy of the criminal underworld, and unless we get this right nothing else is going to matter especially to those left to mourn our failure to get it right.

For some unfathomable reason we continue to deal with the issue of our national security in reverse by reacting to events after they occur knowing full well that that does not work. We know that the overwhelming majority of our murders are due to gang violence due to massive poverty, broken communities and the temptation of easy money from to the drug trade and money laundering, yet we are dealing with the issue everywhere else but right there.Throwing hundreds of millions of dollars behind wild schemes hoping and praying that something 'sticks' is not the way to address this and we need to revisit our approach. The problem has to be dealt with from a social management perspective first, taking the necessary steps to mitigate violent crime at the cause level; until a worker earning minimum wage can work towards purchasing a home, our economy and our social management policies will remain sufficiently out of whack that they continue to fuel the allure of a life of crime. You cannot tell people to do the right thing without making avenues for them to get ahead and expect them to toe that line.

Before we do anything else we need to streamline our protective services so that they can become functional - dispense with the multiples of titles, departments and agencies (which only serve to inhibit the best performance through unnecessary channels, bureaucracy and chains of command) and repurpose the security services into one functional organization with land, sea and air divisions, precincted by constituency and working in harmony with the communities that they protect and serve. This apparatus must also serve as the strong arm and consequence of an adequately streamlined and repurposed Social Management Ministry with objectives as indicated above.

We need to end the ongoing charade where the drug trade is concerned and decide if we're serious about stopping it or not. If it is our intention to bring it to an end then it is my position that we are going to need help. We should not be expected to underwrite the cost of policing our borders when the illegal drugs and all of the associative ills flowing into our country from that trade are a function of US demand. The United States MUST acknowledge the significant role they play in the havoc being wrought on our shores and should be made to step up and assist. I propose inviting the United States Coast Guard to patrol our coasts, to set up bases on the four corners of Trinidad and to work with our protective services to police our seas to interdict and confiscate drugs and the machinery of the trade. We also need to unstuff every container on the port and no shipping containers should be allowed to leave the port under any circumstances whatsoever. All importers must be made to unstuff and cart their wares utilizing 'unstuffing' facilities set up specifically for that purpose.

The ease with which illegal guns are available to the criminal element in this country has to be brought to an abrupt end. We need to simultaneously take the guns out of the criminals hands while making it too frightful an enterprise to consider picking one up in the first place. We need simple legislation brought to the Parliament – if you are caught with an unlicensed firearm there should be mandatory jail time with the firearm confiscated and destroyed. Second time offenders should face significantly increased jail time with a three strikes and you're out penalty. A specialized anti-gun task force and a dedicated gun Court complete with gun crimes detention facility will all go a long way towards reducing this scourge, and as we have been suggesting this for years now I cannot for the life of me understand why it has not been implemented as yet.

Finally, we need to stop putting square pegs in round holes. Allowing financiers, investors and Party hacks government contracts as payback is one thing, putting them in sensitive governmental positions is something else entirely and the practice should be discontinued. ALL key Ministries should be mandated to produce plans showing estimated timelines for firm deliverables and all Ministers should have their positions bound by them. From this we would be able to manage the most sensitive of our human resources so as to get the right people into the right positions to deliver much needed results, and we would also be able to identify those failing miserably and who may need to be reassigned. Let us be clear, our intention should not just be to wage a war on crime but to win it, and we cannot unless we take the necessary steps required to make that happen.

Postcards from the Edge.....

2012-02-03T05:45:00.000-08:00

Amidst the whirling fervor of the coming mas the blood of a people is being thrown far and wide. Thirty Seven dead in thirty four days, among them a six year old boy on whom licks was having no effect despite the bruises dug into his skin so more than licks was sent for. No, this little deviant needed a harder lesson, to be flung out of the window into the oblivion and fall to earth in awe of the animal anger that could do such a thing to a small child, similar in scope if not to the depravity required to drag another small child into a dirty school washroom, stick his head in an even dirtier toilet bowl and to flush it for good measure. Flush it to make a point, to send a message, humble and humiliate at one time, and bring everything and everyone back into the order according to brute force. Those with authority to prevent such things from happening or to respond when they do seem incapable of understanding their role and their responsibility, so they too play a mas, point this way and that, blame this one and that and pose. We will deliver, we will surrender, fight to the end and give them no quarter. These words sound hollow because we know they're not true, yet we nod along and walk along because it is all we could do.

We hustle by impatiently interrupted by the white clad workers of the mortician's office removing the body and washing down the body fluids, causing a back up, a snail's pace and discomfort to those who wonder why this couldn't be done at night? A former beauty queen in the wrong place at the wrong time finds herself facedown in her blood, jaw broken and fighting for life as the anger that could both contemplate and deliver such hate moves on. The protective services find themselves overwhelmed by a wave of madness even while they themselves are under attack from their lowest rank to their highest officer. To the uninitiated looking on the country should not be able to claim to be civilized after this, but the discussion has to wait until the mas done. Back to the wall when guns bark, look left, look right and move. We are learning to dance the macabre dance, hustling to find we self jam pack in a corner to play a mas selector.

How can this little country take much more? How is it possible that a nation can consider itself governed yet not trust its own leadership? How can a Prime Minister announce a threat to assassinate both her as well as members of her Cabinet and no one believe her yet still remain Prime Minister? How could the forces of the State arrest this one and that one with no evidence to charge yet bad mind enough to distress using state sponsored strong arm tactics and not expect those advantaged to look to apply advantage when their turn rolls around?

Advantage has become a national pastime, and women lucky enough to make it home and safe find themselves in danger with a rapist hiding behind the eyes of someone they already know, someone who's supposed to care. The name of the game is to take what you want, and don't take no for an answer. We are breeding fatherless children into a motherless world and trusting that they will survive. The ranks of the wrong are swelling to a critical mass where soon it will be hard to tell the purpose of our laws or the reasons for our institutions any longer and no one is trying to answer the question, why is this happening? The clock of our good fortune is slowly ticking away as the seething anger is coming to a slow and steady boil. The people who can move already have passport in hand stamped and ready to go. The rest will be left to jam, play a mas and hope for the best. Amidst the ping-ping, tinging of the sweet sweet tenor pan a nation is dying, but we're doing it in style to a killer back beat made in China. Like yuhself...

Incredibly Dumb & Extremely Stupid...

2012-01-30T04:52:00.000-08:00

There is no arguing the fact that the People's National Movement is in a very bad place right now, and in the ongoing battle for that Party's soul, things are being said and done that will be hard to live down when elections eventually come along and one or the other faction has to lead them into battle.

A clear and recent example of this, from the moment Dr. Keith Rowley was prevented from visiting former Prime Minister Patrick Manning in the hospital where he was rushed with a mild stroke, questions were raised as to the reasons behind the refusal that will be hard to live down or explain away anytime soon, especially in light of other far less important visitors being granted almost untrammeled and rather public access. Now rumors are circulating of Hazel Manning locking the door to deny him (Rowley) entry, demonstrating to all that the feud within the Party is not only real but in fact runs very deep, as deep as Patrick's sick bed if not worse and, missing a wonderful opportunity to strengthen the Party's prospects in some trying political times, made the kind of decision that wins little battles at the expense of the entire war. What could have been the thinking here, was the idea to prevent Dr. Rowley's political stocks from rising due to Patrick's illness through humiliation?

If the rumors are even remotely true then it has to be the most incredibly dumb and extremely stupid political act in the history of dumb and stupid acts and may well have snatched (again) defeat from the jaws of victory. A tiny window of hope was presented to the PNM through some very unfortunate circumstances and, instead of taking the high ground where everybody could have sipped from the cup of hope collectively and where the Party could have experienced something like renewal, little men and women conspired to slam that window shut, leaving in the wake of those actions a publicly embarrassed political leader and a mess of questions that are going to need answering sometime soon if the Party is to survive.

There is an old saying, before you set off on a journey of revenge first dig two graves, and Hazel and her co-conspirators by their actions here may have done exactly that. Make no mistake, Rowley, Penny, Hinds and others are not to blame for the PNM's current fortunes (regardless of what those in the San Fernando East cabal would have the public believe) and were in fact entitled to and justified in mounting a challenge against the then vastly unpopular Prime Minister Patrick Manning and, as is clearly evident by the results of the May 24th general election, a view that was obviously held by many within the Party and the electorate as a whole at that time. Ever since those results and Dr. Rowley's subsequent rise to the post of political leader however, they (Patrick Manning & Co.) have been demonstrating to all and sundry why it makes little sense to cut off your nose in order to spite your face. By playing the part of spoilers to the hilt by undermining the new leader at every turn to keep him off balance, they are hobbling the Party's prospects by extension and reducing the once great People's National Movement to a parody of itself.

It is high time that Manning and the San Fernando East cabal accepts the fact that he (Manning) has had his turn at bat and that his turn is now over. His accomplishments and his failures, for better or worse, are now part of our history and should be left as just that, history. The options open to them now are either to close ranks around the current leader as an effective opposition and prepare the Party to mount a challenge as alternative to government, or to do the democratic, courageous and honorable thing and leave the Party altogether and start something new. If the ideas that they have to sell are as popular with the electorate as they believe then they will get support at election time. If they do not they will get an even clearer message, one that many believe they should have gotten since the evening of May 24th 2010.

Capital Solutions & Hanging Crimes...

2012-01-29T07:55:00.000-08:00

Whether for distraction purposes or out of exasperation at their inability to enforce the law and protect the citizens, the government's response to the runaway murder rate is to once again float the idea of hanging as the 'ultimate' solution to violent crime, and to engage the opposition in the blame game for full effect and value. The sad reality is that this pantomime only continues because the people are starved for choice, so every now and then these tired discussions are pulled out, dusted off and begun again in ernest to no benefit to anybody.

While an effective short term tool for shock purposes, the research reveals that as a stand alone remedy to dissuade violent crime, hanging and other forms of State sponsored execution does very little if to reduce crime.  Simply put, the drivers of violent crime in this country cannot be 'hanged' away, and we need a holistic approach to social redevelopment at every level if we are ever going to make this country functional again.  
Crime, especially violent crime is the number one most important issue to the electorate, but the current government and opposition are not mature enough to treat with it at the level and in the manner that it needs to be dealt with. This is a sad state of affairs, because until we get people in Office who can think differently and behave maturely, many of our citizens are going to die needless deaths as collateral damage and to make insipid political points.  

We need to ignore the obvious and focus our energies at the cause level. Poverty, the breakdown of the family, the ridiculous price and cost of owning a home, the overwhelming failure of our education system to produce functional contributing citizens and the enforcement of proper laws all contribute to social disorder and crime, and dealing with these issues will have a far greater impact than hanging as our people seem to be at a place where the idea of consequence is lost on them.

ANY crime plan that does not first deal with poverty eradication and community redevelopment is destined to fail.  Dealing with the effect and not the cause is a futile endeavor and takes the discussion to its lowest level. The issue is home and family first. Deal with this more than anything else and we will solve this and many other problems simultaneously. We need to identify what is at the heart of the breakdown of the family and by extension the community and the loss of these two pivotal social institutions to guide young minds. We have allowed our very limited real estate market to be overrun and hoarded by profiteers bent on money for money sake unaware of the consequence of treating this vital commodity as a means to riches and nothing more. The right to own a home is a right enshrined as a human right for a reason as nothing gives the citizen the feeling of being a full member of society and not just as labor and consumer. See this for what it is and the role it plays in the cause of crime and we would be well on our way to solving the problem.

Education is a function of both the school and the family, and one does not have to look far to verify this information; A cursory look at the top performing students in any school in any area reveals that in the majority of cases the common factor is a strong family regardless of the material condition. Parents should be mandated to be involved in their children's education, with monthly meetings and involvement in the PTA encouraged. This is also precisely why I keep saying that our Prison System should become a part of the education system so as to transform the minds and lives of those who unfortunately find themselves in their care. Educated people are far less likely to enter into illegal pursuits as they have options and avenues for progress.

Social transformation has both qualitative and quantitative aspects and all must occur simultaneously. Communities need to be redeveloped into places that nurture our people instead of maximizing the head count housed, and we need to take our democracy and our role as citizens a lot more seriously if we are to go anywhere where this issue is concerned.

Celebration Time...

2012-01-27T08:12:00.000-08:00

Overshadowed by the news that formerPrime Minister Patrick Manning had been rushed to hospital due to astroke, the real story this week that is going pretty muchunder-examined is the gala party hosted by and for Kamla PersadBissessar. Put on to celebrate the second anniversary of herascension to UNC Party leadership, many outside the rabid masses arewondering what exactly is there to celebrate? The Partnership ruse isstarting to unravel for all to see, and in the ongoing tug o' war betweenthe major factions, Kamla & crew seems to be betting that the COPno longer has sufficient votes to make a difference so, unlessPrakash can prove her wrong, the electorate would have lost its last best chance of keeping this runaway train on the tracks.

National Securityappears to be at war with itself, but this was always inevitable whenthuggery and bribery replaced poverty eradication and effective 21^stcentury policing policies. Now that the SoE and Colour Me Orange havebeen played out and failed, where do you turn with three years to go?After you ram the Hanging Bill through and 'pop some necks' and afterthat fails to curb violent crime, what will you do then?

Sinceousting Manning from Office in 2010 over allegations of massivecorruption, the UNC led People's Partnership has presided overfailure after dismal failure, and despite many high profile promisemakers signing on for the ride that became this government, nothingof substance that was promised has been delivered. The misprint ofthe pension promise, the non existent crime plans, the curiouscircumstances surrounding Ish & Steve's on again/off againextradition, the assassination plot fiasco, the hiring and firing ofReshmi Ramnarine, the colossal failure of the State of Emergency andthe multiples of explanations as to the rationale behind it,continuous and contentious labor unrest, the inability to prosecuteor even charge any of the offenders named from the lastAdministration alleged to have been engaged in corruption, thecomplete reversal on referendum, fixed election date and recalllegislations and the 'self awarding' of Senior Counsel status to thePrime Minister and her Attorney General are already too manymissteps, mistakes, misspeaks and mishaps to befall a government nottwo years in Office.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessarappears to not have a clue as to how to govern this country andseems content to rely on an inner circle who are themselves intent ondistraction after distraction to keep the people from realizing thatthe ship of state is not sailing along as steadily as they would haveus believe. Instead of a reason to celebrate her government seemsbereft of ideas and is leading many to ask, how long can this go onbefore the whole charade collapses on itself?

Falling back onthe tired 'bread and circuses' maxim everytime she's appears close tobeing cornered or exposed, she is painting herself with each of thesegrand speeches into the role of 'the great dispenser' like somemacabre pinata hurling sweets at the feet of her frenzied masses. Togo into detail as to why any of these makeshift plans delivered atany of these misdirection events are destined to fail is to take themseriously and I have neither the energy nor the time to chase my owntail where this government is concerned. Even as she and her handlersknow that they wont be the ones to clean up the mess they are making,many who ought to know better are praising these tired, recycled,vote-buying initiatives simply because they are paid to do so. Herdemonstrated vision for the country and its people seems to be a sadwelfare state where everyone is dependent on the government foreverything regardless of the cost to productivity and creativity or worse, the increasing operational debt and growing deficit.

Her Party'sopting for mind control through dependence in a world where knowledgeis king shows a marked lack of real understanding of how the worldworks and, more importantly, underscores her unfitness to lead. Asthe country can only (possibly) benefit from about four years of deficitfinancing, this could see them entering an election year withempty pockets looking to make more promises while trying to deflectfrom the ones they failed to keep from the last time around. That is,if they last that long in Office.

Great Expectations, Bitter Disappointments...

2012-01-21T06:02:00.001-08:00

Of all the terrible tragedies to befall us leading up to and since May 24th 2010, none of them have been as painful to bear as the dashed hopes of deliverance invested in those who held themselves up as agents of change. Remarkably the top contenders span the race, religion and partisan divide and provide a mirror from which a glimpse of our future can be grasped. This is a story of three almost great men who dared to stand before destiny and challenge it with promises of a better day under their watch if given the opportunity to serve. All three actively auditioned for the role of leader, and made promises at every step that not one of them have lived up to. This is not meant to disrespect but in some cases it was unavoidable and for that alone I apologize.

Leading us off is Winston Dookeran, who was supposed to be the 'anti' Basdeo Panday. In place of his (Panday's) infamous politics having a morality of its own, Winston promised integrity and morality in public affairs; What he delivered though, is a government to which morality seems a hindrance and integrity a fetter. Playing the part of the embattled leader to the very end, his much touted economic acumen failed to deliver anything new to the people causing many to wonder what all the fuss was about. As a direct consequence of his weak negotiating skills and weaker leadership style, Winston entered into an agreement that silenced his aspirations even as it gave him access to a power he seemed not to know how to use. Not one item on the COP's agenda has made it to the national agenda, and Winston, challenged and broken within his own Party, was unceremoniously cast aside and left to tinker away in the end.

Stephen Cadiz wanted to prove that he was no mere employer but a friend to the working man, so in response to the tragic murder of his employee/friend Keith Noel, Stephen created the Keith Noel 136 Committee to bring real pressure to bear on the State and the then PNM government for failing to protect the people from the criminal element and curb violent crime. Taking his show on the road and enlisting family and friends, Stephen brought a petition and a death march complete with coffins to make his point and make it he did. His campaign highlighted deficiencies and offered suggestions; where there was an absence of purpose he had plans that, if given the opportunity, would bring real change in the way the nation did business where the enforcement of law was concerned. One would have expected to hear that Mr. Cadiz had graciously turned the Prime Minister's offer of a Ministry down as it contradicted the purpose of his being in Government in the first place, but alas, instead of pursuing the issue now from on the inside, Stephen seems to have lost his way leaving Keith Noel's rotting corpse, having long served its purpose, to decay in peace.

Of the three in this piece none auditioned harder for the role of leader than Dr. Keith Rowley. Embracing the title of 'the Rottweiler' placed on him in mockery, Keith turned his ferocious fangs on his leader Patrick Manning on two now famous occasions and positioned himself as leader in waiting. No one could be excused for being excited at the prospect of this new dawning of the Age of Aquarius, and if there were members to blame for the PNM's misfortunes, we settled in for the show because there was going to be hell to pay now that the Rott was in charge. Proving to be the greatest disappointment of all, Dr. Rowley is now referred to in such unloving terms as 'dud' and 'misfire,' and where the hope of a Party and a nation once stood (and to belabor the metaphor), now stands a noisy mongrel barking at everything that walks past his gate. Dr. Rowley has brought nothing new to the Party and has instead, by his failure to deliver as promised, opened the door for the return of his former leader, much to the consternation and frustration of all who worked tirelessly and patriotically to fire him.

There are no others in whom we had such high expectations for change in the recent past as these three, and it is instructive the differences in background and roads travelled that led them to this same place, the ash heap of our politics. History will not be kind to the memory of those who use the people's misfortunes to further their own agendas, and Winston Dookeran, Stephen Cadiz and Keith Rowley will have as their legacies 'Here are men on whom destiny was wasted and to whom the call to lead went unanswered.'

A Serious Crime Plan... (In a Nutshell)

2012-01-18T05:52:00.000-08:00

The escalating murder toll is once again bringing the government's inability to bring crime under control into sharp focus and is being expressed both in the media and on the ground by an increasingly frustrated electorate tired of the clumsy misdirection attempts and PR stunts and who are clamoring for real results. Despite promises made on the campaign trail and bearing in mind that it was this same inability to control escalating violent crime that led to the ouster of the last regime, one would assume that this government would know that the number one most important issue to the population at large is crime. That it includes the vocally anti-crime Congress of the People, former anti-crime activist Stephen Cadiz of the Keith Noel 136 Committee, and former army captain Gary Griffith (himself a vociferous opponent of the last government's anti-crime initiatives) who went to great pains to promote his anti-crime plans would be in the trenches so to speak, confronting and dealing with this menace and not off on soul searching junkets to nowhere visibly squandering time and resources.

Were all those plans, policies and promises a collaboration of lies? In place of anything new or even remotely workable we are instead treated to finger pointing and a new round of the blame game, with the latest crime plan seeming to be the demonizing of current Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs. With all due respect I was of the impression that those named above and others in this government were aware and have themselves said as much, that this situation cannot be dealt with by one man regardless of the man, and many in the police service are now accusing political forces of attempting to make Gibbs into a scapegoat as a distraction and to further agendas where their candidate for the top cop's job is concerned.

They point to the realities that have plagued law enforcement for ages that have not been addressed in any meaningful way, and they insist that any future replacements to Gibbs will themselves fail until these same issues are dealt with. What obtains instead demotivates and does nothing to encourage the morale required to get the job done. The police service is woefully undermanned, under serviced and too poorly organized to be effective.

Protective Services:

Issues like working conditions, remuneration, advancement within the ranks, institutional racism, political interference, lack of support systems have to become immediate front burner issues as these are the impediments which are preventing the plans and policies of whoever is in charge from ever reaching the ground, or if they do, from ever being implemented in anything like a meaningful, practical or sustainable fashion and these need to be dealt with as a matter of urgency if real results are to be achieved.
The police service itself needs to be reorganized towards a more management based approach with a defined hierarchy precinct model based on constituencies, with each constituency responsible for their own performance within. This is the fastest way to identify not only the trouble spots that require extra attention, but also non performing leaders within the service and dysfunctional units and stations based on now easily tracked performance statistics.. Imagine a world where the Commissioner deals with forty one Inspectors, each charged with the responsibility of setting up and managing the law enforcement within his own constituency, leading to a more 'as needs' based approach in the different communities or, put another way, what is required or what may work in mainly agrarian Mayaro may be of little use or functionality in Diego Martin Central, a more urban densely packed and populated community.

Outside of the three or four 'hotspots' the Police Service needs to be put on a community police footing that brings the population in closer touch with the officers. Outside of actual policing procedures, all administrative functions within stations should be handled by civilians from within the area as a means to this. Private sector performance management needs to be emulated; Facilities need to be upgraded to the point where the officers are treated with the respect they deserve if we intend to recruit and keep the best of the best.

Suppression:

The known hotspots have to be treated with both honey and vinegar and not just excused away and left to their own devices. We definitely have to implement a planned and sustained effort of suppression on violent crime within the hotspot communities, and one of the best ways to do this would be by establishing the National Police Command Center and the Police Training Academy, both within the radius of Beetham, Laventille and Morvant to put law enforcement boots on the ground as a continuous presence of substantial force as an answer to the gangs. The blessings here (if there are any) in this situation is that more than three quarters of the communities prone to gang violence exist cheek and jowl with each other, making for an ease in control and execution of any real anti gang plans.

Further, we need to establish an Army Recruitment Center and, if possible, a training camp as well within the vicinity of the highlighted areas to augment police suppression activities and provide for more law enforcement personnel on the ground as a deterrent to violent activities. More importantly this would provide employment within the communities for support services (Catering, laundry etc) and also to offer opportunities for career choices within the protective services rather than against them.

Education:

At the heart of the burgeoning crime problem remains the failure of our systems to effectively school and educate our youth, regrettably at a time when popular culture wants to glamorize 'thug' life. This needs to be addresses with fervor and focus as all the suppression in the world will fail if we do not deal with the issue of under education and lack of employable skills that is making many of our young people easy targets for a life of crime. If there is going to be anything like a war against crime it starts here, and it must start with the Ministry of Education declaring war on illiteracy in the depressed communities, again as a matter of urgency. We need to set mandatory national standards of education that includes computer literacy as well as the ability to read, write and do basic arithmetic. As remarkable as it sounds, this one effort could cut see crime statistics being cut in half within months without a single weapon being drawn in anger.

Prisons:

Prison reform is excellent but it must be focused on prisoner redevelopment or it would be for nought. We need to reform our prisons so that they are based on re-education first and foremost and not just hold and treat. The statistics do not lie and are available for all interested, an educated man leaving prison is far less likely to return as he now has real options and is employable.

Courts:

The backlog of cases in the courts are compounding the problem and confounding the efforts of law enforcement simply because they are too overwhelmed by the sheer burden of dealing with the current caseload while trying to negotiate the backlog. A current cases Court needs to be established with a view to dealing with cases as they are presented and should be set up to run twenty four hours if required to so do and expanded as needs be to accommodate the demand, relegating the outstanding cases to be dealt with by the existing courts until the backlog is cleared up.

Closing:

Effective law enforcement and social management are easily accomplished where there is political will. Clearly our major problems stem from the results of years of mismanagement but this can be addressed in quick time if approached holistically. Redevelopment of the depressed and 'at risk' communities from where criminal labor is being spawned must occur simultaneously with any suppression plans if real and lasting results are to be achieved. We need to move away from the 'ghetto' model and focus on the reinvention of the 'hot spot' areas into functional neighborhoods and communities to prevent the gestation of criminal enterprise in the first place. Our goal must be of one people, Trini people, living in harmony and working towards individual and shared dreams alike in a nation where all are entitled to their fair share and where none are unfairly oppressed or denied access to the full benefits of citizenship. In other words and as has been said so eloquently before, we need to create a country where every creed and race can find an equal place.

Scam Nation...

2012-01-17T09:47:00.000-08:00

"Welcome to Trinidad & Tobago; the land of scams, charlatans and con artists" should be emblazoned in big, bright, bold letters over every port of entry into T&T, and "Here every manner of banditry is encouraged and allowed to prosper" should be our national slogan. Why do I say this? Because despite living in a world where men like Madoff and Stanford could be publicly prosecuted and made to pay for their crimes against the people, our locally grown snake oil specialists are allowed to thumb their noses at responsibility, and legends like Ish & Steve, Kuei Tung and Huggins, Monteil & Duprey, Harnarine and Hart all escape having to answer and instead go on to demonstrate that, for those who lack integrity, there is no such thing as too low.

As an example and as is the case with every new 'sure thing' to come down the pipe, I am usually one of the first people my friends call, usually with the opening "you HAVE to hear this....". This week I got one of those calls, again, trying to sell me on the latest of what I believe to be soon a collapsed scam, based on coffee, magic coffee if you believe the hype, and sorry, I don't.

What I see coming at some point is a lot of people stuck with a lifetime supply of magic coffee and no new prospects to off load it on because, there are only so many suckers. Cynical? Maybe, but these network marketing and pyramid schemes all start the same way and all offer the same promise, a shortcut to fabulous wealth as is demonstrated by 'this one' or 'that one' that got in early on and, despite starting off in a one bedroom apartment overrun with rats and roaches and all manner of vermin, is now living on a golf course in Hawaii. What they withhold to tell you is that the fortunate few in the beginning are ALWAYS the ones to prosper as they are the only ones that the pyramid works for; it is the foolish few at the end who are left stuck literally holding the bag or worse, feeling sorry for sticking twenty or forty of their loved ones with nothing but the promise of what could have been.

Where are the organizations and systems of State to protect the people from the devious and those who would conspire to defraud and advantage? Trinidadians behave like children where things like these are concerned and walk around laboring under the illusion that if someone is allowed to do something then someone else had to approve it so it has to be safe. Many of the depositors who moved their money from the relative safety of the established banks to the wildness that was the 'free for all' 'snatch and grab' kleptocracy that Clico became at the end are victims of this mindset, and while caveat emptor (buyer beware) is at the heart of every monetary exchange, this still needs to be addressed if the people are not to be left easy prey to the devious, the brave and the heartless alike.

Everyday unlicensed 'specialists' are setting up shop to fleece or advantage the people with promises of cures for all manner of ailments, peeks into their futures or to 'cleanse' them of, well, not much more than their hard earned money. Do we have any regulatory agencies with the authority to regulate these businesses and their claims or is this really the wild, wild west as others now assert? Surely the unwritten social contract begs at least SOME protection for the people against those who are free to take established precedence and bend it to their will, and if the state is loathe to adopt the role of protector in these instances, it should, at the very least provide oversight through an effective Better Business Bureau or some such construct.

Consider this a head's up; if something inside you says this does not make sense or it is just too good to be true, it probably is. Sir Boyle Roche said 'Disappointment is the nurse of wisdom' and while this may well be true, in situations like these, a promise remains nothing more than a comfort to a fool.

More Vagina Politics...

2012-01-13T06:40:00.000-08:00

"Instead of the iron fist in a velvet glove we were promised on the hustings, we are treated to sash wearing, truck-bed riding, magazine posing, beauty queen behavior while the country is circling the drain. I pointed out during the campaign that she offered nothing of substance then, and sadly she offers nothing of substance now. You CANNOT run a country on platitudes and photo ops, regardless of what the fashion magazines say. It simply does not work that way. The people are sick to death of the 'drunk on the party line' talking heads who simply regurgitate cultic drivel for points and props and are desperate for something like calm, cohesive and sensible governance.

Kamla Persad Bissesar may not fully understand that being the first female Prime Minister comes with tremendous responsibility; Her moment in the sun is 'pregnant' with the aspirations of every woman behind her, desperate to be seen as equals in the male dominated world of top level politics and not just as sidekicks and bag holders. It is not too late to save her legacy, but it is almost too late. Only Kamla knows the truth here, and while she may have little control over what she was, she still has the final say in who she allows herself to be, now and in the future. Having kicked open the door to what was formerly a man's world, it would be tragically ironic if her actions and her legacy shuts it hard against other deserving women of substance in the future."

I wrote the above in an article entitled 'Vagina Politics' in 2010 and chose to revisit it in 2012 to see what, if anything, had changed. Has the condition of women and women issues in society improved two years into the term of this country's first female Prime Minister? One could be excused for expecting that by now the Cabinet, the Senate and every manner of institution and available appointment would be populated by strong women of substance and character but sadly, the complete opposite is true.

Appearing not to care about the seemingly 'unimportant' things like precedents and conventions, our Prime Minister has done an even poorer job of securing women's issues to date than her male counterparts before her and may well have set women in leadership back decades by her example. In a country whose cup literally runneth over with many, many extremely creative, supremely qualified and talented women in all spheres of artistic, intellectual and other pursuits who are capable of leading at the highest level it is a shame that whatever male driven insecurities surround her are being allowed to prosper.

In place of the anticipated elevation of women on her watch our culture is instead rampant with the marginalization of women as sex objects and the relegation of that gender to trivial pursuits with little or no regard to any other contribution they may want to make. The rise in overtly sexist and demeaning positions from some religious quarters where women and their issues are concerned is very telling as to the 'mood' in society, and in corporate T&T the message seems to be you may have an MBA but you better have cleavage if you want to advance.

All things being equal and under normal circumstances she is legally entitled to at least a further three years in her current term, and if a day is a long time in politics, then three years is sufficient time for her to undo the damage she herself is doing. Not even men want to live in an exclusively man's world as it is a dirty, confrontational, greedy and abrasive place. I would go so far as to say women make us men better, and if that is the case then we could use their help at the highest levels where, sadly, left to our own devices, we have made a terrible mess. Kamla needs to set the tone for society to follow and a good place to start would be by insisting on a fifty fifty division of Ministries among men and women in her Cabinet and the inclusion of a women's agenda; These two things alone would have a huge and positive impact on where we as a nation go from here, and would go a long way to securing her a legacy worthy of this country's first female Prime Minister.

Synthetic Silk, Satin & Political Missteps...

2012-01-10T08:51:00.000-08:00

To my mind the 'giving back' of the Silk raises more questions than it answers and this issue should not be allowed to die without being properly ventilated as to motives, intentions and precedents. There is no getting away from the fact that this single matter has had the effect of bringing the Judiciary into the politics of the day and may have indeed eroded the perception that the powers are in fact separate.

Looking into the heart of the issue one cannot miss what is being publicly said on all sides where the entitlement of such awards and recognition are concerned and I maintain my initial position that this exercise has had the effect of forever cheapening both the elevation and the recognition that Silk represents. Attorney General Anand Ramlogan is behaving like a spoilt child citing precedents that suits his case in defense of his elevation not realizing that the very people to whom the institutions of State belongs are having a hard time dealing with the stench of his self appointment. His response that perhaps we should do away with the honor altogether further underscores his immaturity as he seems to be of the view that if the game cannot be played the way he wants it played then he will take 'his' ball and go home. The fact remains that there ARE men and women of the highest integrity and of such significant legal ability who SHOULD be honored among their peers, and having access to an age old tradition and a 'club' to be counted among men and women of sterling reputation historically is an asset that lifts the entire profession and should not be done away on the whims of one man.

Regardless of and despite the past actions of others and who may or may not have raised their voices against them then or since does nothing to change the fact that wrong is wrong and Mr. Ramlogan is demonstrating exactly why he should not be elevated simply because in his quest for self glorification he is demonstrating little or no regard or respect for what the honor is supposed to represent among his peers, future juniors and the society as a whole.

Further contributing negatively to this sordid mess is the elevation of Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar who, despite rising to high political Office, is woefully unqualified for Senior Counsel status based on the standards set for elevation. Making such a significant promotion a token to be claimed by politicians could possibly contribute to the politicizing of the judiciary, a most dangerous precedent and probably the most potentially destructive of all the possible side effects of this embarrassing exercise.

The layman and the taxpayer did not intrude into this but had it thrust upon him, and now that it has been, he deserves the respect of having the intentions of the institutions to which he gives his almost blind allegiance maintained. These high level blunders in a society where words like integrity, convention and tradition are important would have been concluded with all those responsible for the fiasco stepping down so as to protect the Offices they hold, and that may well be where the conversation needs to be.

Look, for this to stop being a political mess we have to stop dealing with it from a 'side' and treat the matter instead with the respect it is supposed to deserve. Former Chief Justice Satnarine Shama's suggestion is, to my mind, the quickest way forward to restore the integrity of both the honor and the profession and separate the powers once again and the legal fraternity should convene a meeting to discuss the options available based on what already obtains throughout the Commonwealth. The only urgency here is the prevention of what just occurred from ever happening again and dealing with and managing any adverse fall out in the interest of preserving the integrity of the Judiciary and the legal profession in its entirety. There are lessons to be learned here in every sphere of national life and those lessons must not be lost in our haste to put this behind us. Perhaps the best one is that power should not be treated as a means to self enhancement but used instead as an opportunity to truly serve the people.

Jokers, Jesters & Comic Clowns...

2012-01-08T15:30:00.000-08:00

Over the years I have learnt to expect and accept certain behaviors from whosoever made up the current crop of posing pretenders and mimic men so I am rarely surprised, but every now and then some of them go so far above and beyond even my cynical expectations that I need to stop and pay them homage. From a strictly laugh out loud point of view this week did not disappoint, and I would like to offer a snapshot of what took place for your amusement.

Take Anand Ramlogan for example, the man credited with the fiasco that shall henceforth be known as 'Silk-Gate,' who awarded the Chief Justice a title he could not use for a purpose no one could fathom and who almost caused a Judicial coronary because of it. Not content to go down in history as the man who misplaced a grand piano in plain sight, our erstwhile Attorney General insists on making a clown of himself at every chance that presents itself, and seeing an opportunity to do so made a list, checked it twice, and in the Spirit of the Christmas Season, decided who was naughty and who was nice.

Also on the issue of 'Silk-Gate' is our own lovable loony-bird, former Judge, current MP, future band leader and Minister of God alone knows what Herbert Volney, whose position on the award of Silk to Kamla and Anand by, well, themselves, is that those who vex over the awarding to themselves by themselves are jealous and the UNC shouldn't play with them any longer. Using his favorite sounding board on CNC3's morning variety show, huggable Herb said besides the people who didn't think Kamla deserved the award there were others who thought she did and that settled it (at least to him) and that seemed to be all that mattered on the issue. Questions of merit or performance in the profession does not arise in his mind, but then who can be sure what does and why?

Speaking of band leaders, Brian MacFarlane called a news conference to announce that he had not paid his membership dues to the National Carnival Band Leaders Association for at least two years and was astonished that he was kicked out because of it. Seeking to emulate his mentor by embracing the controversy, a visibly upset Brian decided that the storm in the teacup that was of his doing (and he walked with props to prove it) should be taken as an attack on his art or perhaps his hairstyle. As five time winner of the 'Only Band With Covered Breasts Award,' MacFarlane called on the Minister of Arts, Multiculturalism and Hosay Winston 'Gypsy' Peters to intervene on what has to be an abuse on the part of the leadership of the Association to have the bold faced temerity to enforce anything like rules, and to possibly sponsor the outstanding back payments in exchange for a photo op.

In keeping with the Carnival theme and hoping to get himself recognized as if not a clown then a jester at the very least, Tertiary Education Minister Fazal Karim announced that T&T was going to promote the steel pan in India because apparently this is exactly what India was waiting for. Paving the way for further junkets to the homeland, Karim indicated that he would speak to Minister of Arts and Multiculturalism Winston Peters to have a steel band from T&T sent to India to promote the playing of the country’s national instrument there. In related news, spokespersons for Despers, Invaders and Phase Two all announced that they were changing their uniforms with immediate effect to orange jerseys.

Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs says he “will let the statistics speak for themselves” about his performance after almost 15 months on the job, despite the fact that the statistics are skewed by a State of Emergency that lasted for the better part of the second half of last year. Citing fire statistics that prove that houses that are gutted by fire no longer have termites, the Commissioner seems to believe that roosters crowing causes the sun to rise in the morning.

Old people have a saying “thing to cry all yuh laughing,” but tell me, in this land of Jokers, Jesters & Comic Clowns, what choice do we really have?

Political Silk...

2012-01-07T20:08:00.000-08:00

The public brouhaha that erupted over the controversial awarding of 'Silk' to the Chief Justice and fellow Justice Wendell Kangaloo among others has taken an unexpected turn, with the two honorable gentlemen opting to return the awards, although based on the first statement issued by the Judiciary on the CJ's behalf, not without some disagreement. The following is taken from that statement: - “An important point is being missed in the whole controversy over the alleged breach of the Separation of Powers. It cannot be that the grant of an honor award by His Excellency the President to a sitting Judge on the recommendation of the Honorable Prime Minister is, by itself, a breach of the separation of powers or a threat to the independence of the Judiciary, else those persons, including former chief justice, the Honorable Michael de la a Bastide and the Honorable Justice Satnarine Sharma, who as sitting judges accepted national awards, would have been guilty of condoning such a breach and should consider returning them. One is left to wonder whether in the case of the recent award silk the real objection is to the particular award, the particular Judges or the particular Prime Minister.”

Now, comparing National awards to a career advancing elevation is not arguing apples and apples in the strictest sense and I fear that the Honorable Chief Justice may have himself in fact missed the point. Once the Political Directorate takes upon itself the power to impact the future earnings of a sitting Judge the 'Powers' cease to be as separate as desired. Further, bringing the Judiciary into the politics of the day by questioning the motives of the objectors is itself political and could have the effect of harming the perception of impartiality of the Judiciary to adjudicate on matters of political disagreement especially if members of one side or the other finds themselves before the Courts. Adding his opinion, Senior Counsel Ernest Koylass said the judges should move immediately to take steps to protect the Judiciary from any perception of political interference and that the way in which silk was awarded should be changed entirely to remove any hint of political connection.

Former Attorney-General Karl Hudson-Phillips, QC, in response to the CJ's release stated- “the Chief Justice has shown an alarming lack of understanding of what is thought to be a very important institution in Trinidad and Tobago under his purview. His release can be considered a perverse avoidance of a serious issue. The sole and only issue is that sitting judges should not apply for and accept silk. His release has succeeded in further embroiling the entire Judiciary in political controversy by personalizing the important matter.”

Attorney General Anand Ramlogan, the man many see as 'responsible' for the fiasco by compiling the list of 'awardees' in the first place, issued a statement that demonstrates his proficient grasp of circular logic - “the decision of Chief Justice Ivor Archie and Justice of Appeal Wendell Kangaloo to return the instruments which granted them the title of Senior Counsel was "consistent with the dignity, humility and honor that inspired their appointment as Senior Counsel.” To my mind if Mr. Ramlogan really believed his own words as expressed then both he and Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissesar should to return their appointments as well, as the awarding of the honor to one's self diminishes the title as the award was meant for practicing lawyers who had distinguished themselves at the bar. Senior Counsel Hendrickson Seunath said politicians awarding silk to themselves is also totally unacceptable. If they award it to themselves it is wrong."

How we extricate ourselves from this thorny patch without doing further harm should be at the front of everyone's minds. The fact that neither the Law Association nor its president, Dana Seetahal was consulted during the screening of candidates who applied for silk demonstrates the extent of the political control exerted and is the absolute cause of the problem in the first place. In response to the news that the awards were returned, former Chief Justice Sat Sharma commented "After all, the right thing has been done. They have to be complimented. They have acted in the highest tradition. What we must do is ensure the Judiciary and the legal profession be the ones responsible for the appointment of silk. The Executive must bow out and concentrate on its Executive functions.”

That is as level headed a statement as any on the matter and I think the course that should be taken in the best interest of all.

Beyond the Partnership... (COP 2012)

2012-01-05T08:48:00.000-08:00

In light of some heavy handling by the major partner in the People's Partnership in recent times, both past and current members of the Congress of the People have to be asking the same question and it needs to be answered quickly by the leadership if the Party is to survive - is the COP a political organization in its own right with plans, policies hopes and aspirations of its own, or is it to be forever linked as a junior partner to the UNC?

In many ways the COP is like an abused woman stuck in a loveless marriage trying desperately to hold it together for the children all the while hoping that the neighbours don't see. In situations such as these sometimes what is not said or done is more telling than what is, and the slights being perpetrated against the Party's leader is a clear indication of the level of contempt if not outright disdain with which the relationship is held. Sometimes what is best for all concerned is knowing when to confront and resolve and when to cut your losses and leave.

The Prime Minister and the leadership of the UNC goes to great lengths to remind the public every chance they get that it is in fact a partnership and that decisions must be made after consultation, but tell me how could that particular bit of consultation have gone where the appointment of the Acting Prime Minister is concerned? While it is her Cabinet from which to pluck whomever she deigns to exalt, it still is a coalition of interests and while Mr. Winston Dookeran is a Minister in her Government he has a leader and to appoint him (Dookeran) over his leader is a lack of respect if not a clear insult. Do they not realize how this looks to outsiders looking in, or is it that they could not be bothered to care any longer?

It is time for Prakash Ramadhar to publicly enunciate his vision for the Party he now leads and until he does the Party cannot go forward. The inertia and malaise that has gripped the Party since May 2010 and which was reflected in the abysmally low voter turnout for the internal elections are all symptoms of a dying Party that can only be changed by a Leadership that possesses a clear and exciting vision both for the Party and the country and has the courage to act on it. Victory at elections require the capturing of hearts and minds and sad to say the COP cannot do that in any meaningful way until it distances itself from some of the retrograde PNM policies being practiced by the UNC. The public is no longer interested in being fooled, and while politics in this country will remain something of a numbers game based on race forever, if the ONLY reason for the COP remaining partnered to the UNC in this dysfunctional union is to keep the PNM out of Office then the members of the COP will remain second class citizens whose votes are a misdirection at best and leverage.

The voters cannot know what the COP is about if the COP does not know and this is the cat that needs to be belled. The National Executive of the Party needs to decide if it is interested in contesting the next general elections on its own or if it intends to remain wed to a Partnership of which few have any further use.

My advice to Prakash remains the same – You need to choose where the Congress of the People goes from here. If your ambition is to lead the COP to victory at the polls then this must be clear to all including your partners in the Partnership. It must also be made clear to the electorate by not only what you say but what you do. Where the policies of the government deviates with the principles of the Congress of the People you must say so. In many ways the people elect a Prime Minister and if your ambition is to be Prime Minister then it is time you stepped into the role. A real leader faces the music, even when he doesn't like the tune.

Cheapening Silk...

2012-01-03T09:09:00.000-08:00

The announcement that the Prime Minister and the Attorney General were elevated to Senior Counsel has sent ripples through the legal profession and is threatening to further close the gap between the Executive and the Judiciary. By making what is an honor bestowed on a career of substance and excellence into a seemingly political reward, this could well have the effect of influencing behaviors in pursuit of the title, thereby cheapening the status of all who have been recognized prior for work of such calibre that it required recognition among their peers, and may have created a shortcut for the ambitious and the cunning alike.

Make no mistake, this in no way intends to cast aspersions on any who have received the honor but it is my opinion that a terrible disservice is being done to the profession and were I to advise those who may have received the honor 'out of time,' perhaps the most prudent course of action may well be to give it back. Sitting Judges should have no use for the title so what could be the point of the award? Surely we have National Awards for precisely this purpose and perhaps this may have been the way to go if recognition for service was the intention.

With regard to sitting politicians being conferred the title while they can make no use of it is a perversion in my opinion and again I question what thinking if any goes into these harebrained schemes of self glorification. It cannot be conferred onto himself by himself and still remain an honor, and while this may have no meaning to those to whom things like honor have no value, there are many to whom it does, and this action is having the follow on effect of cheapening the title held by all.

Former Independent Senator and President of the Law Association Dana Seetahal ended her column on the issue with the following: “The question that is now to be considered is whether in the interest of transparency and fairness in today's world the current system is acceptable as a measure of professional excellence. If we believe it is not what is to replace it and who should be the persons eligible for consideration. Should all senior lawyers be entitled to apply or only those in actual practice? What about sitting judges? Should they automatically on appointment be given silk in recognition of the fact that the status of a judge ought to be at least equivalent to that of Senior Counsel? These are matters that the legal profession, the Judiciary and the executive must consider.”

That such a paragraph could conclude what was otherwise a piece heavy on definitions and origins is very telling and mirrors the almost unanimous national response.

University Lecturer and Lawyer Clarence Rambharat said in his - “The country must challenge the AG and PM to produce evidence of the PM's "high quality practice"? Where is the list of "demanding cases" in which the PM acted as advocate? Where is the evidence of the PM's "professional eminence and distinction" in the legal profession and her "sound intellectual ability"? Where is the evidence of the PM's "outstanding ability as an advocate in the higher Courts"?”

That is not an idle question and in this instant quite possibly the meat of the matter. Without clear guidelines as to the awarding of the auspicious title, what is to prevent this country's favorite pastime, corruption, from rearing its ugly head? Who is to answer to the Judges who were NOT elevated, what could be the reason for being left behind, what mark did they not hit or what criteria did they miss?

I have said time and again that this government is floundering for a lack of advice in critical issues and their knee jerk responses and government by vapse handling of what are otherwise major national issues is contributing to the clear decline in many of our institutions. I am not qualified to say what exactly is the damage that has been done or how to rectify it if any has, but I am of the firm view that the Judiciary and the Legal Service Association needs to take steps to distance themselves from any further machinations of this self serving crew before we're left with nothing but misfits and mayhem in the ward rooms of our ship of State.

Christmas...

2011-12-27T17:41:00.000-08:00

At five past noon on Christmas Eve the clock on the Republic Bank Park Street branch announced to the world that it was a quarter past nine, and in typical Trinidad fashion, no one seemed to notice or care. Stuck behind a jeep load of police in the traffic that was trying to leave Observatory Street and enter Charlotte Street I was paying attention to them as they seemed to be paying close attention to everything else, especially anything that moved. Four doors open, four riot gear attired and heavily armed officers emerge in rehearsed formation, two on guard front and rear, two the up close inspection detail. For the passer by that was the object of their interest it was up against the wall, legs and arms spread as one officer searched every inch of his person while the other barked a series of questions, the answers to which could well determine where he spends his Christmas day. I know I imagined it, but I could swear I could hear his heart beating in his chest, this mouse caught in the cat's glare and cornered, himself surely wondering if he would be continuing on his way or if he would be a guest of the State for the Season. His smile as he walks on is visibly more of relief than humor and does nothing to hide the difference in his stride post encounter, but at least he was on his way under his own steam and I am sure to him, that is all that mattered then.

Looking around Belmont is at once both harsh and beautiful depending on which eyes you view it from, and, if you are capable of imagination, as old world as any where that grew up, found its best self and left its worst self behind. Caught in a time warp between its past and progress, its people are in limbo, half of them making a chance, the other half taking one. The idea of class segregation that communities like Westmoorings represents only compounded the problems that they were intended to solve. So good on paper, the destruction that is being wrought on society is best reflected in places like Belmont, creating a peasant class of those left behind.

I always wonder how we sing here every creed and race finds an equal place and then separate them and not see the contradiction. Bigger minds will discuss things like these at the appropriate time I am sure, but I cannot help but notice that many of our problems are self inflicted and are the result of our most reactive and juvenile decisions. To my mind in a society that works, Belmont would be an ideal place to live due to its blend of residences and commercial interests that serve the needs of the people within walking distance while providing employment among the same people on whom their businesses rely.

From my vantage point the people seemed caught up in the true spirit of true Trini Christmas, as many were seen to be busily still cleaning, painting and preparing for the big day. The abundance of Nativity scenes was a testimony to the faith of the people, again in contrast to those who had much more to be thankful for, but that has always been the contradiction of religion in this place. The other advantage communities offer is tradition, and holidays and festivities are best celebrated in places where there is some history among the people. Having grown up in Woodbrook, itself a community that worked when I was a child, I know this feeling first hand. One did not need to be of the faith to eat the food, and we knew what holiday was coming from well in advance and which houses were on the 'sure to get lash' list.

I know I am a romantic and a dreamer, but I wish that we could somehow find a way to return to a place where being Trini is enough and we did not have to gate people in or out. The legacy we are handing our children is a sterile world of mistrust and materialism that could never replace a good lime in a friend's house over the holidays, and I would trade all the dressed up overly promoted affairs for a good lime anytime, because it is no lie, Trini Christmas is the best.

2011 - The Year in Review...

2011-12-26T09:43:00.000-08:00

Ish and Steve and Uncle Sam, Jack and George and sister Kam
Maxi Taxis protest tour, Nizam Mohammed starts his own race war
Ellis dies, what a drag, Anil Roberts Nicki Minaj
Attorney General security plan, Anand is the piano man
New York City beauty queen ride, C-O-P mar-gin-a-lized
Herbert Volney loses mind, Reshmi fiasco starts to unwind

Patrick Manning hugs up Keith, Mighty Midget bares his teeth
Machel Montano Advantaging, Ravi B, pelt something
Louis Lee Sing, homeless crew, Anand named in Mayaro brew
Jumping Jack has Rowley woes, people Minister strikes a pose
Minister of Health mad for so, Fazeer Mohammed have to go
Anil Roberts lips are large, Warner is Head N***er in Charge

March began, hanging bill, Opposition say not time to kill
Anand Ramlogan's facebook try, Senator say hang them high
Warner in conspiracy, Fyzabad a mock-er-ry
Balisier people having fun, Rowley say reflection done
Nizam on fire time to go, Calder Hart yes DPP no
MacFarlane tries a Minshall rant, Minshall does what MacFarlane cant

PH taxi free at last, rapist killers making mas
Manning challenge Rowley, pain, Amery and the boys abstain
Farmers, pineapples, tractors, war, eat ah food time back for more
Watson Duke suitcase, money, P-N-M courts C-O-P
Kamla, Gopaul, bigtruck, plan, Chandresh is a big family man
Rowley, Ramlogan, New York lie, Ish & Steve doh want to fly

May, Warner, Bin Hamam, football politics in a jam
Vicky Boodram, Mary King, Bhoe Tewari, what a thing
Amery, Valley, graveside church, dogbite people in the lurch
Allyson Hennessy rest in peace, Manning suspended from batting crease
Maxwell Richards, Eric St. Cyr, Integrity have nothing to fear
Warner, Zurich, FIFA talk, Manning and San Fernando walk

Warner FIFA out of time, C-O-P election lime
Vernon tell them How ah talk, Anil tell Vernon take a walk
Nalini call Prakash a snake, Prakash say Nalini make mistake
Duprey, Monteil, enquiry, time to end the misery
Warner FIFA labor day, FIFA tell Warner go yuh way
Kamla cabinet realign, health care workers feeling fine

Red Bull wings and flugtag bram, Total chaos traffic jam
Rajendra wins Privy Council case, laments 27 years lost to waste
Bread gone up boycotting Kiss, no drop in sales, the boycott miss
Labor marching all over town, social unrest rumors abound
C-O-P has a new King, Prakash win de whole damn ting

August came to spoil the lime CLICO investors say it's money time
Ramesh come to shake the stick, say they better pay them quick
Roget is the brand new Duke say five per cent could make him puke
Kamla calls an SoE, everybody wants to know what wrong with she
Sandy, Anand, Gibbs misfire, their stories make the PM a liar

Porn star, seamstress, beauty queen, Project Runway hot new scene
Big fish, small fish, in between, only small fish in the net it seems
Kamla, Parliament, extension vote, Rowley promise to sink their boat
Police is new bad man in town, watch them hard and yuh going down
Pit-bull killings top story, DPP tell Judge set all man free

Manning scholarship DPP fuss, Rowley say commission file bogus
Teacher sexting naked pics, sleight of hand and budget tricks
Crime Watch broadcasting minor rape, mass outcry against illegal tape
Poison avocados cause sales to drop, SoE crime plan one big flop
Rowley and friends blank Balisier tie, PNM in uproar, tension high
Sat and Sita and panty line rule, no black hen chickens for Hindu school

Petition, sedition, things getting hot, big fish water man in aassassination plot
Ian Alleyne head hutting, sent on leave, Ish and Steve get traveling reprieve
Business interests vex so curfew gone, people vex but State of Emergency continues on
Big rain flood and wall fall down, Warner say time for blame talk to done
Colour me Orange the newest trend, run de clip director, Alleyne back again
Overtime woes make police see red, Kamla giving out medals but they want money instead

Express Newspaper in anti-gay mess, Emergency over, detainees seeking redress
PM feeling festive but Rowley make noise, ask Santa Kamla who gave her the toys
Prakash tells UNC it's talking time, Warner buff him, Prakash say like Warner loss he mind
Colour Me Orange Olympics time, Basdeo returns to the UNC lime
Christmas time killings, murders galore, fire, no escape, blood on the floor
Port workers on strike and money men vex, 2011 almost over, let's see what's next....

Failing Forward....

2011-12-23T01:08:00.000-08:00

No country becomes a 'failed State' overnight, it creeps up in degrees. Social norms have to be discarded, people need to be dehumanized and authority has to be challenged and vanquished. Based on current trends Trinidad & Tobago is going to be an excellent case study one day and I wanted to do my part in trying to document the decline. For a state to fail people need to lose complete respect for each other, for every system of governance, for life and death, but most importantly, for themselves. When life becomes meaningless and the 'other' is seen only in terms of pathways to increase or obstacles to progress there is nowhere left to go but down.

The news this week is fraught with glaring examples of the accelerating decline on so many social levels it is almost jarring, yet still we plummet on, oblivious to where we are or where we're headed. The top story this week was the tragedy in Trou Macacaque Laventille, where one brother decided to settle scores with his family in a dispute over a government house they were each trying to inherit individually, so he barred the exit and set the apartment on fire, killing at least five persons, among them two little children and a next door neighbour. The tragedy itself was overshadowed by the fact that whoever authorized and whoever built these apartments did so without requiring or providing fire escapes, which contributed directly to at least two of the deaths from people trying to escape the inferno. In a developed nation someone or someones would have had to resign if not be fired by now as a tragedy of such epic proportions requires that the someone along the food chain most responsible pay the ultimate price while an investigation is launched to determine liability. In failing nations the public is distracted, the issue deflected, calls for enquiries misdirected, and life goes back to normal with those dying needless deaths having died for nothing.

Also in the spotlight was the plight of at least five families in Woodbrook, among them a seventy five year old grandmother who are literally suffering at the hands of the heartless. Based on reports the offspring of some well off and well educated people have decided to establish a night club on a side street in Woodbrook oblivious to the impact such a business might have on the lives of those who call that street home. When informed of the disturbance that they were in fact causing they seemed more interested in what they could get away with rather than what was right. Despairing from the lack of any real response from the authorities, one of the neighbours put up a video on the internet for the world (or at least those in Trinidad who still care) to see, and what was seen to be happening to these people could only be described as abuse. Begging many questions, not the least of which being who could have approved such a misguided misadventure in the first place as the statutes and laws governing the approval of licenses are quite clear. Relying on at least two agencies to confirm that such an establishment would not be a nuisance to surrounding neighbours, someone along the line either failed to do his job or corrupted it, and here we are, with one set of people going about the business of making a dollar while the other set, now victims of the first, are no longer able to sleep at night.

When the people who are supposed to enforce the law seem to not be bothered to or are readily willing to corruptly work against it, and when those who are reasonably expected to know better don't, then all that is left to do is to record the decline. Countries like Mexico, Columbia and Panama do not happen without the misguided will of a misguided people, and while Haiti was pressed down by external forces, the destruction wrought on its people was mainly the result of internal forces, of cruel acts perpetrated by those with power over those without, of taking advantage wherever it could be found regardless of the consequences of one's actions on others or on the nation as a whole.

If this sounds anything like Trinidad & Tobago it is because this is exactly where we find ourselves right now. Where we go from here is anybody's guess, but based on current trends we'd all better start planting bananas as it seems a banana Republic is all that we aspire to be...

Assault on Eden... (Saving Woodbrook)

2011-12-20T18:49:00.000-08:00

Once again the issue of the unplanned and under-regulated commercial development of restaurants and bars is wreaking havoc on the residents of what is arguably the best laid out and most functional community in the entire country, and while there are always more than one side to every story, in this case the only side that matters is that of the residents whose community has been invaded for nothing of value and allowed to by incompetent political appointees. Unable to go about the peaceful enjoyment of their homes, these people have been served notice that the lawless in society are taking over through whatever means necessary, and I would like to strongly suggest that it is time we not only put a stop to this, but we must also take steps to reverse it completely.

I believe what is happening here is either a result of gross incompetence or outright corruption. That it should never have been allowed to come to this is a given, and as there are many rules and regulations already on the statutes governing this sort of thing, applying the necessary remedy should not be that hard. As they say 'follow the money,' or in this case follow on from the signature on the approval documents backwards to the application on record. Whoever took it upon himself to turn the rules that govern commercial development in the area on its head should be fired immediately, if not prosecuted and charged for misbehavior in public office.

Moving forward. There is already a commercial sector in the area that has to be incorporated into the community and managed, and while some eager entrepreneurs see the residents as an obstacle to profit, that mindset has to be turned about and sent on its way. Clearly we need change in the legislation that governs the establishment of restaurants and bars in highly residential areas, and the licenses granted should be subject to strict rules and controls, among them being:

- All bars in residential areas should be made to close at midnight so as to limit their impact on the residents of the area.

- Bars should be made to provide adequate toilet facilities so as to reduce the need for patrons to urinate on neighborhood walls.

- All bars should be made to pay a clean up and beautification tax based on the square footage of the establishment and used to fund the upkeep of the community and remove the negatives that accompany this sort of business.

- All bar licenses should come with a noise control caveat requiring music to be played to a certain level and in enclosed spaces so as to limit the nuisance to neighbors.

- Patron spillover onto the pavement and into the road should be discouraged and enforced as they are both a security risk and a safety violation.

These rules and regulations while stringent would serve the dual purpose of protecting the residents from the high nuisance value of the existing establishments and their patrons and would encourage prospective business developers to look elsewhere in less populated areas for their commercial opportunities in the future.

While this article highlights the abuses taking place in Woodbrook, it is by no means the only area where this is taking place and a precedent must be set here and then duplicated island wide. It is fortunate to note that the nature of this business is not dependent on location as the associated high parking, traffic and congestion would attest, and they would thrive just as easily in areas where the nuisances that come with large crowds and drunk people could bother no one but the drunks themselves.

What many are mistakingly calling progress is anything but, and in a nation that is suffering the consequences of the breakdown of the family and the community in its core function of inculcating strong values and regulating deviant behavior, this development should be seen for what it really is, an attack against reason. What is being done to the residents of these communities is criminal and no amount of double speak is going to change that. Our communities must not be seen as opportunities ripe for profiteering and exploitation, but rather as cradles of development for the people of this nation. Neighbourhoods, communities, traditions and culture are the glue the binds us together and makes us strong, and while we could survive if every bar in the country closes down, the loss of one functional community makes the entire nation that much poorer.

Something to think about...

The Season of Discontent...

2011-12-19T00:56:00.000-08:00

They say discontent is the first necessity of progress, and if that is true then we are in for a lot of progress anytime soon. As we enter the busy Christmas Season there are many troubling signs that are affecting the normally festive mood, and disturbingly there seems to be an unofficial policy to underplay Christmas despite the gift giving and the Santa Claus hats. It would seem that the 'reason for the season' does not sit well with the power behind the throne and you can feel it right away when you walk into the drab lifeless usually very decorated public offices. I asked the employees at a T&TEC office this week what happened to the Christmas cheer and one of the members said jokingly it hadn't reached that office as yet. By all accounts whoever is in charge of the delivery is doing a terrible job, because it hasn't arrived at many if not most.

If there is any truth to the idea that religious celebrations have been affected in any way by anyone's political or racist agenda know that there will be hell to pay (pardon the pun) and the inevitable push back will not be healthy at all. I think we are at a place in our development when we can safely ignore the government when they are doing silliness and relegate them to the civil servants that they are. A classic example would be the national rejection of the now known hogwash that was the much ballyhooed assassination plot, and whether or not it was fabricated to distract the electorate it disadvantaged people and disturbingly robbed them of their rights for a government's agenda. This needs to be seen for what it is and a call must be made for a Commission of Enquiry into both it and the State of Emergency that preceded it to determine what exactly took place. The harsh reality is that while we may not be in an ideal place politically for a return to the polls, we may need to take our chances as this administration is not ready and is clearly not up to the task. Kamla Persad Bissessar has demonstrated her inability to function at this level, and it is only the Season of goodwill that is keeping me from describing some of them in the manner they most deserve.

In this vein both Prakash Ramdhar and Carolyn Seepersad Bachan have served notice on the COP's Partnership Partners that 2012 would not be business as usual, and despite worrying signs internally that this could well be fiction, if they really wanted to set themselves and their Party up as an alternative to the UNC they have to take steps to sever from the coalition and separate themselves in the Parliament. The COP needs to distance itself and the membership from any of the abusers in this government, and, freed from the constraints of cabinet minus the power of government they could return to the campaign trail in force and whip up support as agents of change.

The other alternative the PNM has major work to do on the redevelopment front if they are ever to be seen as an option again and everyone in that Party knows it. Dr, Keith Rowley is still not being viewed as the de-facto leader despite having all of the titles required, and he remains hamstrung by the San Fernando East cabal and their supporters. Until this matter as to who wields ultimate power in that Party is decided, nothing the PNM is offering can be taken seriously. Worse, no one wants to contemplate a situation where Patrick Manning is once again Prime Minister in his own right or the power behind the throne a la Amery Browne, and regardless of whatever residual support they may have among the rabid mass, it is still not enough to take the Party forward. Despite his feisty campaign rhetoric Dr. Rowley never dry docked, never court martialed, and he may well pay the supreme price for that mistake. If I were him I would take action now to purge the Party at the highest level of the Manning loyalists and replace them with his own team and get down to the work required to make that Party politically attractive again.

More than anything else we celebrate the birth of hope on the 25th of December and this must never be forgotten. Hope is the wellspring from which our best selves are yet to emerge, and I would like to wish everyone a Season full of love, joy, family and friends, and may the message of the birth of Jesus Christ and the spirit of goodwill to all be made manifest in your life. Merry Christmas.

Fire in De Cocoa... (One Week in T&T)

2011-12-14T19:44:00.000-08:00

What a difference a week makes in this place. The recently concluded State of Emergency is being heralded as a glorious success by the government, their supporters and people who like to go to bed early, and as a dismal failure by the Opposition, drinkers, and people who prefer their reality based in truth, or, failing that, at least clever, well rehearsed lies. What we got in place of either was clumsy, patchwork, make-believe outrageous fantasy, and the effort being expended trying to rewrite recent history and tie everything up with a neat bow is making the government look ditzy. From all outward appearances it is also threatening to give John Sandy a nervous breakdown and may well be encouraging everyone else to drink. At this point there are so many versions of what really took place that Kamla's plan to hand out medals to all involved seems almost normal, almost natural in this bizzarro place.

The Congress of the People, tired of being hammered in the Court of public opinion over the main player in the partnership government's excesses, decided to flex some junior partner muscle and take firm and decisive action. As one they rallied behind their leader who penned a hard hitting, no holds barred letter to his counterpart in the UNC Kamla Persad Bissessar, and in what is becoming his trademark style, guaranteed not to offend. His internal election campaign promise of an iron fist in a velvet glove seems to be materializing, although some say they may have gone too far with the lace frills and the charm bracelet.

Also vying for top spot in the 'news for no reason' category, Patrick Manning hosted another one of his Friday press conferences of urgent national importance, but this time on a Saturday just to mix things up and to keep his enemies guessing; The strategy may have worked a little too well because after that particular press conference not many seemed to understand what exactly he was trying to say. Asked to comment on Mr. Manning's latest hi-jinx, PNM political leader Dr. Keith Rowley exclaimed - “What all yuh want me to do, some days he likes to dress up and pretend he's still Prime Minister so we humor him, who he really hurting?”

Not to be outdone in 'the dinosaur that roared' segment, former Prime Minister and former UNC Leader Basdeo Panday himself announced that he would be returning to active politics and was challenging to retake 'his' Party in the internal elections due next year, causing a small spike in the price of Grey Goose Vodka and making Jack Warner's speech impediment that much worse. With rumors of existing Cabinet Ministers already pledging support for the old warhorse, things do not look like they are going to settle down in that Party anytime soon.

Also in the news, the government has decided to take the Color Me Orange crazy train one step further by launching the Orange Olympics and are inviting participants to register. The Opposition has accused the government of taking advantage of poor people with foolishness, causing Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar to send him a medal for 'Performance in Opposition.'

Government Senator Bhoe Tewari's thinly veiled love/hate relationship with democracy was allowed to slip this week in the Senate, where he blamed pesky politics for being 'in the way' of development when he said “Trinidad and Tobago is being prevented from advancing because of politics.” No one seemed interested in asking what exactly he would prefer in its place because some things are just better left unknown.

Ganga Singh was confirmed in the position of CEO of WASA, a post he has been acting in for some time, causing ghost Companies and make believe organizations everywhere to cheer in support.

Chairman of the United National Congress Austin Jack Warner has announced that the Party's internal elections carded for January 2012 will be put off until March to allow for the importation of medals for everybody.

The really funny thing in all of this is as farfetched as some of these stretches are, at this point in time many would be hard pressed to tell fact from fiction. Trying to keep from coloring myself perplexed I have decided to keep it simple for the balance of the year and see if I too could qualify for a medal.

Gays in the Express..

2011-12-13T16:43:00.000-08:00

The organization that has placed an advertisement in the Express offering to cure the gays from their affliction have announced a couple other important cures and we look forward to seeing the Express run those ads as well:

Shall I list the new cures?

The Indian affliction, the African affliction, the Syrian affliction?

How about the Jews, the Hindus and the Muslims? Shall I list those afflictions and cures too?

While we're at it, can we cure Catholic priests and Baptist whatever they are?

The Chamber of Commerce, the Manufacturer's Association, as well as some other professional organizations that all have afflictions and cures too?

How about the people who will ooh and aah over two dead manicous but won't spit on a homeless hungry person, can that be cured, and if yes, will the Express run the ad?

Will curing white people encourage them to share all the money they got for selling land that they got for free based on the amount of negroes they owned at the time?

Is that an affliction?

Wife beating politicians, if the cure is available, will the Express run it?

How about business men who own media to pervert public policy and frustrate free speech, if there was a cure for that, how would the Express feel about running that ad?

I wrote an article entitled Why Don't We piss EVERYBODY Off and am willing to publish it if the Express agrees to carry it, so that we can all be equal opportunity offenders. I am not gay and I could not begin to understand what makes a person risk the derision and sometimes openly hostile public ridicule that that life choice brings, so I am as careful to judge them as I am to others who seem equally 'different' from me.

The Express Newspaper, once again presented with an opportunity to be for nation building and social guiding instead went the way of profiteering at the people and especially the gay's expense, and we could only hope and pray that one day, if a cure for that level of greed driven selfishness becomes available, they will advertise it too.

Wasted Opportunities & Broken Hearts...

2011-12-11T12:31:00.003-08:00

They say that Rome was not built in a day and I agree, but at some point along the way it must have been clear to those who were interested that it was in fact Rome that they were building. Since independence to now we are yet to elect to Office anyone who can direct us to our 'Rome' or who even look like they have a clue or a plan for this nation and its people. Yes they have had agendas but no they have never been national in scope. We've never had a Trinidad & Tobago Party with a Trinidad & Tobago agenda; we've had an Afro-Trini agenda, and we've had an Indo-Trini agenda, but as neither side can ever claim more than fifty per cent of the public''s support, neither agenda will ever get us anywhere as a people. Simply put, we are going down a path that is not good for anybody, because regardless of who eventually triumphs, if it's at the expense of the other half of the country nobody is going to win.

In the background noise swirling around the incessant change agent our politics has become, the dissatisfied hum remains. How do you say 'once again' when the call never stops? Continuously the people are asked to choose between two devils, both of whom they know well and both of whom are appealing to different levels of their lowest minds, encouraging them always, in the absence of real alternatives, to once again take a chance. Nothing new, nothing different from the last time around, just 'not them.' Like a pusher in a dark alley they promise to make you feel better even though they know and you know that they know that you know that what they're pushing is a lie. Our politics no longer requires politicians and Parties to find their best selves, they just need to focus on their opponent's worst self. Add to this confusion the still not yet settled issue of the Congress of the People, an organization one devil wants to claim and the other would like to destroy, standing in the gateway between fact and fiction, not yet living up to its promise nor its place in history and leaving its supporters sipping power and making excuses for the indulgence.

Every Political Party is made up the same basic stuff - agendas, financiers, investors, members, supporters, hangers on and aspiring politicians. What makes the Congress of the People different, what they have right now that is different to the others is opportunity. That one thing that Parties spend millions of dollars to achieve belongs to them almost free and being offered on a plate.

What's that opportunity you ask? To give the people hope. Right now, at this time, in this curious alignment of magic and mayhem, that is the quality most absent from the political landscape and is what has the voters and the public as jaded as they are. The great disappointment has been that the Congress of the People has not yet risen to the challenge, to their own promises and the longing of the people who are neither enough of whatever it takes to be fully claimed by either of the two tribal Parties. Yet still the people believe on and hope, because at some point you expect that something will rise up and answer the cry, fill the void and bring real change to a nation so blessed with talent and rich with resources, yet morbidly cursed with political obscurantists, opportunists and closet 'raper-men.'

The turn around, if it comes, will be conceived in promise and labored in hope, and delivered in the reality of a national unity that is a reality on the ground but provoked into a lie at the top to further agendas.

If it doesn't come, the people will become further disenchanted, setting the stage for political opportunists to make hay on the national mood, trusting that a people desperate for change will see anything other than business as usual as change, and while they may not endorse it in the sober light of day, in the heady rush leading up to change all who could hold a rhythm will find partners with which to dance. You doubt that? Ask the people of Cuba; fifty years on they still cannot understand how they got from the iron grip of one abusive and advantageous ideology into the brutal, unforgiving fist of another, pausing briefly only to sing a freedom song, to dance in the glow of the bonfire of a hope that was so easily misplaced and abused.

Fixing Traffic...

2011-12-08T18:05:00.001-08:00

After crime the number one negative social issue that affects most of us on a daily basis is traffic. There are many reasons why we have traffic, but far and away the biggest being the hundreds of thousands of people that needlessly cross each others paths twice daily during rush hour for no good reason. The result of unregulated planning and development over the years, the supposition of this is if we planned ourselves into a problem then we could surely plan ourselves out of it.

Multiple Ministries have an impact on traffic, but none as much as the Ministry of Education as is evident three times for the year when schools are closed. Literally solving two problems at once, we need to do away with the SEA examinations and make all schools ten year schools from Primary to CXC. The SEA exams tries to do what a proper education system should do, and that is manage the performance of the students and the schools that they attend simultaneously. If all schools were ten year schools based on a performance system then parents would be encouraged to enroll their children in schools closest to where they live. The revamping of the education system that could be built on this policy would be dealt with in depth at another time, but it is mentioned here strictly from the impact of schools on traffic.

We have been talking about decentralization for years as a solution to traffic woes and yet despite the amount of time and studies done it has largely remained just talk. While we have to agree that certain boroughs like Chaguanas that were allowed to spring up unregulated over the years will require much more intervention, acquisition and demolition if anything like sense is going to prevail there, on the widest possible scale many of our problems could be solved through policy and functions of Government. As a start, employers should be encouraged to stagger work hours where possible, allow telecommunication as an option and provide showers, lockers and changing rooms for staff members who choose to ride or even run to work.

Government Administration Centers should be built in every constituency, negating the need to travel to city centers to process necessary but easily decentralized tasks. Passports, drivers permits, identification cards, taxes should all be processed at these locations as well as other necessary things not mentioned here. The Port of Port of Spain should be relocated east of the Beetham landfill, removing much of the trucking traffic out of Port of Spain and freeing up miles of waterfront property for high end development.

- Trucks should be barred from all streets and roads from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday to Friday (hereafter referred to as 'peak time') freeing up much needed road-space. The retail community should be encouraged to engage in warehouse restocking activities at night if possible, as unrestricted traffic during shopping hours will benefit their bottom line almost immediately.

- All roadworks should be done after 9:00 p.m. and before 5:00 a.m. or on weekends wherever practical or possible.

- Traffic lights need to be sequenced in series (especially at peak time), so that a car encountering traffic lights would have all green lights or all red lights until after the series in both directions.

- Taxis, maxi taxis and buses should all be made to use designated transport stops, and these stops should be indented wherever possible to allow for them to pull completely off of the roads.

- The priority bus route should be used during peak time as a car pool lane, but requiring no less than three persons in the car for it to be used.

Finally, Traffic Wardens should be made mobile as highly visible road and highway patrols with contact to police radio cars should they require support, and should be charged with handing out tickets to those who disobey the rules of the road. They should also be dispatched to all major existing 'trouble spots' to assist during peak times.

While these suggestions would not bring a complete end to traffic, properly done as suggested they would have such a significant impact on the existing problem as to do away with the need for unaffordable mass transit schemes at this time. This is a problem that could be solved by the people themselves if the right policies are put in place and the right signals sent from on top, the way a properly functioning society is supposed to be.

Plain Talk, not Bad Manners...

2011-12-05T18:01:00.001-08:00

Were you to hear only the claims made by the beer, rum and cell phone advertisements you would be tempted to think that we in T&T are one big, happy, united, people living idyllic lives in the Caribbean, but in spite of the national celebration when a 'Trini' wins something abroad, sadly we are not.

What is worse, we have a habit of failing to see or deal with the important things as a collective and tend to put our view above the needs of others. This is the main reason why there is no national outcry against either Calder Hart or Ishwar Galbaransingh, because for all their corruption and the abuse they meted out while in the public's employ, a full half of the society actually 'claims' them as their own and defends them, as if owning a bandit could somehow be something to be proud of.

Does the whole society view Sat Maharaj or Selwyn Cudjoe the same way? Of course not, and that division is what make governing this country that much more difficult. No one wants to bell the cat. No one wants to say that the same things many are screaming bloody murder against under this administration they would not have said a peep about under the last, and many of the abuses rallied against when this crew was campaigning is now okay.

The mountain we face is how do we carve a people out of this 'every creed and race' melting pot and find a way forward that benefits all. How do we stop viewing every thing from a racial perspective (as the default position) and find a national one instead? Our people are disillusioned and jaded by politics and who could really blame them? Parliament is reduced weekly to a circus of performers, as if no one is willing to stand up, make a national contribution that does not descend into lackaray and mauvais langue and sit back down. Everything seems to require posturing and attacking the 'other' side, which runs down the backs of every Trinidadian and Tobagonian as either us or them. Who does this help besides the racists, and are we all racist?

Surely there must be people in this country who see themselves as Trinidadians and Tobagonians first, who are comfortable with their lot in life and who are only interested in serving as a form of giving back to the land of their birth. What is preventing them from rising to positions of authority so that debate and discussion does not descend into mayhem?

Many have said before and I cannot help but agree that the way to true national unity is blocked by the two political dinosaurs of the PNM and the UNC. Both are agenda driven and are controlled from within by people with serious axes to grind who are grinding away at any hope we have of a peaceful and orderly society.

Until we can deal with that and all it comes with, all the talk in the world won't get us anywhere, and any of us that are members of supporters of either of those cults are as much the problem as anyone else.

It is time we grew up as a society and took some responsibility for ourselves and the collective. Personal responsibility is the number one most important issue to be discussed if we are to get all hands on deck rowing in the same direction and we have to do it before it's too late.

We need codes of conduct if not enforced then strenuously encouraged. Responsibilities of citizenship are fundamental truths to be learnt, guided by and guarded, in a society where it is safe once again for a child to be a child. Respect for self and for others, manners, conduct, these have become meaningless words that need to be made fashionable again. The elderly, the young, our women must once again feel respected and safe to go about their business and men must be reminded of what being a man really means.

We need to embrace personal responsibility even as we attempt to take up the mantle of social responsibility. We need to be clear on who and what we give honor and respect to and who we walk away from. If real change is ever going to come to this land it has to start with us.

Prakash, History on Line One....

2011-11-30T00:27:00.001-08:00

I know it's impolite to start a conversation with a question, but could someone tell me honestly what purpose does this 'People's Partnership' serve now? To fight whom, the ghost of Christmas past? And if (as some within that organization says) the ideal situation is a coalition as it represents true national unity, then why not invite the PNM to join and do away with the Parliament altogether? What criteria is keeping them out?

The truth of the matter is we do not need a coalition Government anymore as it has served its principal and primary purpose at the General Election of 2010 and those who are still defending and promoting it are guilty of misleading the people. Thinking people everywhere knows that the country would be much better served by an 'independent' Congress of the People, freed from the UNC's Party line and able to vote conscience with or against the Government on national issues, functioning as a counterbalance of sorts against any excesses and abuses in the Parliament.

For the UNC the loss of the 'special majority' the current arrangement brings might be inconvenient to their agenda, but to the Congress of the People, this presents such a marvelous opportunity I don't know why it is not being openly discussed with the membership. Think about it; harnessing the power to make and break policy from a Congress of the People position will raise the Party's stocks and would attract disenchanted PNM and UNC supporters tired of the tribal politics and of defending the corrupt practices of the past. On any scale this is a win for the COP and the only obstacle to progress may be the ambition and character of the current leadership or their shortcomings.

Surely the members MUST know that this term would be the only term in Government the COP will ever see if the Partnership charade continues, because like it or not the Party is in a lose lose position, being seen both as the 'weaker' junior partner in the government as well as complicit in some of the more questionable decisions by the ruling UNC government.

Does Prakash Ramadhar have Prime Ministerial qualities? Does he see himself as a 'First among Equals?' If the answer to either question is yes then what is he waiting for? The opportunity is ripe for the picking, the politics pregnant with desire for a real and substantial alternative, and any political observer worth their salt could tell him that this moment will never come again. The next election will be a straight up dog fight between the UNC and the PNM if the COP does not seize some yard space for themselves, because nobody is going to be giving them any. Simply put, they would have nothing by then with which to bargain; no support base, no money and more importantly, no credibility. It's literally now or never and I want to be on record as having said it.

Handled properly the COP could end up with more say in the government than they have at present because the UNC would be foolish to try and play hard ball and risk losing everything. As arrangements go this would be a win win for all the people as the country would get a House of Representatives functioning in ALL the people's interest for the first time in a long time, courtesy of the Congress of the People.

At some point Prakash and crew are going to have to answer to the members for their lethargy, and I cannot think of what they could possibly say if they allow this moment to slip by; they are going to have to let the people know if their own personal positions trumps the wishes and aspirations of the very members who put them there.

There is an old saying, it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog. Prakash is now in a position to deliver to the members of his Party and the people of this country real and substantial change, the question comes down to the size of the fight he has in him. Based on the decisions he makes in the short term and immediate future, the members themselves may have some deciding to do.

Down the Rabbit Hole...

2011-11-26T21:17:00.001-08:00

Theexpedition that we are on into Alice's Wonderland seems intent tocontinue unabated and without respite. The latest salvo in the waragainst reason was the announcement that the security forces hadalready arrested either seven or twelve persons (depending on yoursource) in relation to an alleged unearthed plot to assassinate noneother than the Prime Minister herself and some of her colleagues inthe Cabinet. Among those detained in this scandalous development isthe son of a well known (now deceased) contractor who himself wasrecently made famous due to quantities of drugs and ammunitiondiscovered in his home, a notorious member of the Jamaat previouslycharged with murder, alleged radical Muslim clerics and high levelpolice officers as well as others, or so we have been told.

Now,not meaning to downplay what is otherwise a very serious situation,but I would think based on the divisive and confrontational nature ofour politics as well as the significant sophistication of ourunderworld, threats of this nature would be par for the course.Former Prime Ministers have themselves weighed in on the announcementand agree on that point, that barring some substantial and newdevelopment where things of this nature are concerned, announcing athreat against the government to the people brings needless anxietyto the nation for no useful purpose. What could have been theintention here? What can public knowledge of these circumstance(whether plausible or not) hope to gain the government? There is noeasily identifiable advantage to this and none were disclosed,leaving the masses to assume that at the very least this could benothing more than a stunt or hoax by a government whose members havenow squandered whatever political currency and authority with whichthey came into Office.

The people for their part seem to betiring of these charades in the public arena and may have becomeinured to announcements that offer 'just enough' intrigue to soundplausible but not enough substance to be believable. Not wanting touse the analogy of the boy who cried wolf I am hard pressed to findanother more apt, and now that hardly anyone believes the government(including in these matters of seemingly urgent national importance),every announcement from captain to cook leads to a debate as tocredibility. That they have lost the trust to govern is a given, andif ever there was a reason to dissolve the Parliament and call anearly election, this would be it.

Ifreasonable people are expected to do reasonable things if not alwaysthen at least often, then it should be reasonable to expect that atsome point governance under this administration would become lessobtrusive and jarring as time wears on. We simply cannot carry on aswe have been from one crisis to the next and expect stability to bethe order of the day, it does not work that way. The tone of asociety (especially small societies like ours) are set at the policy levelfrom the top down. If as some have speculated that much of this istomfoolery designed to distract for short term gains for friends andaccomplices then there will be a political reckoning at some point.That this government cannot survive beyond one term is all but aforegone conclusion and I am sure even they know it by now, but thedamage that is being done to the 'sugar belt' Party will outlive themand render that organization stranded in obscurity for generations tocome. Whether such a development would be good or bad for ourpolitics will be decided by the people's ability to producea 'replacement' Party to fill the gap that our adversarial system ofgovernance requires.

This nation is in desperate need of calmassertive leadership and stability at the helm for a change.Everytime we see our Prime Minister or representatives of hergovernment making public announcements it should be to advise us asto ways in which they are working to improve our lives full stop. Itappears some of them may need reminding that they are in fact publicservants in the people's employ and any notions of royalty and otherdistracting delusions of grandeur need to be dispelled.

Wine and Bend Over...

2011-11-23T21:23:00.001-08:00

Betweenthe former disaster of the strutting dictator  
and the presentdilemma of the drunken master  
we in this place taking jamfront and center 
but doh study dat, wine and ben over....

Richman poor man tief and beggar
Everybody wet in de same settawater
rain fall, man bawl, like town on fire
Jump in de line,we feelin' fine, wine and ben over

Raise yuh glass, shake yuh rass, toast to Mother Nature
Down de road, shedding load,everywhere wet with karma
Wall fall, fridge and all coming down inde river
Slip in de wet, nobody fret, wine and ben over

Danis de man with de people's plan, sharing hamper
brooms and mops,a bag of hops, two roll of toilet paper
No steel in de wall, boundto fall, whey de contractor?
Time to lime, doh waste no time, wineand ben over

Panic all around, house fall down, where demedia
Everything fine, the sun will shine, cool yuh temper
Bussa smile, stay a while, wave at de helicopter
Turn around, sing desong, wine and ben over

Landslide, Government pride, somebodybring a camera
Hustle and rage, set de stage for de strike a posetheatre
Planning done and 'one iz one' so say de Minister
Whennine days pass, we go play a mas and wine and ben over

State of Absurdity...

2011-11-22T16:26:00.001-08:00

At the height of Monday's flooding disaster in Maraval an overseas friend who commented why don't we declare a State of Emergency and who was very surprised when we told her that we were already under a State of Emergency asked (jokingly) what was the next step up?

Sometimes we really do need to laugh in this place, for what she exposed was the reality of the situation, where the thing that was designed to deal with something other than what it was used for now seemed powerless to deal with what it was intended for. In answer to her question others chimed in and made suggestions of different 'States' we could 'declare.' Someone suggested a 'State of Calamity' to describe the lack of clear evacuation routes and early response, someone else offered a 'State of Catastrophe' based on the absence of plans to which the people could turn to when order gave way to chaos. Another suggested a 'State of Stupidity' because the disaster we were dealing with was all of our making (which may very well have been our starting position in the first place), while a 'State of Indecency' was offered to describe the grandstanding by politicians from both sides of the yawning divide who chose instead to take advantage of the suffering for shameless self promotion. A 'State of Uncertainty' was suggested to describe the same politicians when asked questions as to cause and possible solutions, as was a 'State of Confusion.'

Looking on as one system after another failed at protecting the public from an afternoon shower I could not help but feel a little ashamed, having been privy to suggestions, plans and policies that could have prevented this if implemented years ago. If Saturdays downpour and flash floods were a joke, Monday was the punch line. At the entrance to Maraval (and as if to announce what was about to happen), the newly constructed Country Club wall collapsed early on, making a fortune teller of that organization's engineer who foretold of its collapse based on poor design, paucity of structural steel and the lack of weep holes to prevent what occurred from happening.

The Minister responsible for Town & Country Planning said that it could not do its job as currently configured, which of course begs the question as to why anyone is paid to work there. The political misdirection employed in these situations required the announcement of the drafting of 'new' legislation, 'this time with teeth,' as the old one apparently stopped at gums.

The Minister of Legal Affairs mistakenly donned his Political leader's hat for the day and 'waded in' to help with the clean up, when he should really have been sharpening his Ministerial pen to go after those who brought this preventable tragedy upon us in the first place.

The Minster of Works was hard pressed to explain why nothing worked, and the Prime Minister herself promised that things would be put in place to prevent this from re-occurring, eerily similar to the same promise she made last year in Central when the same thing occurred.. The Leader of The Opposition was aghast that nothing seemed to work, but one would think that he should be accustomed to this having himself been the Minister responsible for the non functioning Ministry of Planning in the recent past.

Beset on all sides by law breakers, deal makers, opportunity takers, and a coalition of the bungling and the inept in public office, this was always going to be where we ended up. Regardless of what Mother Nature throws at us our first response is always going to be a joke, because between Saturday's preview and Monday's catastrophe nothing changed, nothing new was put in place and no one was made to account. No cancellation of leave, no evacuation plans and emergency shelters were advertised, no resources deployed to suspected trouble spots despite the forecast of coming bad weather. Now that we've had Monday to demonstrate how quickly things could go awry whether we prepare for it or not, surely the people of this country must be anxious to find leaders and public employees who are able function at levels higher than what we witnessed this weekend. In answer to my friend's question, if this is not a 'State of Absurdity' then surely we're close.

The Blame Game... (Can't We All Just Get Along?)

2011-11-20T20:13:00.001-08:00

Readingan article in one of the daily newspapers I found myselfflabbergasted and bowled completely over by a quote attributed toAustin Jack Warner, who suggested in an interview that we shouldbring an end to what he calls the 'blame' game because there is, inhis words, critical work to be done.

Did I go mad or did he?One of us had to, because my eyes could not believe what they werereading, or maybe more got washed away in Saturday's flood than Irealized, but did he really say that out loud and in public? ReallyJack? Forgive and forget? That statement did not only require balls,it called for the bat and the wickets too. I mean, give Jack hisjacket here, the man should receive an award for this display ofsheer gymnastic audacity. I also could not believe that the newspaperran the article without ending it lol (laughing out loud). Seriously.I am well past thinking these people of capable of shame but ohgosh, they have you dead to rights man. That the advisor to thegifted (they weren't bribes, they were gifts) felt he was in a placewhere he could put that out there really says a lot about how lowwe've sunk, and I wonder if he saw the irony or was just acting on anopportunity?

Pushing forward into the delusion for a minute,if we were to contemplate taking this idea seriously then I wouldlike it to go a couple steps further. I would like to suggest that weopen the jails and let everybody go as long as they promise to getbusy working critically. This could lead to long overdue vacationsfor prisons officers and would allow for a vacuuming and a mopping ofthe facilities. While we're at it we could also cancel all pendingcriminal cases before all courts and let everyone know we're startingfresh. Apologize to the victims and try to get them to understandthat if forgiveness is divine, then national forgiveness on thislevel could possibly qualify us for a visit from the Pope or maybeeven George W. Bush. Someone should put out a call to Calder and lethim know he is now free to return and compete with Ish head to headfor new contracts. Lawrence and Andre should be apologized to as welland paid any outstanding salaries right out of the Treasury to makeup for any inconvenience that tiresome Commission of Enquiry may havecaused. Speaking of which, the Commissioners of all Enquiries shouldbe thanked, paid in full and either sent on their way or invited tojoin us for a tropical vacation now that we have no more need oftheir services.

Who does that leave? Ah yes, drug lords. Wecould forgive all drug lords for all the drugs that they havecurrently in their possession as of today's date, and they should berequired to bring them in to have them officially stamped to makethem 'legal.' Any drugs seized bearing a date stamp will of course bereturned with an apology, while any seized that do not will be fed torats or used in future disappearing magic tricks.

Who else canwe forgive, Manning? How about we forgive Patos and give him back hisjob? Tell him it was all a big joke ha ha, tickle him in the ribs andmove out of his way so he can carry on smartly. Really. If we're allgoing to be stupid then let's be massively stupid to infinity andbeyond.

No Jack sorry, we cannot put an end to the 'blame'game, it's the only game we have. We are so terrible at the'prosecute and charge' game that ALL the people have left is the'blame' game. Leave them with that nah, as the white collar criminalswho have blazed a 'ten finger discount' trail through this countryare so good at 'thief the money and keep it' game. We loseconsistently at the 'hire big lawyers and walk' game, and Heavenknows we will never win at the 'get the money back' game, not whenlarge portions of it are used for legal fees and for 'gifts.' As thisis the only game we have we're going to have to hold onto it for awhile longer.

Pull Up Selecta... (Go Easy with the Democracy)

2011-11-18T16:34:00.001-08:00

With the people distracted by the lifting of the curfew and the return to excess the Government of the day seems in a hurry to push some questionable policies, programs and legislation through in quick time. Innocuous and harmless in intent on the surface, they all seem to share a common trait in that upon closer examination real concerns manifests themselves.

The first of these grand ideas wants to spread taxpayer funds over depressed communities to seed development which sounds like a good thing to do. When the project is named Color Me Orange and aimed at Opposition strongholds it begs questions which it doesn't answer, and even the normally vociferous among the PNM front-liners fail to notice that Color Me Orange could well and deliberately be a euphemism for putting some UNC yellow into the PNM red. If this plan was designed to make it all right for PNMites to support the ruling Party 'just a little bit' then whoever created it deserves an award, but he should not be allowed to use taxpayers funds to do it. Beyond the Machiavellian politics what it will in fact do is further undermine the people of these communities and deepen the dependency syndrome by granting hand outs in exchange for make work labour. And while this capital injection may be a boon to the businesses that lost out to the curfew, what it will also do is leave a trail of destruction in its wake as these same people once again exchange bought loyalty to 'eat ah food,' something that if not sustained, usually results in increased crime.

I would like to suggest that this same seed money be used to create hundreds of 'Micro Business Development Parks' throughout the country especially in the depressed communities that can provide space at pepper corn rent to encourage and support entrepreneurs and small business start ups. From tailors to seamstresses, snack food makers and bakeries, artists, crafts men and other small operations, this plan would provide a chance at establishing themselves in a way closed to them before. Subsidized electricity, free broad band and cheap natural gas could also be provided to give them a tremendous competitive edge at the critical start up phase, and properly executed, could move many from being job seekers to job providers in no time, creating an environment of hope and opportunity once again.

The second issue that caught my attention is the Government's plan at establishing what, to my mind could only end up as a private police force that by passes the constitution, concentrates power in the Executive and undermines the democracy. Yes we need massive reform and redevelopment in our police service but further undermining and undercutting it is not the way to go. We may not be happy with the speed of progress but Commissioner Gibbs is bringing new ideas on stream, and with the bookends of Ramesh Deosaran and Gillian Lucky to provide some stability to the thing we are in an excellent place to begin the work of creating a twenty first century police force. I am loathe to support giving ANY government this type of unrestricted power and I call on the Prime Minister to thrash this idea and return instead to working with and building on the Constitutionally provided for and Service Commission regulated Trinidad & Tobago Police Service. Augmenting duties with the establishment of traffic wardens is one thing, putting unregulated power to restrict liberty in the hands of politicians is something else entirely. This is one idea that should never see the light of day and should be resisted by the population as vociferously as possible.

The final issue that demands our attention is the legislation being put forward by the Minister of Justice that seeks to challenge the rights of a person at the most basic level, is over zealous and allows for the re-violation of a victim in the name of crime fighting. Passing laws that allows the State to violate a person's right to privacy of their very person is the longest drop on the slippery slope and leaves us not much further to go in the surrender of all rights and freedoms. This Bill may have its genesis in good intentions (if that is indeed the case) but it must find its demise in even clearer and loftier ones. The government must be made to know that we will not support legislation that undermines our constitutionally guaranteed civil rights and we insist instead on deepening them further through consultation on a wide range of issues nationwide.

The members of the government needs to be told that the job before them for which they were hired is simple to the able and easily accomplished by the qualified. The bigger question that needs to be asked before we further fritter away our enshrined freedoms is if the people that are trying to do the job are in fact capable of doing so in the first place. That answer may well decide everything else in my opinion and guide as to where we ought to go from here.

Saving Hope...

2011-11-18T14:00:00.001-08:00

Inearly August of this year the Jericho Project embarked on a missionof heart that we hoped would accomplish among other things - to sendmuch needed food to drought ridden and war torn Somalia; to bringthat issue some regional if not international exposure in the hopethat other nations would see it fit to send food also; and to give ushere at home a chance to make a grand unselfish gesture out ofnothing but our own simple humanity.

We sent out a press release andCans of Hope was born. The project was named 'Cans of Hope' because if food from a tinyisland a million miles away could find its way to the hungry inSomalia then surely peace could break out and the famine could end,and also because we name all our events hope. As has become the custom now our members and supporters got down to the task and we began the work.

Hope is apowerful thing. It makes believers out of doubters and helps othershold on despite adversity. We put out a call to the nationalcommunity and got offers of help from diverse corners of the country.Valdez & Torry International undertook to create the event's logoat no cost (as usual) and secured an offer from Scrip J to print ourbanners for free. The Congress of the People allowed us to use theirFlagship House as a drop off point and meeting zone and Hi Lo FoodStores offered to let us use their network of stores throughout theisland as collection points also. New members signed on includingwell known activist Nalini Dial, political activist Wendell Everslyand COP D'abadie O'meara member Kerry Ann Sudama. The Islamic ReliefCenter also volunteered to help and joined us, as did Dirk Gibbs fromTobago as well as many others too numerous to mention.

In notime at all we had food being donated. It wasn't pouring in but itwas coming. The State of Emergency's announcement buried our firstreal press conference and we sort of limped along from that momenton. We looked at different ways to raise the profile of the event toget it top of mind or at least news worthy but there was just toomuch going on in sweet T&T for a feel good story about the littleengine that could. We lost momentum and we lost some volunteers butwe still tried to keep it going. Our ideas for a concert and atelethon got good support volunteer wise but again was getting lostin the noise. We were also having great difficulty securing theactual getting of the food to Somalia so a decision was taken to stopeverything related to the concert until April next year and to startlooking for alternatives to donate the food we were collecting if itreally proved impossible to get the donations into Somalia. Wedecided to stop any further food collections for Somalia and put theword out through all of our groups, networks and pages that any foodthat was donated now would be used for families and communities inneed right here at home. We also agreed to turn over all the food wehad at that time to the Islamic Relief Center and Wendell Eversleywho wanted to try to get at least one container into the country. Asof this writing we or they are no closer to that happening despiteoffers from the Red Cross to assist. Rumors abound of deteriorationsin conditions due to violence and that nothing is being allowed in.We will be guided by the efforts of these few until such time as itcould be considered not possible.

As of this writing thedecision remains. We have agreed to work with local community groupsand projects from Diego Martin, to El Socorro on to Matelot and weplan to continue to collect food for these and other local groupsinstead. As of now we are still collecting food and clothes fromanyone who would like to donate, but ALL of it will be used forlocals in need until after Christmas. If by some miracle we also endup getting the food to Somalia then we would have all done a goodthing. If it cannot happen then that food is going to be used forlocal charities also. We intend to keep you informed every step ofthe way.

Phillip Edward Alexander
Chairman
The JerichoProject

Scenes from the Protest... (Live from The Square)

2011-11-17T20:07:00.001-08:00

Lookingon at the developments with the Occupy Wall Street Movement in NewYork I cannot help but feel impressed at the camaraderie andcommitment of the people, the sacrifice, the generosity and the love,and at the same time I cant help but feel depressed when I think ofmy own country and its people, who, unless it's for a visa or earlybird prices on all inclusive tickets, not getting up early, lining upanywhere or inconveniencing themselves for nothing.

Is it thatwe're just one big spoilt nation?

Maybe that's it. Imagine ifby some miracle you were able to get hundreds or thousands ofTrinidadians into say Independence Square without the use of MachelMontano as the draw, and assuming they were there for thedemonstration and camped through the night, what would be thesituation like the following morning?

In my mind's eye I amplaying the role of media reporter complete with camera in tow,walking through a veritable sea of make shift tents and coveringsthat started from just opposite the Hyatt and continued uninterruptedall the way to the Cathedral. We are observing as journalists andinterviewing for the record what is taking place.

This is allimaginary, but this is Trinidad, so you know anything couldhappen:

“Here we are folks, on the first morning followingthe impromptu gathering of demonstrators here on Independence Squarein Trinidad. Protesters turned out in their hundreds last night andhave remained to continue in what the foreign media have dubbedOccupy de Promenade. We hope to get some interviews to find out whatexactly the protest is about, and here is someone right here.
[US]“Good morning sir, would you mind answering a few questions forus?”
Clears throat and smiles broadly “Not at all”
[US]“Whyare you here?”
[Smiley] “I wanted to see the Minister of thePeople about a job and when they said on TV dis morning that all themedia was down on de Promenade I come down here because ah thought hewoulda be here too.”
[US] “So you have nothing to do with theprotest?”
[Smiley] “No, I'm a plumber. And ah does do lilcarpentry too. But mostly a plumber. You see the Minister?”

Wemove on into the crowd searching for someone who could tell us moreabout what is going on here and why. Peeking into one of the makeshift shelters:

[US] “How are you this morning?”
[ChubbyBareback Rasta Guy] “I real vex. Yuh woulda think that with all adis going on somebody woulda think to organize some kinda corn beefsandwich and milo or somting. Dis not easy. We outside here wholenight. Mankind horngry horngry, KFC sell out since nine last nightand nobody eh even pass and bring a lil cheese sandwich self. Steups.If we wasn't already protesting dis we woulda have to go and protestdat oui...”
[US] “What are you protesting here?”
[CBRG]“I not sure. I get a text las night sayin everybody on de Promenadeso I come down. Next ting I know iz cause no taxi to go back and Iend up sleeping here. I not no vagrant to be sleeping on no cardboardin town...”
[US, (preparing to leave)] “Have a good daysir”
[Chubby] “What you mean have a good day? I hope it dohrain. Nowhere to charge phone. Who organize dis?”

We arealerted to a scuffle and we join the crowd heading in the directionof Nicholas Tower to see what it's about. We arrive just in time tosee two women locked in combat over what appears to be a small dog. Iam straining to get a view between the CNN and BBC reporters when oneof them is asked by a reporter what the fight is about and shescreams into the microphone “....she try to tief mih weave...”

Wewalk further east in the direction of the Cathedral, hoping to findsomeone to shed light on the demonstration. Within the sea of peoplethere is a man with a megaphone and I make my way to him.
[US]“Sircan you tell us why you're here?”
[East Indian Guy] “I wasoutside Kemlani's getting ready to make the days announcements andthen all these people just come voosh and next ting I know I all deway down here.”

I make my way to Cipriani Statue to make myreport:

“From what we gather all of this is the results of aprank text forwarded mercilessly and well, the results are plain tosee. Will this protest accomplish anything? Highly unlikely.”

Butthen, this was all imagination anyway, because it could never happenin reality, if we were going to occupy anything in T&T therewould have to have entertainment for us to even show up, and it wouldhave to be catered for us to stick around, wouldn't it?

National Bullshit Council...

2011-11-15T11:03:00.001-08:00

Of all of the changes that this country could use urgently, none are more important than a National Bullshit Council. Set up to be a watchdog over everything, it would be allowed to weigh in on anything where the people's 'right to know' is concerned. Wouldn't you like to be told at the end of every political announcement by an authoritative voice that what you just heard may have in fact been bullshit? How about the advertisement that says a particular brand of soft drink gives you happiness but omits to tell you that it also gives you diabetes, wouldn't you like there to be an organization responsible for steering you straight? We would too, so, without further ado, here are some examples of recent times when it would have been extremely handy to have a National Bullshit Council:

- When Patrick Manning recently called his dramatic press conference of urgent and national importance to 'apologize' to all the people that he may have 'wronged' while he was Prime Minister we were forced to test the announcement for traces of bullshit. And while some are happy that he seems to have found his humanity, others are scoffing at this demonstration of way-too-little much-too-late suspect piety. Thinking everyone in the country are as easily fooled as his supporters, Mr. Manning is once again guilty of making a mess of the language by forcing his reality on the facts. What we are all awaiting is his press conference to announce his retirement from active politics and the sooner he does that the better. We at the National Bullshit Council see this latest bit of hypnotic trickery for what it is; unadulterated 100% bullshit.

- Brigadier John Sandy treated the entire nation like school children when he informed us that he saved us from something by recommending a State of Emergency but could not say from what exactly, and despite saying it with his sternest face we all saw it for what it was, misidrective bullshit. Unable to acknowledge that his government's failure to get a handle on crime made everything else that they said and did irrelevant, he and they went for the draconian step that many would have been willing to put up with had they been honest and up front about their reasons in the first place. That they chose to 'spin' it instead has made a bad situation that much worse, and now the people have no choice but to wait to get their Constitutional Rights back from the same bunch of jokers they can't wait to fire. If that is not bullshit, we don't know what is.

- The entire nation gasped in disbelief that Ishwar Galbaransingh and Steve Ferguson were successful in their bid to thwart extradition to the United States to answer charges for crimes committed in that jurisdiction to which they are all but assured State sponsored food and lodging. Listening to the Attorney General speak on these matters almost calls for a secret decoder ring as one is never sure if one can believe what is being said, and it is clear that the government's default position in matters like these seems to be 'if you cannot intrigue them with your intelligence, baffle them with bullshit.' Attorney General Anand Ramlogan is a master of the craft and we at the National Bullshit Council believe that he deserves to either receive an award or to have one named in his honor.

- When Kamla announced her 'Sponsor a Gangsta' program called 'Color me Orange' recently, our bullshit detectors almost exploded. Now three hundred million dollars of the people's money is going to be spent on a program that hopes to add some UNC yellow to the PNM red worn in those areas. That they are not even trying to hide their intentions anymore is tragic, and while this is of course bullshit, it's also funny.

- While lovable lunatic Mayor Louis Lee Sing is being thwarted in every step at enforcing the law, the residents of Woodbrook are once again free to inhale the lovely scent of fresh urine in the morning. Literally depending on which side of the fence you're on, this is a clear example of bureaucratic bullshit gone wild.

- When TV6 decided to thumb its nose at decent people everywhere by reinstating the Rape for Ratings programme we thought we should point out to them that in so doing they may have inadvertently made a lie out of their sign on prayer. While we are the last people to tell people what to pray for, we are the exact people to tell you that doing the opposite of what you are praying for is the textbook definition of bullshit.

- Leader of the Congress of the People Prakash Ramadhar has decided to use his considerable political weight and has declared war against racism and visible panty lines. That there are so many other pressing issues that could be addressed by the Government's 'B' Team it's not funny, and while we accept it for the coalition bullshit that it is, we at the Council are also willing to be wrong on this one. We look forward with eager anticipation to the outcome of this endeavor and would welcome that Party's Green Paper on Race Reform in Trinidad & Tobago as well as the much needed legislation that criminalizes bingo bags.

It is clear to see and based on the few provided examples from amidst the plethora of questionable pronouncements being made on a daily basis, we do in fact need a National Bullshit Council and the sooner one is established the better. There are many well established and talented bullshit artists at work in this country who should be asked to serve on the Board, as it is a globally accepted truth that no matter how hard you try, you will never be able to bullshit a bullshitter.

Leading Nowhere...

2011-11-11T16:55:00.001-08:00

Thereis no escaping the fact that Trinidad & Tobago is suffering froma severe crisis of leadership in every sphere of publicadministration and this lack of direction and vision is having adetrimental effect on the stewardship of the State and is manifestingitself in some strange developments here and abroad.

Thefinancial sector is reeling from the abuse meted out by significantplayers bent on the most corrupt assault on the people in the recentpast, and none of the trusted institutions charged with safeguardingthe State or the citizens were seen to be about the people'sbusiness. Listening to the Commission of Enquiry into the CLICOfiasco one cannot help but be overwhelmed by the sheer scope of theconspiracy and the manic statuary failure that allowed it to prevail,and now, in its wake, we have tens of thousands of dispossessedpeople hoping for a resolution while the Attorneys for all sidessettle down to the game of who did what to whom.

Governmentitself is seen as a path to personal enrichment through corruptionand the association of white collared criminals among our hallowedhalls is turning our Parliament into a well dressed game of policeand thief. The Parliamentary Code of Ethics has been challenged anddefeated (if such a thing is possible to contemplate) to push aquestionable appointment through, and the very architects of thething are standing by mute while our Legislature is made into aninternational joke.

Business leaders, long driven by profitand the bottom line only lend their voice and reason where theirinterests lie, and profiteering, price gouging and legal slavery arebeing allowed to run amok unquestioned by anything resemblingauthority.

The Ministry of Health, its hospitals and themedical institutions in its charge are failing at delivering thequality of service that could and should be expected based on thequantum of the funding this sector enjoys, and it is not a farstretch to assume that were the hospitals all to be privatizedcompetitively and the funding given to the Health Sector paid into acontributory medical insurance plan for all the people that we wouldnot all be much better served.

The Education sector appears tobe devolving and is in fact producing functioning illiterates at analarming rate. More of a nation wide baby sitting service than aresults based school system, our children are being denied theopportunity to excel simply because our teachers and their managersare not inclined to. Again, were the funds paid to the schools usedto support privatized and competing facilities where quotas andbudgets could be set based on results over time, we could quicklymove from mediocrity to excellence and give our youth a substantialedge in a competitive world. I have suggested in the past that theMinistries of Health and Education be made to work together to maketeaching hospitals of many of our medical institutions, setting thegroundwork for an immediate increase in the production of medicalprofessionals, doctors, nurses, technicians and teachers fueling ourdevelopment from within.

I could go on and on in sector bypublic sector but I think that my point is made, that many of thesemasquerading as leaders are in fact guilty of leading their followersastray. Our greatest failure is that we are hurting our youngergenerations by this demonstrated lack of integrity and morality inpublic life, forcing a hopelessness and an abandonment upon them thatshould itself be considered a crime. Now where the future of ournation should be seen to be growing we have instead shallow lives andwanton violence mimicking the base and the lowest in us.

MayaAngelou said it best when she said - 'There is nothing so pitiful asa young cynic, because he has gone from knowing nothing to believingnothing.'

Thetruth of the matter is that we have to become much more circumspectin the choices we make as we haven't had leaders of substance orvision for quite some time. This more than anything else is where therubber meets the road; That we are long overdue for a clean sweep anda replacement from captain to cook on all sides is clear, as we couldnot possibly do worse than what obtains now even if we set out to.

Who Wants to be Prime Minister... (Updated Proposal)

2011-11-10T18:37:00.001-08:00

Observingthe mad success and popularity of Project Runway and the otherforeign Reality TV Shows on our population got me thinking, how comeno one else has tried to seize the opportunity and take it to thenext level Trini style?

After much mulling over I came upwith what I believe would be a surefire hit, and the following is myproposal for a reality TV show called "Who Wants to be PrimeMinister."

Theshow would be open to all political hopefuls and aspiring nationalsand could solve many of our political woes in one move; it could alsoreplace costly and excessive election campaigns, elect us leadersbased on the popular vote while giving us some good entertainmentwhile we're at it, all from the comfort of our living rooms.

Howit would work:

Allof the contestants would be taken to a remote island for seven weekswhere they would undergo seven gruelling challenges, at the end ofwhich the winning team would be asked to form the Government withtheir leader being named Prime Minister. They would then be whiskedaway to champagne days and caviar nights at La Fantasie, while thelosing team would be flogged mercilessly with wet towels for a weekand fed three day old rock cake and warm mauby for the duration. Theywould also be asked to form the official Opposition.

Challenges:

-Week 1

Challenge- Who's your Bagman

Thischallenge puts contestants from each team in a room full of money andgarbage bags for five minutes; The team that bags and hides all oftheir money first wins. - 20 Points

(This challenge isnot open to past or present employees of Price Waterhouse Coopers)

-Week 2

Challenge- Piffle

Thischallenge gives both teams the opportunity to have one member speaknon stop for five minutes. The first team to speak for the full fiveminutes while making absolutely no sense at all wins - 20 Points

-Week 3

Challenge- Sex Lies & Videotape

Bothteams will be given a box full of props from which to assemblesomething; first team to build something useless utilizing all propswhile simultaneously billing the State for it through multiples ofdummy Companies wins. - 20 points

(Past or present BoardMembers of CLICO, CIB, CL Financial or any other CLICO subsidiary noteligible)

-Week 4

Challenge- Crossing the Floor

Bothteams will be given twenty minutes to convince one or more of theother team to come over to their side; first team to successfullyattract an opponent to cross the floor wins. - 10 points

[NB -this challenge is not open to anyone with the last name Lasse orGriffith or who may be related to Ralph Maraj]

-Week 5

Challenge- What I really want to be

Allcontestants will be given five minutes to convince the judges of acareer they would rather be pursuing if they do not succeed atbecoming Prime Minister.

Pastor- 5 points Pundit – 5 points Preacher - 5 points Dressmaker5 points Nightclub DJ - 10 points

-Week 6

Challenge- Excuses, Excuses, Excuses

Eachcontestant will be given an unaccounted for million dollars andfifteen minutes to explain to the judges how they came to have it andwhy they should not be charged under the Integrity in Public Life Act

-Week 7

Challenge- Friends, Real Friends & Accomplices

Bothsides will be given a team of high powered Attorneys and a list offriends and crimes they are are suspected of committing; first teamto get all of their friends off wins. - 50 points

[Closing]

Itis intended that the show be as technically current as possible andthe producers are looking into having the public 'vote' for theirchoices using mobile phones as they worked so wellfor the Chutney and Soca Monarch shows.

Thisshow hopes to attract many sponsors including Royal Castle, StoneStreet Capital, Maritime Insurance and the People's Republic of Chinaamong others.

Allcontestants would also receive an all expense paid vacation toMalaysia Courtesy The Calder Hart Institute for Ethics in BusinessAffairs.

Literary Brilliance... (Trinidad Style)

2011-11-07T21:07:00.000-08:00

Talking to a world famous publisher about my book recently, he was surprised that i was unaware of the many Trinidadians & Tobagonians whose works have already been published and was happy to give me a list.

This is a reproduction of that list, and I am sure you would be just as surprised as I am as to some of the writers and their stories in the list:

The great Gatsby - Ian Alleyne

One man's journey from insignificance to fame and back again in quick time.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - Machel Montano

Machel reminisces about a time when he too thought he was 'too young to soca;' when he was his most artistic and original self.

The Sound and The Fury - Ancil Roget

Long since retired from the rough housing of union life, Mr. Roget in his later years was known to march around his own house screaming demands at his wife and chanting, much to his neighbors' dismay.

Catch 22 - Dr. Keith Rowley

Written from the perspective of a politician who dared to dream in a Political Party where everyone wants to dream too.

Darkness at Noon - Sat Maharaj

The third in his three part series on his love affair with big boned black women, the author is unafraid to release his raw sexual energy onto the page. Famous for his saying 'once you go black there's no going back,' the literary world awaits with baited breath where this talented writer goes from here.

The Grapes of Wrath - (non fiction)

A collection of internal memos from a large food import Company, outlining how to get cheap D grade grapes onto the local market at exorbitant prices. See also 'The Apples of Wrath' and 'The Pears of Wrath.'

Nineteen Eighty Four - Surujatattan Rambachan

A signature work of a political ideology frozen in time. Includes contributions from Dr. Carson Charles, Bhoe Tewarie and Jenson Fox.

Invisible Man - Prakash Ramadhar

A legal luminary in his own right, this work describes his fall from grace and disappearance from the public view by being elected to political Office.

A Passage to India - Roodal Moonilal

Drugged one night, bound and packed as cargo aboard an ocean going vessel, join Roody as he tries to find out who would do this to him and who paid his passage on a Taiwanese trawler.

Tender is the Night - Patrick Manning

A love story like no other, Patrick tells of his heartbreaking addiction to sada roti, and the journeys spent in search of it in other people's homes.

The Naked and the Dead - Marlene McDonald

Describing her fondness for eating raw chicken in the nude, this is a tale that many say should not have been published, others say especially the pictures. Shown the book and asked to comment, famous author and publisher Warch Narmann commented 'Oh God my eyes.'

From Here to Eternity - Basdeo Panday

Having vowed to die with his boots on, this former Trade Union Leader, Opposition Leader and Prime Minister writes in his memoirs that he will be contesting his much loved Couva North constituency in 2022.

The Postman Always Rings Twice - Kamla Persad Bissessar

Few have been able to put into words the horrors of a ringing doorbell on a hangover, and in this open and revealing work the writer shares the effect of a ringing phone on a hangover, a neighbor's lawnmower on a hangover, a passing plane on a hangover, singing birds on a hangover, etc.

Lord of the Flies - Austin jack Warner

Part two to his revealing 'Lord of the Files' and the precursor to 'Lord of the Fools,' the last installment of a trilogy of political intrigue and conquest by a man some say has never met a man of integrity that he spoke to twice.

Personally I was very impressed that such abundance of work exists and surprised that I was unaware that so many of my fellow country men were already published.

This augers well for the future of local writers struggling to find their place in a crowded literary world and paves the way for greater things to come.

Suspension of Crime Watch due to inappropriate material

2011-11-07T09:50:00.000-08:00

[Media Release]

Re: Suspensionof Crime Watch due to inappropriate material

I would like totake this opportunity to congratulate the management and staff of theTelecommunications Authority of Trinidad & Tobago for theirintervention in the issue surrounding the continuous breaches of thelaw, the Broadcast Code and common decency that has become thehallmark of the Crime Watch show and its subsequent suspension frombroadcast.

Our position was quite clear and aligned with thesame code, that at the very least the show should not be broadcastduring Prime Time or at any time before ten p.m. at night whenchildren could reasonably be expected to be in bed, such was thenature of the content, parental advisory disclaimernotwithstanding.

The Management of TV6 and its parent Companymay yet have questions to answer on the matter as to why the rape ofthe minor that was broadcast multiple times despite outcry, and wehope that this intervention allows for a message to be sent as towhat can and cannot be allowed on the public airwaves. I stronglysuggest that they use this opportunity to distance themselves fromthe culture of sensationalism for ratings that was allowed into theirbroadcast.

We are also mindful that this matter is engagingthe attention of the Director of Public Prosecutions and we wait tobe further guided as to the consequence of the action in caption atthat level.

Obviously there is a time and a place foreverything, and the obvious compromise was always to move the showoutside of the prime time as if it did any good it would continue todo so regardless.

We look forward to a renewed understandingof and respect for the decency laws and for greater compliance acrossthe spectrum.

Sincerely,
Phillip EdwardAlexander
Social Activist

State of Uncertainty...

2011-11-06T20:34:00.000-08:00

Supportfor the State of Emergency or support for its repeal has beenpoliticized right down Party lines rendering any sensible discussionon it moot and leaves the people voiceless on a very important issue.Reminiscent of George W. Bush's call for support for his war in Iraqwhere the people were given the choices of being either with theGovernment (pro-war ) or with the terrorists (anti war), the State ofEmergency has divided the people between 'for' the State of Emergency(pro-government) or 'against' it (pro-opposition), without taking anyfurther consideration of their feelings on the matter into account.Surely there are members of the population who support the Governmentbut do not support the State of Emergency as there must alsoassuredly be supporters of the Opposition who support it, so why thegame?

Whatthis type of 'either or' thinking attempts to do is take away thecomplex nature of decision making and relegates it outside theperson, dehumanizing and stripping his or her power to think and tobe viewed as an individual. In circumstances such as these we thepeople are morally bound to question everything and to weigh ourdecisions on what we believe is in the best interest of the nation asa whole as that is the responsibility of every citizen in ademocracy. Beyond these machinations lies the truth, and the truth isthat there are stated guidelines that govern the calling andmaintenance of a State of Emergency. We are all still in the dark asto the real emergency that prompted this declaration in the firstplace, and its continuation in the absence of such information seemsto undermine our very democracy. It is my view that no Governmentshould be able to assume the authority to sterilize the population inthe name of birth control, and while we were hoping for a reprievefrom the onslaught of violent crime, we did not want to do so throughtotalitarian means.

Itremains the desire of the people that we continue to be a nationgoverned by law, and while the argument could be made that the Stateof Emergency was used as a means to get us back to a place where lawand order could be restored, it must not become the law itself. Therole and responsibility of the Government in maintaining the rule oflaw is quite clear where the safety and security of the citizenry areconcerned, and it can be further argued based solely on theinformation available that they may have overstepped their bounds. Ifit is as many are speculating that this was an attempt to get ahandle on the crime situation and the out of control gang violencethen the government has an obligation to come straight with thepopulation. Like every other negative plaguing society the issue ofgang culture needs to be dealt with at the level where the breakdownoccurs. Poverty and the collapse of the family cannot be arrested andcharged, and while these two main drivers of the growth andproliferation of gangs and the culture of violence are being ignored(despite numerous appeals and offers of assistance from multiplequarters), the government is doing nothing of substance or value totreat with the problem at the source.

PrimeMinister of Spain Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is noted to have said- 'Therisk of a terrorist victory is greater when in fighting terror,democracy betrays its own essence.' I could not have said it better.The lesson in that statement is quite clear and is at the heart ofthe call for the full restoration of the rights and freedoms of thepeople as articulated in and guaranteed by the Constitution of theRepublic of Trinidad & Tobago.

Toutingreduced crime statistics based solely on the imposition of emergencylaw or curfew restrictions is itself an admission of failure andcomes across like the rooster taking credit for the dawn. If thegovernment cannot control crime at this point after having thebenefit of a State of Emergency for three months then it is safe toassume they never will. This is in no way the solution we lobbied foror campaigned for, and it is certainly not what we voted for.

Sophie's Choice...

2011-11-04T21:07:00.000-07:00

I left my home at around eight o'clocktonight to go take a run around the savannah, not expecting theadventure that would quickly unfold once I got there. I parked my caron the stretch above Cipriani Boulevard across from the Anglicanchurch behind the small nuts van that has taken to selling there now,got out, took a quick stretch and took off in the direction thetraffic flows heading north. As I turned the bend at what used to becalled Cosmos corner andbegan to run east in the direction of the Magnificent seven I saw upahead across from the Woodford Street corner, something bobbing inthe water in the drain at the side of the savannah. As I got closer Irealized it was a dog, jet black, medium sized from what I could see,and across from her (I later found out it was a she) were about fivepeople having a drink and a lime on the benches. I enquired as towhat was the story with the dog and they told me that it had justgotten hit by a car and had come to rest there in the fast flowingriver coming off of the savannah, and the bobbing motion I had seenwas it/her struggling to keep her head above water.

Now, I amno animal rescue specialist despite finding myself in thesesituations all to regularly these days, and my first reaction was to try to finda way to prop her head so at least she wouldn't drown. That planquickly failed and the liming crew were starting to get tired of thewhole scene that I had more or less dragged them into. One of the guys said to me that he had phoned a friend who was coming to help while the other one dug aroundin his van to see what he could find to prop her head with and cameback with a rope. We took the rope, worked it under her bodycautiously hoping that we did not get bitten for our troubles and'hoisted' her in one move out of the water and onto the savannahpavement. She was still in pain but at least she wouldn't drown. Iasked my new unimpressed rescue team (who looked like they wanted tosay 'Boss, we just here for a drink and a lime you know') to lookafter her while I ran back to get my car and more importantly myphone to call the two animal specialists I know, Roxanne George andLisa D'Andrade Thomas. I got to my car and made the two calls for help and thendrove back to the scene where the dog was now moaning and shivering. The friend that the guys called arrived and she turned out to be Shira Mohammed a long ago friend now apparently, among other things, arescue member of the Animal Welfare Network. Lisa got Detta to calland give us some advice, Roxanne was trying to make her way throughthe traffic on the 'Avenue' to get to us, and Shira brought out ablanket, got the dog onto it, and together we put her in the tray ofShira's van. She asked me to drive and she stayed in the tray withthe dog and we headed off in the direction of Dr. Pidduck's onMucuprapo Road as she had also called the stand by vet who wasalready on her way. With a quick call to Roxanne as to the new plan,we were all on our way to the vet's. We arrived in no timeand Roxanne arrived not long after that; in the ensuingintroductions and exchanges of information the two of them hadproperly bonded with the dog who now had a name – Sophie.

Dr.Pyke arrived a little while after and on her instructions we took Sophie inside to begin theexamination; within minutes we could tell things were not lookinggood. Dr. Pyke was not happy with her reflex response and decided tox-ray her where we found her back was indeed completely broken. Shesaid that we needed to make a decision and we knew that meant puttingher to sleep or...? According to the vet she will never walk againand housing the dog will not be easy. She said as much as it painedher, her professional opinion was that for the dog's sake it shouldbe put to sleep. I could not believe that all of tonight's dramacould end so depressingly and I asked the vet for some time to see ifthere was anyone interested in housing a special needs dog namedSophie, who for all the pain she must be enduring and the discomfortof a broken back showed so much spirit that it would be such a shameto cut that life short.

I am at a loss. I cannot keep herwhere I live as I would have at least tried. Sophie is a beautifulanimal, and if anyone thinks that they might be able to help I wouldtake responsibility for raising the funds to cover the medical costsof saving her. We are putting this out as a call for help, someonewho has a heart big enough to help save Sophie. If you're out there,we have until ten in the morning.

Housekeeping... (PNM Style)

2011-11-03T20:02:00.000-07:00

Hired as chief housekeeper for a ratherprosperous family and given what amounted to a free hand over thehome's interests, I assumed the authority with gusto and did thingsmy way for the duration of my appointment;In the absence of any oversight by my employers, I secured what Iconsidered to be in my interests and that of my friends, and I evenfacilitated others in 'borrowing' from the home owners from time to timeeither directly or otherwise. I hired men and women of dubiousreputation and questionable character and added them to the staffsimply because of our acquaintance, and I saw no problem in giving plumb posts to family and friends. I kept the house in a rather shoddymanner as I had and still have my own vision for how a house should lookand will not be dissuaded or corrected as I believe myself abovereproach.

Despite having been provided with a list ofpreferred chores and best practice industry guidelines which I choseto ignore, I pursued my personal agenda with vigor, lorded over theother employees in the neighborhood, and at one point I even sat onthe Master's chair and declared myself to be the true and rightfulhome owner.

Carrying my delusion of 'home owner in chief' toscandalous levels, I hosted wildly expensive parties and invitedother home owners to eat and drink for spurious and self glorifyingreasons. These parties would last for entire weekends sometimes, andI undertook the cost of housing all the guests for the duration,again at the home budget's expense.

I used housekeeping moneyto afford costly, ill conceived, poorly planned and unnecessaryrenovations only so that my construction friends could get work. Ilooked the other way when those same friends further inflated thecost of those renovations, plunging the household into unnecessarydebt as I believed that the home owners could afford it and my friendsand family were entitled.

I generally ignored the childrenentrusted as my charges, played favorites among them and had them ateach other's throats. Not a day would go by without them engagingeach other violently, and the ones who resisted the violent response, when caught in the melee were dismissed by me simply as being in the wrong placeat the wrong time.

As is to be expected, I was eventuallydismissed from my responsibility and was asked to assist withidentifying those others who pilfered from the home when I was incharge. Instead of helping the home owners recover what was stolenfrom them over the course of the time of my employ, I remained silentand left the new housekeeper to try and make sense of the mess I leftbehind.

Convinced that my firing was part of a sinister plotI am determined to exert my influence over that household in any waythat I can, and anytime the new housekeeper looks like she isstarting to get a handle on things and is bringing the house back tosome kind of order, my friends and I encourage the neighbors'children to throw stones at the house to break the windows and tolitter the yard in an attempt to keep her and the new staff busy andoff balance.

Realizing that my tantrum and my year and a halfof sulking silence was getting me nowhere and people were in factstarting to forget about me, I have now taken to standing outside ofthe gate of the property on a weekly basis, shouting at peoplepassing by all the things that are wrong with the new housekeeper andher obvious inability to manage the house and to keep it clean andtidy. I point out that under the bed and behind the fridge arenotoriously dirty and appear to have not been cleaned for years andthat the budget is hopelessly in debt, completely ignoring that thoseyears the responsibility was mine. I pray that the passers by ignorethe obvious contradictions in my weekly rants but instead hopethat they may persuade the homeowners to fire the currenthousekeeper so that I or one of my friends could get the job back. Wehave so much still left to do.

My name is Patrick, andI am a housekeeper.

Unexpected Developments...

2011-10-31T21:23:00.000-07:00

Inthe world of grand illusions nothing exceeds like excess, and the trulymemorable and magical spectacles demand much fanfare to call them into being anda grand flourish of a bow when they're complete. Yet for some reasonour latest epic miracle happened in such secret it seemed to slitherits way onto the national scene unnoticed, causing the British HighCommissioner to almost spill his tea in dismay. How dare we notnotice the greatest thing that has ever happened to us as a country?

Well, first off, nobody told us it was happening, andsecondly, even if we did know, even if we were all crammed into thesame room where the decision was being made, we would have all leftthe room skeptical and underwhelmed, simply because we've beenhoodwinked so many times before. In Trinidad & Tobago the rule ofthumb where these grand gestures are concerned seems to be thegrander the gesture the greater the scheme behind it so brace for thebacklash.

How could we not be jaded when quite recently,after being told on one day that we were declared the Number OneTourism destination in the world, we find out the next day it was allan elaborate hoax, a con, and that what we bought instead were threegreasy guys in a Romanian back room printing out 'awards on demand'that turned out to be not worth the paper they were printed on. In aland where Politicians and political appointees aren't justimpersonating professionals by fraudulently claiming simple degrees,they're in fact faking complex multiple doctorates to the point whereif one of them were to stand up in Parliament and declare himself theGrand Old Duke of Earl, would we be surprised?

Cynicismcomes easy to a people when awards are meaningless and titles aredoled out for the silliest of things. Party support and a lack ofpersonal integrity appears to be all that is required to earn you anational award these days, and one wonders what the value of abestowed Doctorate is to any individual when one knows how cheap andeasy they are to come by?

In similar vein, this DevelopedNation Status story seems to reek of a scheme of the highestorder. If it was real, wouldn't there have had to have been a buildup to it on a national scale? Wouldn't we have been anticipating theannouncement like we were the presentation of the final four on therunway? Surely there would have been some momentum leading up to theauspicious day, from a national education plan over months to prepareus for the eventuality and culminating in hundreds of thousands ofpeople cheering in the streets, or a parade on a special day with acatchy name like ' D-Day, From Arrival to Arrived' or something likethat, where the unsealing of the envelope and the accompanyingfireworks in the sky would have happened amidst thunderous applause, don't you think?

Instead, what we got was nothing, and today's release comes acrossas too much of an anti-event to be be of interest to the people. Ignorethe irony that this change in status is being sold to us during aState of National Emergency brought on by unmanageable levels of unspeakable violence among the natives, massive thievery by corrupt politicians,drug and money laundering on a scale that has the world's attention,deep systemic failure on all levels in all systems of governance andan endemic poverty that rivals...well, undeveloped countries; pay noattention to those things and you can almost believe our DevelopedNation Status to be plausible, almost.

 To me this whole thing comes across as more of a letting go of us rather than a bestowing ofglory, almost as if we had no say in the matter or as if we weregoing to end up here regardless of what we did. Based on today'sannouncement the deal appears done and dusted and where we are iswhere we are, for the first time in our history, left to our owndevices, cut off from aid and developmental support. No matter how wefeel about it we had better get our collective acts together fast,because like it or not, we're in the big leagues now.

The End of Innocence... (Broadcasting Sexually)

2011-10-29T20:04:00.000-07:00

Ian Alleyne runs a video of anunderaged, allegedly mentally disabled girl being raped on his eveningshow and is able to repeat it for days with nary a word from theproducers, the station's management or the TelecommunicationsAuthority of Trinidad & Tobago. Popular soca artiste ShurwayneWinchester is allowed to glorify and promote human trafficking andsexual slavery to sell a song and the stations run it withoutconsulting the Broadcast Code and again, total silence from theTelecommunication Authority, begging the question as to theirrelevance. Is anyone over there even paying attention to what isbeing broadcast over the nation's airwaves? Who has authority andenforcement responsibility for these serious transgressions and whereis that person at present? In the midst of a sexual identity crisiswhere children are killing themselves in confusion over who they are orwhere they're going and teachers 'sexting' their students nakedpictures of themselves, now is not the time for those charged withoverseeing what our children are exposed to as entertainment toabdicate their responsibility. We the people need to insist (at the very least) thatsenior management at the Authority be fired, that the licenses of theoffending stations be suspended, and that the offensive material beremoved from the air permanently.

The matter concerningAlleyne's 'rape for ratings' broadcast has already incensed asufficient enough amount of right thinking people who are already calling onthe powers that be to stop pussy footing with the issue and takeserious action. In response, Mr. Alleyne has allegedly threatened to'go after' his detractors for having the audacity to question him andI would like to ask if this is not a case of the tail wagging thedog? Is Mr. Alleyne not aware that the airwaves his show is broadcaston are in fact public property, to which the people have aninalienable right to question to what use they are put?

TheBroadcast Code clearly states among its guidelines:

- “Toensure that children are neither harmed nor misled by thetransmission of inappropriate and/or inaccurate material. ”

-“Broadcasters shall use appropriate scheduling to protect childrenfrom unsuitable material.”

- “Programmes which portraychildren in a sexual fashion are not acceptable, except wherejustified in the context of a dramatic or information programmedealing with the specific issue of sexuality, in which case theportrayal must be as limited as possible within the context of theparticular programme and must in any event be inexplicit. ”

-“Broadcasters shall ensure that programmes that take incest orchild abuse as their topic or themes shall provide suitable warningsprior to airing and shall be appropriately scheduled.”

- “Representations of sexual intercourse must not be broadcastunless there is a serious educational purpose. Any discussion orportrayal of sexual behaviour broadcast must be appropriately limitedand inexplicit. ”

  - “In reporting certain kinds ofcrime, such as sexual assaults or incidents involving children, thetime of transmission and the need for protection of the childreninvolved must be taken into account and the degree of explicit detailmatched to the probable presence of children listening or viewing.Steps should be taken to minimize psychological trauma tochildren.”

The silence of the theMinistry of the People, the Ministry of Social Development and theMinistry of Gender Affairs as well as the majorwomen and children's groups and even the Children's Authority onthese gross violations is very instructive, and their failure to raisean alarm brings their collective value to society into question. Wecannot say we are 'for' or 'against' a thing and when presented withthat same thing stand mute or dumbstruck.

Much of what isbeing passed off as culture and entertainment is in fact theprostituting of our women and children for profit. We need areturn to decency in public life in how we interact, in what we sayand in what we do if we are to turn this situation around. Things are getting very dark now, and if a society isonly as strong as the social contract which binds it, then thedisturbing symptoms of the greater societal problems manifestingthemselves at present suggests that we need to revisit that documentand decide where we as a people want to go from here. Before it gets later still.

Occupy This...

2011-10-28T07:26:00.000-07:00

The growing Occupy Wall Street movementthat is spawning and multiplying around the globe must cause someconcern for the current government of Trinidad & Tobago as, atsome point, the people of this country are going to start askingserious questions at the level that they need to be asked and are notgoing to be satisfied with make believe answers. Our own version of afinancial meltdown took place at the hands of some devious welldressed buccaneers whose modus operandi is rumored to be the norm not the exception, and still taking place in other Companies thatmight also qualify as being too big to fail. Systemically we are alreadydeficit financing to absorb the initial blow and there can be noguarantees if another financial institution stumbles that the countrywill be able to afford propping it up, so why are we still takingstupid chances? Where is the legislation to rein in and controloutsized Companies that by their size already present a danger to the economy?

Thefraud and recklessness that necessitated the bail outs of both CLICOand the Hindu Credit Union MUST result in criminal charges being laidat the highest level including Central Bank and the Ministry ofFinance as well as Executives and Managers of all Companies involved. Wherepossible the Accounting firm(s) that allowed the theft and cover upsto go unnoticed at the very least need to have their Charters revoked and their management charged with gross negligence and conspiracy to defraud if anything positive is going to comeout of all this.

There is no excusing what took placeand from the evidence I have seen what has been allowed to be exposedin the Commission of Enquiry is the proverbial tip of the ice berg.Questions need to be asked of then Prime Minister Patrick Manningwhat he knew and when, and criminal charges have to be broughtagainst his Minister of Finance for using what amounted to insiderinformation to secure her own investment whileignoring her sworn responsibility to the people of Trinidad & Tobago.

While Monteil andDuprey are the two most well known names and faces in what amounts to nothing more than a well established and nefariousgang, there are many others whose names are being protected and whoseidentities and the crimes are beingshielded from the public. Obviously the concept of honor among thieves runs deep in white collar crime circles locally, but we the people mustinsist that all who were involved, all who knew and all who ought tohave known must be at the very least dismissed from any positions ofauthority and banned from our financial industry for life. There areBankers at the highest level who had to be fully aware of what wastaking place and who were happy to do their part to gain their share.They too need to be exposed and shamed nationally and made to pay fortheir crimes. Thirty, forty and fifty million dollar payments do nothide well in mattresses, and the deposits and declaration forms forthose transactions require scrutinizing by parties other than thosewho took bribes to look the other way.

It is patently obviousnow that this was no small act of opportunity or a pilfering, but agrand conspiracy concocted and agreed to by many, happening oversufficient enough time to be considered racketeering at the highestlevel. We need the equivalent of a Special Prosecutor assigned to goafter the guilty and bring them to justice, and we need this donewith purpose so as to bring all into the net regardless of name,wealth and position. It is high time justice in this country focusedon all offenders, especially those in positions of public authorityand responsibility.

What is taking place in America and other places is discontent with the inequality in which justice is dispensed. As Martin Luther King said - "A riot is the language of the unheard."

The responsibility to the people must notbe missed by this government nor the Director of Public Prosecutions;Examples have to be made at the highest level if confidence in any ofour systems of leadership is ever going to re-emerge from this, andthere must be a following of the money trail for each act ofillegal enrichment. Wherever that trail ends the criminals and thecriminally negligent together must be brought to justice and all oftheir ill gotten gains paid back to the people so that justice canfinally be done. Anything else is talk, and we've had enough of thatnow.