A Step in the Right Direction

If the age-old adage of ''if it aint broken don't fix it'' holds true, then surely the opposite must apply as well...''If it is broken then yuh better damn well fix it!'' The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service has stagnated in the realms of mediocrity for way too long. Practices from a bygone era are followed chapter and verse and any attempt to alter this course is greeted with accusations of blasphemy. However, subtle cracks are beginning to appear within the thin blue line. Senior police officers are up in arms (pardon the pun) over plans to promote those more junior in service ahead of them. At the centre of this debate lies the new Merits-Based Promotion System being pioneered by the Police hierarchy and the Police Service Commission.

For those unfamiliar with the new system, it determines an officer's suitability for promotion by assessing a number of categories. An officer is awarded 30 points for Performance and Appraisal, 20 points for Fitness, 15 points for Discipline, 10 points for Length of Service, and 5 points each for Academic Qualifications and Commendations. The aggrieved parties claim that the junior officers considered for promotion have manipulated the system. Their grievance stems from the misconceived notion that while they were busy maintaining law and order and ensuring national security, these junior officers were allowed time-off in the form of study leave to gain academic qualifications. If ever there was a case in point as to why some of these senior officers should go back to school, it is this one. The system allows but a mere 5 points for academic prowess. In a total of 85 points, that is not a hell of a lot. An officer can return to work with a P.H.D. in Criminology after having seven years leave. Should he or she choose to go for promotion, their maximum entitlement for that qualification would still be 5 points. So, when the system allows more points (10) for the experience gained by being a longer serving officer, it is hard to see the validity of their argument.

To quote the Trinidad Express, the officers by-passed for promotion claim to have been,'' busy enforcing the law, bringing cases against criminal offenders and attending court to present cases while their colleagues are allowed time-off to enhance their academic qualifications and manipulate the system.''1* Do these officers think that we are stupid? Do they think that we do not read the papers and watch the television on a daily basis? Do they not believe that we know people whose day to day lives are seriously troubled by crime and disorder? The Trinidad Express was also at great pains to point out that many of these officers work in specialist units. Is it not these same units that time and again fail to catch murderers, fail to stop kidnappings, fail to stop the bombs in Port-of Spain, and fail to stop the influx of guns, drugs and ammunition onto our streets? Must I remind these officers that Trinidad and Tobago recorded its highest ever level of homicide last year? Exactly how many of those murderers were apprehended and brought to justice? How many kidnappers? How many robbers? So, in an age where any Trinidadian with an ounce of sanity will acknowledge that crime is definitely on the increase, it begs the question. What exactly have these officers been so busy doing?

Don't be fooled by the scaremongers. The new system is being maligned because it goes against the grain. Promotion can no longer be viewed a a divine right of passage for some. The system is well-balanced and places the needs of the organisation ahead of the wants of a selfish few. Hard-working officers will have nothing to fear. They will continue to be rewarded by the provisions of the new system. Lazy officers on the other hand will find it increasingly difficult to ''gum-beat'' their way to the next rank. The Merits-Based Promotion System will inject some much needed life-blood into an institution that many feared had been drifting aimlessly into oblivion. It can only be viewed as a much needed step in the right direction.

1* Taken from The Trinidad Express Newspapers online edition dated 28/05/2006.

prophet

The root of all evil

One would be daft...or moreso, deranged, if he or she were to say that T&T isn't fast descending into an abyss of unthinkable dread. During my time abroad, I have listened to many pontificate over how best to rescue the nation from this certain doom. The impetus of their agenda is misdirected however, as they too often focus on the symptoms of the disease rather than what causes it in the first place. It is all too easy to blame the men from Morvant, Laventille and Carenage for the constant siege that they lay to the places that we call home.

In my opinion however, the BIGGEST SINGLE problem facing T&T at this present time is the seemingly unstoppable influx of narcotics, weaponry and ammunition onto our shores. We need to ask ourselves, ''Where does it come from and WHO brings it in?'' I wrote a piece a few years ago highlighting this very point. As far as I know, there are no major ports of entry in Morvant, Laventille, Carenage, St. James or any of the other so-called 'crime hot-spots.' Many of the people notorious for committing these despicable acts of violence do not own passports, much less visas...neither do they own boats or light aircraft.

The seizure of TT$700m in cocaine last year, as well as an assortment of guns and ammunition on Monos Island is truly a case in point. Which group of citizens has the enormous financial and logistical muscle to import almost ONE FUCKING BILLION DOLLARS worth of cocaine and guns into Trinidad? Who are the types of people who own homes and are familiar with the nooks and crannies ''down-de-islands''? I know for a fact that it is not my brethren RAFA and TOXIC from "'9-storeys".

Intelligence here in the UK has T&T as a major transhipment point of cocaine destined for Europe. This is because of our close proximity to South America as well as our modern docks and cargo handling facilities. HOW MANY MORE CONSIGNMENTS OF SIMILAR VALUE HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFULLY BROUGHT INTO T&T THIS YEAR ALONE?? Is it therefore a surprise that a lot of this contraband ends up on the streets of Morvant, Laventille, Carenage, St. James as payment by the drug barons for services rendered? They then descend through the ''food-chain'' and into the hands of people like RAFA and TOXIC. Unlike Great Britain, France and the United States to name but a few, &T does not have to worry about things like people smuggling, proliferation of nuclear weapons, terrorism (Jamaat apart) etc. How hard would it be to STEM the flow of guns and ammunition into the country? How hard would it be then to pool the necessary resources to combat just these two things-THE IMPORTATION OF DRUGS AND GUNS (INCLUDING AMMO)? An answer in two words-NOT VERY! It is simple really...less illegal guns in the country, less illegal guns on the streets...less illegal guns on the streets, less shootings...less shootings, less murders!!

prophet

To Protect and Serve

Over the last few years, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service has come in for a lot of criticism. As daily life in Trinidad and Tobago now revolves around a backdrop of murder, robbery, kidnapping, rape, sodomy and the like, it is easy to see why. The masses complain that the police service isn't fit for the purpose and that as a whole, it is incompetent, corrupt and generally, makes a mockery of its motto ''to protect and serve.'' What many fail to acknowledge however, is that the police service is but a microcosm of society, and many of its problems are a reflection of the general ''doh-care'' attitudes of the society at large.

Policing in the 21^st century is an enormous challenge; great minds are therefore needed to meet this challenge head on. This is not a concept that people living in Trinidad and Tobago seemed to have grasped. Basic mathematics tells us that the whole can only be equal to the sum of its parts. How good a police service can you expect to have when society dictates that the person working in KFC must have more CXC passes that the police constable investigating your son's shooting? I remember having a conversation with a friend shortly after joining the Metropolitan Police here in London. I remember him saying words to the effect of, ''a bright boy like you and that is what you want to do?'' I was stunned by his comment and remember thinking that if something serious should happen to someone in his family, wouldn't he feel more at ease knowing that ''a bright boy like me'' was on the case? My critics will argue that even here in the UK there are no academic restrictions on those wishing to apply to become police officers. While this is indeed the case, I can argue that over fifty percent of the recruits in my batch at the academy were university graduates. In fact, ''bright boys like me'' who had no degree, were in a minority.

The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service still also employs the most antiquated methods of selection and recruitment. They place height restrictions on prospective candidates, and successful applicants must neither be ''flat-footed'' nor have ''rotten teeth.'' Where is it written that ''flat-footed'' people aren't able to be good police men and women? Have there been scientific studies which show that taller people and/or people with perfect teeth make better police officers? I didn't think so. Why do they then persist with these ancient practices? Why do we as citizens allow it? What nonsense, what stupidity!! The people who are best able to do the job should be employed, irrespective of physical attributes. It is that simple.

Would New Yorkers allow for an NYPD baseball team to criss-cross America playing in the major professional leagues? Would a normally liberal-minded London stand for Scotland Yard's finest travelling up and down good ''Ole Blighty'' playing no less than thirty-eight Premiership games a season? And all this at great expense to the public purse?? But we Trinidadians are an accommodating lot, aren't we? So, as the bodies pile up along the East-West corridor, and as Port of Spain is gripped in the midst of a bombing spree, police officers travel all over the country in search of sporting accolades. These various police teams don't just have the occasional kick-a-bout; they compete at the highest level of their respective domains and are therefore required to maintain professional levels of sporting commitment and training. The idiocy does not stop there though. Fully qualified police officers are being employed as carpenters, mechanics, plumbers and painters throughout the entire Trinidad and Tobago Police Service. Hundreds of men and women sworn to maintain law and order are busy fixing cars at Traffic HQ in Sea Lots or painting the Barracks in St. James.

Aren't these officers supposed to be protecting your family and mine from the criminal element? Exactly how are they going to do that dressed in painters overalls or in netball skirts and knickers? Is it such a wonder then, that as you're being held at gunpoint and your brand new Mitsubishi Lancer is stolen, there are no police officers to come to your assistance? Why is it such a surprise that as your husband is being bundled into a car and the kidnappers make good their getaway, your repeated calls to the police generate no response? The police are all either in the Velodrome playing against Joe Public or have all gone home after a hard day's painting!! To explore the extent of this foolishness, imagine for a minute that teachers had adopted the same principles. Trinidad would have people hired as qualified teachers actually doing no teaching at all. Teachers trained at either Valsayn or Corinth would end up repairing broken desks, unblocking clogged toilets and touching up shoddy school buildings with licks of paint. Others still will be exempt from the more mundane duties of educating and be expected to be prolific goal-scorers as Teachers FC take on San Juan Jabloteh in the SPL. And what about casualty nurses playing hockey while patients die at Port of Spain General? We wouldn't stand for it...or would we?

You cannot slap someone in the face with your left hand and then in the same breath, realistically expect them to shake your right. The police service complain that in most crime-ridden communities they receive little or no public support. What do the police expect? For it is in these same communities where the people feel most terrorised by the police. Horror stories involving police-issue size tens are rife and ''death by police'' is not uncommon. Police officers are not above the law. They are governed by the same set of laws like everyday citizens. Too often their wanton abuse and in some cases, murder, goes unchallenged by us citizens and unpunished in law. We have recently seen a police officer rightfully found guilty for shooting dead a man in cold blood. What is disturbing about this issue is not the fact that he did what he did, but the fact that he thought he could have gotten away with it. The notion of self-defence is clear. Where there is an honest held belief that one's life or that of another is in imminent danger, then the person concerned can use as much force as is necessary to reduce or nullify that threat. It does not say that when a man suspected of a crime is running away, he can be shot in the back. It makes no mention of the fact that because you are 'babylon' you can shoot whom you want, when you want. Nor does the law make provisions for the kicking and beating of people into submission for failing to comply with police instructions.

Half baked measures are promised and new specialist units and initiatives are formed at the drop of a hat. We have recently seen the launch of the new '555' system. These people make me laugh yes. They don't react when you call the emergency '999' number, but we are made to believe that by calling this new non-emergency number, things are going to be better. Who is going to answer the call? Isn't it going to be the same person who laughed when you called '999' and told him that your house had been broken into? Isn't it going to be the same person who told you that there was no vehicle to attend your address that morning? And who is going to come to your help anyway? Aren't they going to be the same officers who attended to report the burglary four days after it happened? The same goes for these new hi-tech anti-crime units. Aren't they going to be staffed by the same morons who landed the helicopter in the middle of a crime-scene and blew away all the evidence from the bomb blast? They can reconfigure, rename and restructure all they want. Unless urgent and serious reform is carried out, we will continue to see the ''same old dutty khaki pants'' day in, day out.

prophet

Time to take the bull by the horns

It seems that 'sweet' TnT is not sweet anymore, unless of course we could just turn off the TV, destroy all newspapers, pull the curtains over our eyes and just live in a bubble. And yet there are those in authority who continually insist that things are just great. Those who have the money can build higher gates and fences and hire security forces to drive in their nice cars in order to block out what's slowly but surely reaching their homes. This is all just a plaster covering our huge sore and it is a HUGE sore.

This didn't just happen overnight. Oh no! It has been happening for years, but no one took notice, and regardless of party affiliation, the fact is we're in a mess and no one knows how to fix things. The amazing thing is, we may be, economically, in the biggest boom of our history yet, socially, we're rotting.

So, what's the solution? More police? More vehicles so they can lose them? More hospitals so supplies can go missing, so that doctors can go on strike about unpaid wages? Bigger stadia? Free education? None of this is going to make any difference unless we, as a nation, know the value of what this all means.

The 'haves' and the 'have nots' are one and the same, both locked in a battle of greed, the 'nots' want what the 'haves' won't depart with, so there you have it, greed is killing us all. Clearly the Government doesn't care 'two cents' if we all kill each other, as long as 'deh belly full'.

So I suggest that regular civilians should take matters in to their own hands, diplomatically. We should form community groups, reach out to those around us, teach them, show them that this 'evil' in our once beautiful land is sinking our country. We are ALL going down with it. If we can't help each other, then God help us all. I am not advocating handouts, I am advocating sharing the excess where necessary, putting it towards a worthwhile use (whatever it maybe - building awareness, creating a community centre, establishing training programs) to help those in need make things better for themselves, teach them, educate them, find out what is needed to help their own community foster, rather than perish, show love, foster a country-wide spirit of respect for others, in all walks of life, but this must be done WITHOUT the help of our 'honourable' Government who only seem capable of laughing at the Opposition and making blanketed statements with no substance. So many institutions are rotten to the core: our Police Service!?! Oh Boy! We have to do things ourselves, find the evidence, make the cases, convict the criminals, we The Citizens will have to proactively prevent what's happening at the outset, and reactively curb this horror that's happening.

In such a small country it's amazing how noone knows where these criminals lie, could it be that noone wants to know? Or is it those who know are also in it? Hmmm

I am not saying vote back in the UNC or whoever else is around, but clearly, the PNM has shown that they are efficiently incompetant and if that is the case, then really and truly, Trinidadians are actually without good governance (a phrase my dear Prime Minister-sinister has used time and time again) So, what I am saying is 'TRINBAGONIANS!!! stand up and do something right and good for yourselves and your country. For once, stop laughing and making 'ole mas' out of everything. We can do this ourselves! If we cannot do it diplomatically, what's the next step, we all take up guns? Violence begets violence, let's not forget. Are we to end up like the scene in Lion King where years later, all that is left is a barren wasteland of scavengers? Greed is killing us all, only we can stop it. Stake your claim people, this is OUR country. Take a proactive role in your surrounding communities and you will take back your country, one area at a time, and then, only then, will this 'Government' listen to its people.

Private and public institutions, schools, parents, teachers, we ALL need to foster a community spirit and rid our land of this known evil that has taken a hold of our land.

"Sweet, sweet TnT, oh how I love up meh country!"

Cesco

A Musician living in Canada

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and my heavvy band...BOUND @

http://www.myspace.com/thebound

Pro-active Politics required for T&T campaign trail

When there is widespread daily killing of soldiers and civilians alike in Iraq, we are told by the media that it is not ‘war’. No, the war is long over; we are advised that it is just a battle against ‘a few insurgents.’ Similarly, we are led to believe that Trinidad and Tobago is not a nation in crisis, oh no, it is a country on its way to developed nation status on the back of oil revenue that is so abundant that it permeates to certain levels of society despite the political bungling of myopic regimes both past and present. So are we as nation still swallowing the propaganda that we are an island paradise? Can we steadfastly believe that we are truly on the way to the much touted Vision 2020, in our efforts to mimic the larger nations that have got their policies wrong, lest we forget, by concentrating on the economic matter but neglecting the welfare factors?

The latest realisation of the weak foundations that we, as a country, have laid is the coming to light of the state of neglected, abused and now murdered infants in our nation. Yet again, preliminary investigations point to Bills that should have been passed, Acts that benefit no one and the age old pattern that we do not implement anything meaningful nor in its entirety. This pattern has existed in every Trinbagonians memory whether it is an incomplete hospital, racing complex, criminal enquiries that are listed as “Cpl. Smith is investigating” to no avail or the lack of ability to make the protective and welfare forces an effective unit.

Abandoned or late projects are bricks and mortar, though the funds that can be directed elsewhere, but neglect of an abused child is unforgivable and in our supposedly modern society, inconceivable. And these are just the reported cases. But we are moving forward as a nation, right? Add the murder rate that currently outnumbers the days of the year and it is very clear that it is a nation in crisis. But we have Vision 2020 and the bacchanalian politics that we so love to keep us occupied and provide distraction from the issues that are never resolved. It also keeps those in power from addressing these issues in any meaningful manner as our focus on the soap opera-like actions of our elected employees, not leaders, as we do not meaningfully demand appropriate action from them.

We do not demand policies of worth, policies that show the necessary investment to educate our police force to tackle the scourge of crime that exists both within and outside of its own walls. More importantly, I cannot recall any of our so-called leaders defining a carefully laid out plan for the welfare system, NGOs, charities, the aforementioned police and the relevant Ministries to work together to stop this rot of criminal minded individuals being developed in our nation. Our prison system is so blinkered that the view exists that jail is just that and not a correctional facility to re-educate even petty criminals and make them a useful factor in society. With the level of crime as it is, these are the types of areas upon which we should focus. Or perhaps we really do value the lives and welfare of some individuals above others based on social standing, abode and race?

Yes we need to hear about the plans for our economic development via smelters et al but despite the euphoria of our World cup inclusion or the prosperity of a percentage of the population, the nation is in crisis. Perhaps where you live is not currently viewed as such but a perusal of the headlines proves otherwise, unless we have become numb to the daily murder/rape statistic, such is its regularity. Step back from the rat race for a moment and consider that you live in a nation where the wealth is overflowing but the best that a leadership can offer is what amounts to a part time job as it endeavours to further its propaganda with the boast of zero unemployment. Is it any wonder that there is no work ethic instilled? Further consider that though violent crime is an unfortunate common occurrence in this world, you live in a nation where a loved one may not return from a night out and the detection for the perpetrator will be non-existent due to the mismanagement of the security forces and the inability of those at the helm to act as proper managers for this most vital of services.

With a general election on the horizon, ask yourself if you will vote on personality, race, a protest vote against a particular party or on the basis of whimsical promises and which party can best berate the other. Each reason is as bad as the other. Each reason will bring a continuation of the current situation in T&T. Demand that policies are laid out that will promise adequate childcare, proper detection techniques for both criminal and welfare issues, constitution reform that removes ambiguity in our law, cohesive plans for education and training and a real opportunity for progression instead of the dead end schemes that currently exist as vote gaining tools. Yes any number of party representatives will charismatically promise all of the above and more. They will pledge to rid us of crime, traffic congestion, better roads, further education for all etc. but again remove yourself from the melee and ask how do they plan to enact these promises, what is the checkpoint for ascertaining its progress and what is the pre–planned option if it is failing. For example, if those entrusted with the safety of the nation fail to curb the current crime spree by a certain period into their tenure, what action will be taken and who assumes the responsibility? If this is part of the political campaign perhaps we can assume that there is some meaning to the campaign promises and we the public have a yardstick to measure the government's performance, whoever they may be.

After 44 years as a nation it is time for proactive politics. If you the reader really want to make a difference and are as fed up as you all claim to be, demand this type of cohesive planning to better the nation. Demand the changes that will show the necessary accountability and transparency; the election trail is your opportunity to do so. Sadly, if you vote on an issue such as race, you are part of the same ignorance that is ruining this potential paradise.

We cannot have an overhaul for overhaul’s sake. Change has to be meaningful. Policies have to be all encompassing. Policies have to be at the forefront, not insults of rival parties or self praise for past political achievements. Remember this when the campaign furore begins.

There is not a quick fix solution to our many problems, there has to be careful thought and the willingness to understand the past mistakes cannot be rectified overnight. A realistic and cohesive party will preach this rather than the thought that a half a century of negligence can be rectified in a 5 year term. A party will have to posses a lot of courage to preach this meaningful truth; it is whether you the public have the patience and the willingness to listen. Lest we forget, the situation for our children and our nation has reached crisis point.

Sincerely,

Sheldon Waithe

T&T Poised For Socio-Economic Quantum Leap - But surely not just poised? – (PART I of II)

If we are to believe a mere half of what was broadcast to the group invited to attend last Thursday’s London launch of the Trinidad & Tobago Professionals Network (UK) at the T&T High Commission in Belgrave Square, there is certainly reason for even premature jubilation. And why not? It would seem that within an undisclosed but implicitly short number of years, T&T is set to achieve “semi-industrialised country” status. Propelled by a concerted reclamation of our foreign-based intellectual property in the form of Trinbagonian professionals abroad and a re-energised petrodollar-fuelled economy to be used to support an impressive array of development projects, the potential here is boundless. Convinced? At best, it could be said that this projection is wildly optimistic and only partly feasible, at worst, a piece of fruitless cant destined for early relegation to the wastebasket of local history. Nevertheless, it would seem that the fire has already been lit, catching on from the spark.

The meeting was based on the launch of the TTPN(UK), the brainchild of private London-based T&T nationals supported by the Tourism Ministry and the TTHC. A reaction against the outward flow of human capital that all developing nations experience in the current global village, “brain drain”, the body’s organisers hope to combat and curb this by forging strong extra-territorial links among expats based primarily in the UK, then globally. Perhaps it leans toward the optimistic, but there is reason to believe that the strategy is bound to have at the very least a positive effect. Whether the scale on which this occurs is sufficiently large or well-timed to create a material step forward in development terms will be put to the test in the months to come.

Based on the words of the speakers who included Her Excellency Glenda Morean-Phillips, High Commissioner, and Ashton Ford, Public Affairs, Culture and Tourism Attaché, it would seem that T&T is set to become the “Silicon Valley of the Caribbean…”, with software mega-firms such as Oracle and Sybase already in concrete negotiation with T&T consortia on the subject of setting up shop in T&T. Add to that the proposed increase in domestic internet access, the goal of broadband access for 100% of the population and plans to introduce e-Government only a few years down the road, who wouldn’t be impressed? Plus a joint private/public venture with the Health Ministry for a premiere-quality rollout of Novell software for the entire sector, which, managed well with quality staffing and training, should pay for itself times over. The projected results seem impressive.

Taking the supposed scale and seriousness of the event into consideration, it was quite surprising, that there was not one prominent Trinbagonian guest speaker available on the evening to add a measure of credibility to the event. Perhaps in further planned meetings, this is still to come. For the more cynical present that evening, however, the concepts of government-run propaganda and staging may have occurred as a thought more than once. Why? Well as it was pointed out by more than a few invitees that evening, apart from the sheer nostalgic power of the idea, in the absence of a compelling incentive, networking beyond the room itself seemed a non-option. Returning to our island to setup professionally would seem like a virtual act of martyrdom.

Nostalgia for the patria for most of us tends to tug primarily on the heart-strings, the sentiment often ending there. For that tugging to act on the purse-strings, however, requires more than a mere emotional appeal. If only it were that easy! Simply put, for most, if the concept does not make practical sense, it simply will not represent a feasible option. The furthest the idea will reach is within the highly innocuous bounds of conversation. The size of any proposed remuneration package and the omnipresent threat to personal safety on our beloved twin-island republic are not matters easily sidestepped or treated frivolously. However, one of the more immediately tangible results of the TTPN(UK) meeting was the promotion of the so-called Fast Forward Program which consists of a database for nationals abroad with a focus on procuring employment within the public & private sector at home on a temporary, permanent or consultancy basis.

If we are to follow the inspired example of other nations in the Commonwealth such as Australia and New Zealand, who despite appreciably distinct histories from our own have successfully managed to withstand large-scale export of their home-grown human capital (with much smaller-scale repatriation) with a net result that, quite remarkably, yields world-beating GDP growth rates. Can T&T’s planners home and in the Foreign Office sincerely begin to hint at this direction for our economy? Will we ever merge into this category?

With its installation as a registered organisation, it can be reasonably expected that this professional network function as a powerful lobby tool used to influence public policy from abroad, much like a guild of exiled politicians who may rule by proxy. Immediately, we spot the quandaries: private vs public interests and external influence on the local socio-economic environment and increased market exploitation. How fair is it for nationals who, willingly or unwillingly, reside in T&T to have their day-to-day lives shaped according to the caprices of a group of nationals who have in their own way chosen to abandon the flag, as it were? In the same manner in which the topic of voting rights of expatriates is discussed, this should also be considered. The argument runs along that precise vein.

Trinidad and Tobago, as we are beginning to realise yet again, is poised for a quantum leap on a myriad of key fronts over the coming months. Our profile has been elevated substantially as a result of our World Cup Final qualification in Germany this year. No-one is saying that it all comes down to a few football matches, but we can ill-afford to have the momentum of this event sweep past us without taking every opportunity to harness it efficiently and all the new prospects with which we will find ourselves flooded in sectors well beyond sport. This is where the establishing of such a network can be invaluable.

The reality is that Trinidad & Tobago as a concept has been both misrepresented and underrepresented to the outside world, particularly in the regard of countries that matter, the G8 and OECD member states, above all. In our stir, we must realise that our coming “moment” can be likened to a photograph’s being taken, a snapshot that will endure on the mantlepiece of history. The crucial question is: can we afford to live with this image? All eyes are on us.

Stay tuned for Part II – The Backlash

Nigel R. Cupid for The Progressive

Student Rights

It is clear there is a serious trend of victimisation and opportunism taking place in St Augustine and environs, where our burgeoning intellectuals, engineers, doctors, writers, artists, sociologists, politicians and businessmen are being dealt an unfair blow by their landlords, rent increases being a major setback, an antithesis to the free education being propagated by the Government. Students, relieved of the burden of university fees, are now faced by another demon of capitalism, the opportunist money-maker.

I fully support the march of the on and off-campus UWI students, who, as if not having enough on their plates, are being bullied in to paying higher rent or being displaced due to expansion. Expansion? If not already the case, rental agreements should be sanctioned and fixed by law for all students of UWI and UTT for that matter, and landlords should face penalties for unlawfully capitalising on such a distasteful market. They are only students. They are our future, yet we want to start them off in debt? They have enough to worry about on campus.

The Government should fully back such an initiative and it should have never reached to the stage where students are left on their own to fight battles such as these, leaving a feeling of neglect and even disrespect in their hearts. The local authorities should encourage fair rental contracts, with fixed rates for all students, offering kickbacks if necessary to landlords. There should be an association of some kind with all registered landlords in the environs of all university campuses to regulate the negotiations between students and landlords. This association should be in direct talks with the Student Guilds of these campuses so that students have a voice in this crucial aspect of their lives. If these measures are already in place, why are students resorting to protest action?

The University administration is clearly not supporting the plight of our young minds. Where is the unity? ‘Unity’ is not to be only used on a political platform, it should be a goal of every person, every elected body and it should be the backbone of every organisation, public or private.