Tarouba Politics

It is slightly embarrassing to travel into work in London and see the headline “Lara stadium not ready” in the English newspapers. It is even more annoying when one considers that the stadium was not required for the cricket World Cup warm up matches as they are at least two existing sites that are more than capable of hosting the four pre-tournament matches. The government created the fanfare about the stadium being a state of the art project that was required for warm up matches for the World Cup despite the correct protests from all quarters, given the costs of $850 million and the aforementioned fact that other grounds exist to facilitate this requirement.

In light of these facts, I have not read about anyone accepting the responsibility for this billion-dollar farce, but then this should be expected from a project that follows the age old practice of a whimsical decision that is unchallenged, unjustified and steeped in the usual lack of transparency.

The reasons outlined for the stadium have yet to be substantiated to the public. Consider first that the home of local cricket, the Queens Park Oval, has rightfully been chosen as the host of the T&T based World Cup matches: No reason for a new stadium. Then the Prime Minister sought further inane validation by the now infamous remark that the stadium will be used, in times of emergency such as a tsunami, as a shelter for the public. Given the location in Tarouba and the fact that our government cannot even efficiently clear Port of Spain when a potential hurricane approaches, how do they plan to enact the necessary logistics to move people from anywhere to Tarouba? Further gems from Mr. Manning include his comment in August 2005 that his stadium could act as secondary venue should a neighbouring isle not complete their own stadium. Well the International Cricket Council (ICC) has now completed their surveys and it is only one nation that has a stadium that is not ready, T&T. However, it does not matter because that stadium is not hosting any World Cup games anyway!

According to the rhetoric, the Tarouba stadium is meant to enhance our future sporting generations with this state of the art facility. However, in the continuing tradition of spending without thought, the only foundations that will be laid for sporting enhancement are those erected in the soil of Tarouba. The real foundations for enhancing our natural sporting potential lay in investment in our athletes, sports medicine, sports psychology, academies, cohesive coaching programmes and enabling our athletes to compete against the best in the world on a year round basis and not just at major Games. Bricks and mortar never produced world-beaters but we have enough sporting facilities littered around the islands that could be refurbished for a mere fraction of the cost of ‘Lara’. Of course, in the haste to use the Caribbean’s hosting of the World Cup as an excuse for this construction, none of these simple factors were considered.

Since Mr. Manning championed the ‘Lara’ stadium, the responsibility for this billion-dollar debacle lies with him. He has even allocated the name of the world’s greatest batsman to this white elephant, the same name that appears in the international press.

I trust that there will be some tough questioning to the government regarding this matter because $850 million can train/recruit a lot of police, buy more police cars, create running water, fix the roads, improve public healthcare and most importantly put teachers into our classrooms. But I fear that will not be the case when ineffective blimps are grounded, billion dollar rail proposals are shrouded in secrecy and a Transport Minister can insult the intelligence of the nation when questioned about jet purchases. It seems that a new one-sided Constitution is not needed for a dictator to emerge.

Mr. Manning’s ego will be his own undoing but my fervent hope is that those with ambitions of holding his office posses the logic required to not repeat this madness, as well as the intelligence to get the basics right as we move forward and the sincerity to stop ‘mamaguying’ the public by practicing transparency. This is what is required; these are the indicators that we need to look for with an election on the horizon.

Our level of acceptance in this nation is astonishing; it creates the lack of accountability as well as our leaders’ thought process that they can waste our money when it is so badly needed elsewhere. The ‘Lara’ stadium is already halfway completed (we think) but there should be a lesson learnt from this financial fiasco that we demand transparency and public opinion for future projects such as the rail project and the smelter(s). Do not complain at the level of wastage if your protests are not directed where it counts.

Sheldon Waithe

Abortion: A Male Perspective

Discourses have been rampant over this most emotional of subjects, religious, legal, moral and rational arguments put forward by everyone from the Pope to Peasant. The history of anti-abortion activists has been rooted in religious or biblical adherence to God’s wishes, (Bible, Exodus), however, the practise of abortion, the use of abortifacients and numerous physical methods of inducing abortion, from the use of mercury, as recorded by Chinese folklore on the royal concubines, pessaries (although ‘forbidden’ by Hippocrates, under whose oath doctors are sworn) to steaming water, massage, violent exercise and modern day methods of surgery, anaesthetics, spoons, knives and just about anything a desperate woman can find to use.

The Pope emphatically rejects the idea of abortion, dogmatic and outdated as his opinion may be; this is just the start, as I believe that any leading opinion on the subject should be a female one. The Pope is his wisdom, or lack of lately, can never understand the trauma of pregnancy induced rape, can never understand the psychological torment of a sexually abusive father, incestuously impregnating his child at 12 years old. As a man he should be the last person to dictate on this subject. I would hope most women would not be able to relate to such atrocities, but women are that much closer in body and spirit to their kin, and at a clear advantage to take the reins on the subject.

Religious law simply has no place in a medical procedure. The morality of abortion should be discussed at one level – zero. A woman’s right to her body should be personal, intimately so. As a man, I feel that my opinion is just that, an opinion that does not suggest law, an opinion that is alien to emotion, experience or action. In Trinidad & Tobago, growing up as a teenager in the nineties, abortion was commonplace talk, also relatively known to be happening amongst my female peers, they finding the means, financed by the father-not-to-be, or in some cases by friends or parents and they would take care of it themselves, making decisions based on their age, the expected reaction of their parents, family and schools. Religion was an after thought. The reality of the situation was simple: ‘mistake’, youth, rape – “no way can I have a child”. I have also known of women who have had abortions with the consent of their catholic parents, the pressure of the reality overriding any religious sentiment at the time.

Abortion should be legalised and controlled. Women should be given the right, the tools and the necessary post-abortive therapy to direct their lives the way they want to, yet 2006 greets us with archaic laws, close-minded politicians and frenzied religious babble in the face of capital punishment, ‘legal’ wars, genocide and ‘police assisted’ kidnappings. Strides are being made in Latin America, even in our revered USA, where abortion laws are being tweaked to allow women and children who fall pregnant under certain circumstances, to legally abort their pregnancy. This is a great step forward, however, it still feeds the black market doctors whose procedures sometimes prove more detrimental to a woman’s health than necessary. So what happens? The woman goes to the doctor, recommended by a friend, sometimes even cryptically advertised in the media, has an abortion, encounters severe problems post-procedure, and ends up under the care of the National health services anyway. Do we now go and charge her, put her in jail for years, this ‘illegal’ activity and activist hounded by the Police Service and persecuted, as suggested by Lenny Saith, or do we treat her as a victim of the system, take her in to our care and offer her the best recuperative therapy the State can offer? The Minister of Public Administration and Energy being asked for an opinion on abortion laws? In what capacity are you acting – man, doctor or public servant?

Yet again, the naivety, the impotence of our policy makers is rearing its head. Lenny Saith had the opportunity to make an informed gesture, as an educated person, dare I say ‘man’, but he chose to be evasively pedantic. For once I would like to see a Minister put forward his or her opinion without the mask of politics. This is real life here. People die because of ill-informed, machoistic legislation, religious bias and general apathy. Let’s get the debate out there and DO SOMETHING about these so-called “back yard doctors”, bring them in to the mainstream, educate the population, empower parents, daughters, mothers, wives, aunts and children, take the debate in to the school yard, away from the hush of the back room and most importantly LEARN from these ‘developing’ countries that Trinidad & Tobago models itself after. There are numerous case studies done on the subject, experts of every persuasion, lobbying everyday, dedicating their lives to the better understanding of the plight of women, yet we are cornered, because our Minister of Health wasn’t present in Parliament.

Democratic Aristocracy

With utter dismay I read, moreover, I feel anguish at the present day politician’s sprint for conventional wealth at the expense of the natural resources of our Trinidad & Tobago. Gas, ammonia and oil are spewing like water from a damaged water hydrant in La Horquetta, only this time, we do not see bare-baked children playing and laughing under the cool, spouting water, relishing the ‘bath’ under the heat of the trini sun, ignorant of the plight of millions who do not have the luxury of a handful of water to wash their faces, however, we see the political puerility of our politicians revelling in the revenue, showing disregard, at the highest level, for the dirge of the ‘owners’ of these resources, whose lifestyles warrant not the sly, manipulative dealings of those put in charge of their welfare.

We, the citizens of Trinidad & Tobago do not deserve the mistreating by any Government, the disrespect shown to us is unnecessary, as we struggle to get the simple basics provided economically and consistently. We would like paved roads instead of shiny rail tracks. Has anyone bothered to think of what it feels like to be sardined in a train carriage, under that unforgiving trini sun, with the mixture of smells, temperaments, voices, mobile phone conversations and fare-evasive arguments? Think of a red-band maxi, in rush hour, ten times more expensive and just as uncomfortable. Leave the train for the sugarcane, dreamy politicians.

We, the citizens of Trinidad & Tobago want improved social care. We want our public hospitals running like St Clair Medical Centre. That money you want to use on a private jet for yourselves, use it wisely to improve the health care system and infrastructure. Imagine a hospital in Tobago being given an ultimatum to clean up its act. How did it get to that stage in the first place? We want public facilities for the youth operating like Ellerslie Plaza Gym. What determines the stark differences in operational mentality between the private and public sectors? Why, that cash you want to throw at Bombardier can go a long way in improving the salaries of a good few thousand ‘low ranking’ public sector workers, who may greet us a with a smile instead of a steups in receipt of such a gracious gift!

The Government is public sector. Let us not forget that they are put there by the citizens of Trinidad & Tobago. They have to serve us. When did the roles become reversed? We sweat and toil to fatten their pockets, and we let them get away with such brazen greed and disrespect for us, for our children, our future, whilst their diplomatic passports absolve them of accountability? It should most definitely be the other way around. They should stand accountable for every aspect of socio-economic failure or success of this country. They should be the lowest paid public servants in the land, for their cause, by nature, should be humanitarian. This is not a FTSE listed business; these are the lives of people you are constantly fucking up. When will you wake up and realise that a new BMW, a refurbished Red House for your personal glory, a private jet, free this, free that, is draining the life blood of this country! Your legacy does not depend on how much money you’ve spent, or how many new buildings you’ve sanctioned, this is not Roman times, this is life in the twenty-first century and you have starving, homeless people to take care of. You are not King in this land. We are.

A Challenge

Another year, another crossroad. The naysayers are out in full force, cleverly attacking as if objectively informed, but their camps reek of bias. Bas is back in action, ‘taking the bull by the horns’, the former boss setting the stage for a battle with his former employee, telling all of his fellow citizens, by his brazen leap to renewed authority, that the only man to handle this ‘situation’, is me! ‘Panday boy, take ah rest nah man’!

A new political party is symbolic of many things, especially in the race-torn sewerage that is politics in Trinidad &Tobago. A new party signifies primarily a stance against monopoly. The way I see it, the PNM and UNC have had their chances, neither of them proving to be enlightening enough to truly take our country forward, always 1 step forward, 60000 barrels of oil backward. They had a good run since 1962, but times have changed since the Williams independence era, times have changed since the sugarcane workers ‘revolution’ and times are changing yet again, with the considerable elevation of social awareness, a nation being forced to reconcile its differences because of the paucity of governing and government, a nation magnetized by the blatant disregard for life, for humanity, for tradition and love. Our country needs new thinkers, fresh politics, and a revised approach to governing. Will the CoP provide this? I doubt, but it is a start.

Dookeran had no choice. Brother, you had no support from the onset, you did what you had to do, and I applaud that. I applaud you because you faced up to the tyranny, the threats, the kids-play that has become synonymous with UNC in-house politics, but also you heard the cry of your supporters, and yes, some do actually believe in you. I do not: you are a politician. Prove me wrong. You have started a movement using shelved ingredients. Where’s your innovation, where is the fresh thinking. Old dogs, old tricks, same disgruntled citizenry. This was the second prospect of a new political party, a chance at some new styles of governing, a chance for Trinidad & Tobago to flex its creativity. The same intuition and drive for independence, for civil rights, for equality, that drive for economic success, why is it lacking in Politics in our country. Dookeran had a chance at this, and his first move, hosting his rally at Centre of Excellence, what a blasphemous act!, instead of in one of the many idyllic open spaces, a more symbolic gesture ‘of the People’. Let us see if Jack rewards you, kindly.

So Dookeran, what is your next move? Apparently, you are heading to Canada to garner support from your foreign nationals. One would think this is the most crucial time for you and your new ideal, a time when many questions will need to be answered, fears allayed, a time for alliances to be forged with your new ‘subjects’ in their backyards, unless of course, with the lack of gas, you’d rather use this time abroad to collect some cash to fill up your tank back home. What are you driving these days by the way?

We await your manifesto. We await the rallies, the promises, the shameless courting, and the mouthy battles to come. Dookeran, you have a mighty task ahead of you, so I hope you are prepared to bring to the table that which we seek: solutions. Yes. Solutions to crime, solutions to poverty, solutions to bridging east, west, north and San Fernando. All the people are awaiting the solutions you and your merry bandits to be are going to propose. Cynical? Me? Nah man. I am tired of the disappointment though, so prove me wrong.

Honesty is one of those virtues that are banned, like smoking (I hope), at the doors of Parliament. Dookeran, you have a chance to change this. Do not crumble too quickly, you will inevitably make room for younger talent, perhaps you can start with Boldon, as he has not been doing much on your old bench. Bring some morality to this country. I implore you. You’re respected, for some reason, personally, I think it’s just the bacchanal caused by someone opposing Silver Fox, you having not proved a thing other than you know when to stay quiet, when to cower, when to run, and okay, I give you this, when to tactically strike. You stood up to Bas and his henchwomen, both of them, so you can take anyone on. Continue the way you would like to end this battle, with the respect of the people, for they see in you, a virtuous trait. Do not let us down.

A Congress of the People is a daring name, Dookeran. Are you prepared to be a martyr? If you want to stand up for us, you should be prepared to die for us. Do you have it within you to go that extra mile for the country you would like govern, that you believe you and your cohorts should be given the chance to, corrupt, I hope not, to develop, stabilize, and inspire, to lead us to prosperous spirituality, to true unity and love, to tribagonianism.

You have the mic, sir.

The Humming-Bird Tree

I read the book many years ago, but remember nothing about it, apart from the name, testimony to the lasting effects its content had on me. I remember having studied it during the earlier stages of my literature training at Fatima College, reputable in those days for impeccable quality of educational training, trusted to produce a handsome handful of young men who would have shaped the country in some form or other, contributed something to the society, utilised the knowledge gained, formal or ‘on the field’. I’ll argue the principle in this case.

It is not shocking that our Ministry of Education has no backbone. ‘Four letter words’ being the cause of the current brouhaha over ‘The Humming-Bird Tree’ and the subsequent decision by many school principals to revoke its inclusion in their literature training. Four letter words. Are we saying that, by the same argument put forward by these close-minded parents, Crazy’s ‘Nani Wine’, Roaring Lion’s ‘Dorothy’, Tony Matterhorn’s ‘Dutty Wine’, Buju Banton’s ‘Boom Bye Bye’ or Mad Cobra’s ‘Gyal Flex’, just to name a few, should all be pulled from the radio, their content disguisedly, but conspicuously ‘inappropriate’ for our children, mind you, more youths know how to ‘dutty wine’ and ‘flex’ than they know about plot, theme, symbolism, metaphorical reference, poetic license or freedom of speech, for that matter.

Am I missing something here? Is this a triumph for the voice of the people, but a defeat for common sense, evolution and development? How is it that a nation so rich in cultural identity, an intellectual population by any standard, a country injected by facets of so many far reaching societies and their traditions, a country that openly embraces globalisation (read: americanisation), that is saturated with external images and sounds of every theme and tempo, can so brazenly, cowardly, ignorantly argue about a few ‘four letter’ words in what has been described as a marvellous representation of West Indian culture, a journey of development, a text rich in trinbagonian creole language and symbolism, as deftly described by Bunny Rambhajan in her article to the Express newspaper dated 6/9/06, entitled ‘A Literature Lesson for Adults’.

So, what of cuss-words in literature? Isn’t literature an expression of art, isn’t art a representation of life, derived from the profound, sometimes incomprehensible souls of those blessed few who can create with ease that which humans use to identify its own humanity? Shakespeare, Chaucer, VS Naipaul, they all invoke the spirit of their chosen gift with, authenticity. This is what makes a credible work of art, understood.

Censorship at any level is not only repressive, it is also insulting to a developing society. Naturally, when the shit, oops, hit the fan, the MoE passed the buck, stating that it was the schools’ responsibility to choose apt books for study, critique and enjoyment of its student body. The choice was made, someone barked, the MoE cowered, and now, these same parents take it a step further, in true trini mocking style, by approaching bookstores for refunds. Come on Trinidad & Tobago. If all you were seeking was a lil’pocket change for a beer or an upcoming all inclusive, then you shoulda say so! Let us not deprive our kids the benefit of literature, in exchange for what, Cinemax after dark? MTV Cribs? Big Brother?

Parents don’t want their children learning 'cuss-words' from literature, arguing that the MoE is irresponsible for not vetting the booklists, the MoE stating that this is the schools’ responsibility. Fair enough. The schools go on to choose this particular text, which mind you have been on the syllabus for many years, perhaps not year in year out, but given that I graduated in 1996 from Fatima College and having read it before that, then is it that children ‘in de ol’ days’ were more mature to read and comprehend, critique and learn from prose, than the children today whose parents feel sheltering them, at this late stage!, is some panacea for the ills of society today? Instead of depriving your children of good West Indian literature, why not uninstall the cable tv. That’s a perfect start. You want to shelter your children from the simple reality that is the evolution of language, yet the internet is at their fingertips. Do you know how to surf the internet? Perhaps when you try, you may want to sell the computer too.

It’s sad that Hazel Manning didn’t have the foresight, perhaps not the time, to put forward an informative, intelligent argument in defence of one of the oldest bastions of human cultural expression, it’s even sadder for the children who do not have a say, but perhaps, when they learn how to use expletives responsibly in ‘form 4’, they can borrow The Humming-Bird Tree from a friend and find out for themselves what all the brouhaha was about. Ian McDonald, kudos to you, please don’t be offended, for they know not what they do.

Ground Zero

Tuesday September 11^th 2001 probably began like any ordinary day in America. As millions of people in the central and pacific states still slept soundly in their beds, many millions more on the East Coast had just woken up to begin the routine of daily life. In homes from the Florida Keys all the way up to Portland in Maine, the daily squabbling over the family bathroom had already began. Lunch-boxes were being filled with ham sandwiches and Sunny Delight, and women fussed over whether this or that blouse would make them look fat. The paper-boys had already done their rounds and as ESPN relayed the sports stories in the background, men poured over the early morning news with their customary cups of coffee. The main traffic arteries linking suburbia and city were clogged with commuters, many of whom were no doubt listening to their favourite morning radio programmes and thinking about what the day had in store for them. Tuesday September 11^th 2001 probably would have ended like any ordinary day in America too, but for the nineteen mujahadis who had passed through passport control at Logan, Newark and Dulles.

To say that America had woefully under-estimated the threat from Al-Qaeda is like saying that the Klu Klux Klan is racist. This is no better illustrated than by the fact that as Mohammed Atta and Marwan Al-Heshhi were slamming their hijacked planes into the Twin Towers, the man in overall charge of the nation's security was reading 'My Pet Goat' to a bunch of pre-school kids. Since then however, America's response to this atrocity has been wide and far reaching. An ''axis of evil'' was quickly identified and the President launched what he termed to be a ''crusade'' against those enemies of freedom. The President and his men claimed that there would be no hiding place for the purveyors of terror, and vowed not only to go after those delivering terror, but also those who had harboured and sponsored them. The United States called on all responsible nations to unite in the now infamous war on terror. Collectively, they promised to make our countries safer and to rid the world of terror. They promised that democracy would not be shaken and that our way of life will prevail.

For a while our leaders had us believing that we were indeed winning this fight. When coalition forces rolled into Kabul, it was hard even for the man on the Arab street to argue against the expulsion of the Taleban. After all, these were men who had confined the people of Afghanistan to the most barbaric of existences, and few questioned the ferocity of the attacks to exterminate Bin Laden, his followers and his landlords. An illusion of order was created amidst anarchy, and for the first time in living memory, Afghans had a government chosen by the people for the people. In 2003, the ''crusaders'' then turned to Iraq. Iraq under Saddam Hussein they claimed had been stockpiling weapons of mass destruction and there was incontrovertible evidence in the form of satellite photos showing mobile and fixed chemical and biological laboratories. Intelligence sources had also apparently uncovered Al-Qaeda training camps in the north of the country. The combination of weapons of mass destruction and Al-Qaeda left little to the imagination. We were told that pre-emptive action was in our best national interests and that America and its allies could no longer stand idle while others willfully plotted our downfall. The march to Baghdad took less than a week and the defining moment at that time was when Saddam's statue was pulled down from central Baghdad and many Iraqis danced long into the night...Iraq was liberated at last. Having tasted blood, the hawks were by no means satiated though and they now set their sights on the Ayatollahs of Iran and the Baathists of Syria. So perturbed was Libya by all this sabre-rattling, that Gaddafi decided to 'fess up' about his own nuclear weapons programme. He offered his apologies, promised to follow the 'straight and narrow' and was subsequently ushered back into the fold; the prodigal son that he was. The 'coalition of the willing' had laid down its marker in the Middle East and in the wider international community; their actions heralded as a triumph for peace, democracy and freedom for all mankind.

Soon enough, however, the smoke screens that were put up in both Afghanistan and Iraq were fast dissipating and the stark truth could be seen lingering in the background. The Taleban have resurfaced at an alarming rate and Afghanistan is slowly slipping back into lawlessness with an increasing number of warlords reasserting control in several regions. Shortly before the British took over control of the NATO security forces in the south a few months ago, the then Defence Minister John Reid remarked that it was highly likely that British troops would carry out their mission without having to fire a single shot. He stated that their mission was to re-build and stabilise rather than to engage the Taleban. To date, more than thirty soldiers have died in the last few months and it seems as if it is the Taleban who is doing all the engaging. For all its obvious troubles and concerns however, Afghanistan is Utopia compared to the situation in Iraq.

Saddam's rag-tag army no longer even posed a threat to any Arab regime yet we were led to believe that his bunch of malnourished conscripts represented a clear and present danger to our very existence. The country was scoured by thousands of US-led inspectors for months on end but no weapons of mass destruction were ever found. For the thousands of war dead, the irony of this war is especially poignant as many have died fighting against an enemy that never was. It is also clear that the terrorists followed the Americans and British into Iraq. There was no Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi nor his group 'Al-Qaeda in Iraq' until after the American and British invasion of the country. Yet still our leaders persist in fooling themselves that Iraq is making steady progress... ''Democracy conquers all'' they are often heard to say. It is telling then that many Iraqis are now worse off under democratic rule than they were when Saddam and his co-tyrants were in power. Many Iraqis now go without basic amenities such as running water, electricity and communications. The country is now gripped in the midst of a seemingly endless cycle of sectarian violence between the majority Shia population and the minority Sunni and conservative estimates put the average monthly death toll at anywhere between 300 and 400. And just ask the Palestinians about this democracy. Democracy can't be all that bad they convinced themselves and after Yasser Arafat's death, they came out in their droves to vote for Hamas. But Hamas, militant faction that it is, was not what the Europeans who held the purse strings of Palestine had in mind and they subsequently withdrew all financial and logistical support to the regime and thus the people themselves. The Palestinian people had clearly not read the fine print before signing on the dotted line.

Most alarmingly for me, however, is that this war on terror has seen us abandon the very principles on which our free and just societies are based...the very principles that we are told, time and again, that we are fighting to protect. Out have gone time-honoured practices such as treating all persons innocent until proved guilty, giving everyone the right to legal access and a fair trial, and in have come things like Guantanamo Bay and military (read: kangaroo) tribunals. The Geneva Convention suddenly became 'out of date' and was replaced with never before heard phrases like ''enemy combatants'' and ''extraordinary rendition'' (read: torture) The erosion of civil liberties does not only stop at the door of the assumed terrorist. Ohhh no, it has trickled down into the daily lives of you and me. We have seen the most flagrant disregard for the principle of an individual's right to privacy with the wanton and illegal surveillance of electronic communications in the United States. Here in Britain, we have seen ever-increasing numbers of Asian men and women stopped and searched for no other apparent reason than for simply being Asian. As is often the case, many of these people are not even Muslim, but Sikh and Hindu. Just recently, two Asian looking men were forced off a British plane at gunpoint...they 'just didn't look right' remarked one concerned passenger.

Who would have thought on September 12^th 2001 that Osama Bin Laden, Mullah Omar and Ayman Al-Zawahiri would still be at large today? It now seems highly likely that this trio will outlast the political lives of both Bush and Blair, the key architects in this war on terror. Funny thought that, isn't it? Amid all this, we are often told that we are winning the war against terror. Hmmm...if this is winning, then I shudder to think what losing would be like. From where I am sitting it seems as if we are no safer now than we were five years ago. In fact, terrorism seems to have been exacerbated by the very war that was designed to stop it. From Bali to Madrid, from India to Morocco, to London and beyond the jihadists, continue apace. I ask you to reflect upon this as you stand in the snaking queue at Heathrow with a small clear plastic bag in your hand where your Samsonite used to be...five years on from that fateful morning, are we still at Ground Zero?

prophet

Get Involved - A look at the draft Constitution

The much vaunted new Constitution has now been presented in draft format to the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago. Unsurprisingly, this draft has not garnered the interest of the public for a document that is so crucial to the future of our nation. As members of this same disenchanted public continue to add to their list of complaints about the mismanagement of the nation, one asks how can the public complain about the running of the country but then not take a vested interest in the mechanics behind the running of the country.

Though the draft paper has only recently been presented as the ‘white paper’, there is, with a general election looming on the horizon, the impetus for this draft to take the next step towards implementation as soon as possible, some expectations state a ‘green paper’ document before the end of 2006. Without the public interest, perusal and involvement it is all too possible that this 159 page document can be passed as the new Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago in relatively quick time, a document it has to be stressed, that will determine the manner in which we are governed. Yet the interest for this all-encompassing draft remains dormant.

The judiciary and Parliament itself has suffered the fate of ambiguous laws, drafts etc. that has restricted their ability to perform in the best interests of the nation, now we are confronted by a draft that contradicts the very purpose for which it was enacted, to restrict the considerable power that the political leader of T&T wields, in the hope of a more democratic process.

A look at the draft shows the favouring of the ‘Executive President’ model as we meander along the road to full Americanism in media, behaviour, thought, deed and now, governance. What this means is that we the public, will put all the power into one individual as this President will be leader of his political party, Head of the government and the Head of State. If you think that the current PM currently makes whimsical decisions without much opposition or regard for public opinion, what do you think will happen with a Constitution that grants almost total political power to an individual? Though the favoured practice of late is for our President to steer clear of all things Party-related, surely we all recognise the folly of eradicating the system of a separate Government and State.

Other points for major concern regarding the proposed Constitution would be the appointment of the Chief Justice by this President. Given the current situation between Mr. Manning and Mr. Sharma, one does not need to highlight the potential issue of a President choosing a leader of the judiciary that favours his or her desires. Effectively, this could lead to a President deciding upon which laws he will adhere to and which ones he will ignore. This type of system will even dwarf the burgeoning autocratic leadership that is raring its head in T&T.

Though there are many more points to be raised from this draft such as the eradication of the Cabinet sharing responsibility, therefore, accountability for government decisions, the PM has stated that there are more aspects that will reveal themselves as further examination of the document continues. However it is hardly likely that there will be any proposed solutions to outweigh the massive empowerment that the post of Executive President will produce.

It is quite confusing that Sir Ellis Clarke, the man that stated, in 2005 I believe, that the office of Prime Minister in Trinidad and Tobago holds too much power hence the need for a new Constitution, then produces a document that does the opposite to his observation. Though we are continually reminded that this is the first draft and it is now to be debated in Parliament, the general direction of this draft should give cause for concern to a public that already feel helpless when their government makes decisions in a dictatorial manner.

It is equally baffling that the purveyors of our news, the quality media, have not provided much comment or more importantly a breakdown of the major points of this draft. Not everyone has the access or will go to the Parliament website to look at the draft. One would have thought that the importance of such a document would entail a daily or weekly series dedicated to empowering the people of T&T with the knowledge of this draft along with comment and potential repercussions, be they positive or negative. It is part of the obligation of the media to enact this.

If copy can be given to the berating comments of members of the Opposition and the Government, surely this qualifies as a higher priority in the echelon of worthy news. I trust that my mild criticism will not deter you from the points listed above.

This draft has silently entered the door of Parliament but some of its intentions are quite loud and clear despite its infancy. The importance of this document means that the people of this nation need to understand its affect upon their rights and freedom and be involved in its development, otherwise like the majority of similar projects, we will continue to be distracted by other things and when the changes take place that leave us even more helpless and disenchanted we will wonder how and why we arrived there. The governance of a nation is important enough to garner your attention and your continued involvement, don’t you think?

Get involved.

http://www.ttparliament.org/docs/constitution/20060818_draft_constitution.pdf

Sheldon Waithe

A Matter of Priority

A Matter of Priority

Talk about missin’ de boat. De UNC fightin as if dey have nutten betta to do wit dey time, money or life, de PNM runnin’ de country blindly, Mannin’ an’ he boys strugglin’ to win public favour, peltin’ money way on all kinda gran’ gran’ schemes, ‘fuh de bettament of de nation’ of course, new highway, new smelta plant, new buildin’ here, new buildin’ there, no new jobs doh, no new healt’ system, no new ideas fuh easin’ up de crime, de kidnappins unda lows, buh maybe not, maybe it jus eh makin’ de papers no more because why?, de damn chirren in de UNC smilin’ wit all de attention dey gettin’ from de media, all de while, de gunman still runnin amok, de smugglers doin dey ting on de side, nobody studyin’ dem, de politicians doin dey bobol behin’ de curtains of parliament, Ellis re-draffin de constitution and NOT AH MAN sayin ah word in about it in de papers, yet, dey make so much fuss bout dis problem, dat problem, and dey lettin’ ellis and he cohorts turn we country in to ah model of yankee politics?? Papayo, allyuh people does make me laff wi, dat is why ah love allyuh so, because none ah we go eva change in dis country, we too happy wit we life, we eh have de belly fuh hard work, change might make we poor, so who wha change, ideas does cause trouble, who want ideas, we too stubborn to accept ah new, fresh way ah tinkin, Dooks willin’ to try something new, Wade fightin’ he dong wit one setta stupid talk bout WAR. WAR??? Steups. Allyuh eh play allyuh dotish in allyuh political circles nah. Ah bright man like Fitzgerald go stann up an bawl Trinidad & Tobago on par wit London when it come to crime! Hahah, an we eat dat garbage de man talk, nobody eh study dat London have 10 million people, wit one hundred and sixty five murders between July 2005 and July 2006, Trinidad have 1.3 million, how much man dead, THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY SIX between January and December 2005. Why he talking rubbish to de people, to what end ah man mus get up in public office an’ purposely try to insult we intellek? Man like Bas talkn bout comin out ah retirement. Bas why yuh doh buy ah lil house in Mayaro and relax yuhself. We eh want nutten from you no more. Yuh come in, yuh do yuh ting, yuh make ah lil kakada, res’ yuhself now nah man. Wha’ you could possibly do fuh de country again, yuh do enuf, an all de cane workers love yuh fuh wha yuh do fuh dem back in de day, buh you jus wha keep man in de cane field while you perch atop de hill, nah dah hard life fuh de people hadda done man, keepin’ man dong wit one setta race talk, nobody cyah move forward ‘cause allyuh jus fillin’ man head wit ah setta racial ting, dividin’ happy neighbours, wha wrong wit allyuh? We have ah nice set up here man, allyuh politician jus playin’ games, cyah even make tings right in yuh own house, wha yuh go fuh we country? Wha Abu up to dese days by de way! I eh hear bout he in ah long time, like he mus be cut ah small deal, relaxin dong de islands somewhey. An wha bout Senator Ato! Haha, dah man make me laff wi, imagine he come in de game braps, dry so, de man eh say one word to de public, as far as I know, de man eh do nutten, buh ah see him limin in germany doh, yea, de new senator on vacation takin in de football, good fuh he ah say, buh why on we back? Wha plan ah action de man have? Wha we go do, at least dey hol ah man fuh poor Shazad life, yuh know dat wouldn’ta happen long time, de ‘forces was ah lock dong clique, ah bruddahood, but de people getting smart, dem charlieville people do de right ting, dey stann up fuh deyself, dey recognise ah injustice an dey eh take no BS from dem officials bout wha, ah pirogue rammin ah CG vessel? Steups, please. Nex ting yuh know if yuh hit ah man car from behind, he pullin out gun to shoot yuh, dry so, but yuh know wha, it have some good people out here, man who know whey he priorities lie, man who eh fraid to stann up an scream at dem monkeys makin’ ah mess ah we country, an dem is de men we need in de front to lead we, to take de country forward, to provide innovative, fresh ideas fuh we people, dem is de men who care, not bout dey own pocket, buh dey care about de welfare of de nation. All ah we is one family, leh we start actin so nah.