Blessing or Curse

The law has finally prevailed in Trinidad and Tobago and, as it is supposed to be, the person performing the unlawful act has been punished. There has been much rejoicing at the fact that former prime minister Basdeo Panday has been found guilty of corruption, some citizens have even made the statement that there should be a national holiday to mark the occasion. Even though the law has won out on this occasion I think that the real victor is the PNM and the real loser is the country. Mr. Panday's conviction has effectively killed him as a real leader of Trinidad and Tobago and has thrown into chaos the only party that had a realistic chance of dethroning the current regime.

Hate him or love him, Basdeo Panday, was the only person who could take on the PNM at this juncture. Mr. Dookeran, although he would be my personal choice as a possible leader of the future, has shown that he is weak and Trinidad and Tobago should not have a weak leader. Panday's hold over the UNC even though he was removed as political leader of the party has shown his strength in this arena. The grassroots followers who worship his every word will now have to decide on their own who should take them into the future. Those voters who were undecided prior to the conviction now have an even simpler choice. So where does this leave Trinidad and Tobago?

The self proclaimed father of the nation will continue to spread his seeds of incompetence since there would be no effective method of political birth control to prevent his little soldiers from marching on. The lack of vision by the current regime indicates that some ocular device is needed to bring about twenty twenty vision. However, there is now no political force which can provide the necessary opposition to the spreading disease. Political ambition has to be put aside for the good of Trinidad and Tobago.

The time for petty squabbles is over. A new leader has to emerge from the pack and take the people to the promised land, or to convert this land into what was promised! The existing group of leaders have no idea how to handle the social, economic and political crisis that the country is facing and with the removal of Mr. Panday there is no hope for the current opposition to take over.

The Parent Trap

It has been said that history repeats itself. We as human beings go through great pains to record times, places and faces of the past yet we seem to miss the lessons that are there to be learned. I have always been one of those people who believed in corporal punishment as a form of disciplining children. As a father of a six year old girl I find it difficult to inflict any form of punishment but children must be disciplined when they do something that is "wrong". But how do we define wrong for a six year old? There are obviously things that are clearly defined. Is not brushing one's teeth before going to bed wrong? Should a child be punished for not doing this? If so, what should the punishment be?

I was raised in a Hindu home but my mother seemed to selectively quote the bible, especially the part about "spare the rod and spoil the child". I accepted this as being the consequences for being bad. I never questioned it, I just understood that whatever I did to be intimately introduced to the yard rule, I should never do again. And, well most times I did not repeat the offence. Now, when I am faced with a similar situation with my daughter I am conflicted. What she did was obviously wrong but how do I handle it? My first instinct is to get my belt but this is not the solution. There must be a better way. This instinct that violence will solve a problem not only affects us when dealing with children but it seems to be a solution to all confrontational situations.

I am not saying that I was abused, I was disciplined as was most children of my generation and this form of discipline extended to schools as well. Today with so many people becoming parents at a very young age one has to wonder if the practices of old not only contribute to the increase in violence against children but to domestic violence as well. We are taught that hitting will prevent a person from repeating their actions and repeated beatings are often need to complete the domestication.

So will I choose to repeat the past and instill fear into my daughter by raising my hand to her or will I find a more sophisticated solution. I believe that the later is the only obvious route. Today parents need to develop a new view on child care and these solutions need to be presented to the society in general. There is a lot of emphasis on family planning and prevention of pregnancies but little is done to help young parents with the task of parenting. The government needs to adopt better social programs for assisting families cope with many of the rigors of everyday life. Children should be disciplined but we need to be taught how to do it correctly and in a sophisticated way so that we do not perpetuate the cycle of violence that has haunted our people for way too long.

Dookeran's Strength

For the sake of the future political landscape of this nation, Mr. Winston Dookeran needs to assert himself by putting an end to the very public shenanigans that are no longer a threat, but are now tearing apart the only credible opposition to the existing Government. It is now time to show the steel required of a person with ambitions to lead a troubled Republic and thereby prove to himself as much as anyone else, that he can deal with a crisis situation.

Forward thinking ideas are all well and good but quiet diplomacy sometimes need to be reinforced by fortitude for the greater good and to enable one to attain a position to implement those same aforementioned ideas. This approach is two-fold in that it not only resolves the problems that are tearing the UNC apart but will also prove to any undecided electorate members that the leader of the UNC possesses the necessary backbone to take the country forward.

I am by no means a UNC supporter, but recognise the vital need for a strong opposition to provide the political balance required in any democracy. At the moment that opposing seat is held by the UNC and that UNC is very weak indeed. Thus, instead of using this occupation to ensure that balance, it is spent providing a public display of bickering and child-like squabbling to the amusement of an increasingly autocratic PNM. Should this situation continue, the existing Government will be allowed to carry out whimsical decisions while the opposition crumbles, so the statement that Mr. Dookeran needs to act now for the future political climate is not far-fetched.

The general consensus seems to be that Mr. Dookeran should vacate the den of disagreement that the UNC has become when in fact he should now stamp his authority onto the party and take it forward to the next general election. As the elected leader of the party he has thus far not done anything to disrupt the party, so why should he leave? He has also done nothing to unite the party so he should stay to enact this. He is the leader of what passes as the main opposition in the year 2006, so why should he start over, try to gain an impossible momentum prior to the next general election, when in theory he is already at the helm of the premier challenger in a democracy?

Mr. Dookeran needs to turn the current situation into an opportunity to rid the party of the ambiguity as to who is the true leader of the UNC, thus ending the confusion of the general public. The UNC does not incorporate the word ‘Panday’ in its title. It is generally agreed that so long as Mr. Panday remains in the party, his antiquated political practices (something we can do without in T&T’s political culture) will restrain the UNC and take the focus away from its constitution.

The former Chairman of the PNM, Mr.Khan, stepped down from this position when criminal charges were brought against him. In what is a reflection of the current political state of T&T, the Chairman of the opposition also finds himself in the same position. Perhaps Mr. Dookeran needs to highlight this corruption innuendo when using the until-now-dormant iron fist to end this laughable and sad division. To leave the UNC and attempt to start again will label Mr. Dookeran as shirking his entrusted duty as the leader of a party and one that he vacated when the going got too hot, regardless of the unlikely origin of the flame. Should he think that he will lose the hardcore ‘Pandayites’ support, he will gain many more supporters amongst the undecided and these Panday supporters will eventually return to the UNC fold.

Mr. Dookeran needs to, once and for all, shatter the very large glass house in which Mr. Panday seems intent on housing the UNC. He needs to do it to inspire confidence, to prove his mettle and to make his position as leader of the opposition meaningful. He needs to do this not just for the sake of the UNC, but for the sake of Trinidad and Tobago’s political future.



Sheldon Waithe

Sean Luke:"The Bigger Picture Another Criminal Waiting for a Contraction"

On March 28th, 2006, another death. This carried the death count in Trinidad & Tobago to 100. Sean Luke being the 100th victim. Sean Luke, six years old, was raped and buggered to death. What did the authorities do? Nothing. My tears and sorrows are with Sean's family and my anger is with his assailants. My condolence to Sean's family. You will be castigated for this harsh act to Sean.

The Bigger Picture : Another Criminal Waiting for a Contraction

There is a contingency of young people out there, barely 21 yrs old on their 2nd or 3rd pregnancy. Furthermore, the fact that they are so comfortable in their ignorance and that they are oblivious to the caustic realities of their situation makes this even worse. They have no husbands and are convinced that they don't need one, tragically, that's actually normal in their space. They foolishly boast about "meh chile fadder" and "meh chile mudder", a miscreant of sorts and himself, a victim of the Absent or Delinquent Parent Syndrome. In his mind, his depraved legacy legitimises his behaviour and propels him to copulate and impregnate our ignorant innocents (sisters & daughters) purely on hormonal and carnal instincts. He appears, disappears and re-appears at the dictates of his hormones and ironically, more often than not, to an accommodating embrace, and this might be at the heart of the problem; too much weakness, too much compromise.

In the circumstances therefore, with free-flowing incentive for his decrepit behaviour, he's not inclined to change. His ambitions with women remain carnal and his modern-day prey do not understand that they have the power to make (and be) a difference in his life. WOMEN have historically been known for their legendary strength. In time past, in spite of prevalent delinquency among the 'macho' men, the matriarchs at home steadied the ship and kept things on an even keel. They were the foundation and the centre-post of the home. Through the years they always made a difference (sung or unsung) but sadly, that legacy either doesn't matter any more or is simply not known. Instead of making a difference, WOMEN (Mothers, Sisters, Concubines et al) are actually part of the problem now, and the operative word here is PROBLEM!

Alas!, they did not fail on their own. They were ably supported (excuse the pun) by the behaviour of their men (some present, some absent) and this collective failure had its genesis in a time of plenty. The catch-phrase at the time was "money is no problem", but what is very clear today is that 'money' is responsible for a lot of the social decadence we are confronted with today. Every thing money could have bought back then, you purchased and technically made them babysitters: a TV in every room, the video, the video-games, the cable. Suddenly everybody needed a maid, and all of this because in that time of plenty you were suddenly too busy flying in and out of the country to be domestic. Remember? The little time you were around, the last thing on your conscience was admonishment and it certainly did not provide the quantity, or quality (time) required for proper molding. All you dished out was guilty love. You loved your kids to death. Literally.

You filled their rooms with brand-named sneakers, jeans and jerseys, keeping them distracted long enough for you to continue your sojourns. In your mind, your kids were always the perfect ones. Your accusatory fingers were instead, pointed at the other children, the neighbours' children. "That's not my child", you loved to boast. It was never YOUR problem. You referred to the troubled ones as "the lost generation".

But answer the following if you dare:
What did you do when you could have made a difference in the lives of this so-called lost generation? And by the way, if they are really lost they are only so because the generation before them went missing. Yes you! Where were you when they were 6yrs old and disrespectful? What did you do? When he was just 12 yrs old and you knew he was sexually active, what did you do? When he started bringing girls to spend the night, then the entire weekend, what did you do? Did you try to counsel them? Did you ever try to contact her parents? WHAT DID YOU DO? When as a young man he started bringing stuff home although he was unemployed, WHAT DID YOU DO?

In a real sense, we the mothers, fathers, grandparents, armed services, governments, NGO's and religious bodies, just to name a few, have to accept major responsibility for all of the above which is at the heart of the social chaos we are confronted with today. Yes! It started in our homes. We have collectively bred the beast that devours us today, yet we conveniently live in a fool's paradise pointing fingers at everyone but ourselves. But the inescapable fact is that WE fathered these young men and women, and mothered them too. But we first have to admit that we failed. WHERE or WHEN is secondary to firstly admitting that we DID fail. We are very quick to blame the teachers, the Church, but we should blame the System, the Leader, but very loathe to accepting any blame, blame ourselves, when in fact the seeds were planted IN OUR HOMES.

The temper-tantrums we pampered. The disrespect we ignored. The sundry acts of dishonesty we denied, (remember not my child?) all formed part of the nursery for the bitter harvest we reap today. But sadly, until WE accept OUR responsibilities at home, in the Community, and in general to effectively change the circumstances, they will continue to copulate, impregnate and disintegrate, rape , bugger leaving behind another pending criminal waiting for a CONTRACT-ion

Harsh reality of society today is we continue to breed criminals day by day and we are doing nothing.

By Dickey Seepersad (Trinidad & Tobago)

Alcoa project raises environmental concerns: South FloridaSun-Sentinel

Alcoa project raises environmental concern

In her Feburary 26th article about the economy of Trinidad, business writer Doreen Hemlock refers to the development of new industrial parks, including investment by U.S. aluminum giant Alcoa. Alcoa is facing massive criticism over its proposed 340,000-metric ton smelter plant in Cap De Ville, in the southwestern part of the Trinidad & Tobago. With 593 persons per square mile, Trinidad already suffers from very high
pollution levels due to ongoing industrialization. The 2005 Yale/Columbian Environmental Sustainability Index showed Trinidad and Tobago as having the worst percentage of negative land impacts of 146 countries, yet Trinidad & Tobago's government is continuing on a path toward massive
industrialization of the southwestern part of the island, which so far has been spared heavy industrialization and has the longest and widest stretches of beach.

The Cedros peninsula, now earmarked for the $1.5 billion Alcoa smelter project, also features pristine rainforests and wetlands and is one of the larger sources of drinking water on the island. The proposed Alcoa site is right on top of a major aquifer. It is also scheduled to be located within a mile or less of the towns of Cap-de-Ville and Point Fortin, home to over 15,000 residents. The residents of the until-now sleepy and peaceful peninsula are uniting and organizing protests on a regional and international level. The map of the proposed Alcoa site shows that the properties of over 200 residents may be taken over by the State for this venture, displacing residents who are very unwilling to move. The Alcoa smelter project has been shrouded in secrecy and the signing of the agreement, publicized by Alcoa worldwide, was done quietly and the local press was not even invited. The citizens group Cedros Peninsula United, managed to obtain a copy of Alcoa's application of Environmental Clearance, which was jointly signed by Alcoa and the Government's Energy Corporation - which Alcoa also tried to keep secret - and found it full of omissions, inaccuracies and outright false statements. The local press totally ignored the findings in Alcoa's environmental clearance application, but had no problem accepting three page ads by Alcoa promoting their smelter project. Money rules in Trinidad. The residents of Trinidad & Tobago's southwestern peninsula have called for a public debate on the Alcoa smelter project, but their calls have been completely ignored.

The Trinidad & Tobago Government seems determined to let Alcoa go ahead with its project at all cost. As mentioned in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, there are serious concerns over the availability of natural gas reserves for this mega project. Even members of Trinidad & Tobago's Parliament were left in the dark when inquiring about the state of gas reserves in the country. To this date, Alcoa has also not answered any questions regarding the disposal of the tons of hazardous waste the facility will produce. On an island that small, this is definitely a major concern. Alcoa's record in Trinidad is already spotty. They have a trans-shipment facility in Carenage and have been under fire from citizens there for many years. A 1989 air-monitoring report by Cariri, commissioned by a Carenage citizens group, showed Alcoa exceeded U.S. emissions standards for residential areas at three monitoring sites in Carenage on each of the five days of monitoring. The Trinidad government has also recently signed an agreement for a second aluminum smelter, not more than 8 miles away from the planned Alcoa smelter.

Two aluminum smelters in one of the smallest countries in the world! It's a recipe for disaster. The citizens of Trinidad & Tobago are fighting a serious battle, not just with Alcoa but with their own Government that supports and sponsors Alcoa's plans. The citizens of Trinidad 7 Tobago's Cedros Peninsula are hoping that once the facts of this project are made known to the world community, that Alcoa may be swayed to look elsewhere to build its smelter.

Dr. Raphael Sebastien is President of the citizen's group Cedros Peninsula United in Trinidad.

By Dr. Raphael Sebastien