In Drastic Need of a Revolution

I've just spent the last few days reading articles by kidnapped victims published in local newspapers in Trinidad. It is beyond horrific, it's evil, it's wrong, wrong, wrong, what these people had to endure. The fact that in each case no one was ever caught is even more terrifying. As I can recall, kidnappings started back in 2002. And now, it seems to be a thriving business venture for anyone who wants to make a wealthy living. Never mind the means, the end is all that matters.

It seems that law and order have disappeared in T&T, those living at home who call for police service for any reason will know what I mean. I had a lecturer at University, a polish man, who asked our class 'how, in such a small country, with a population that's not growing, can no one catch these criminals? There are not that many places to hide!'

It's an insult to anyone who has ever been robbed of their belongings, anyone who has been kidnapped, anyone who has had to suffer at the hands of these devils; to know that their captors are still at large, spending THEIR money, while these victims suffer mentally, long after the ordeal is over, it now begins in their minds.

Yet, our corrupt, uneducated police servicemen continue complaining about salary increases, lack of vehicles, and lack of air condition in the office. Here's a question - has anyone ever entered a police station to make a report? Most stations look like they've been hit by a bomb or an air raid - everything's destroyed, furniture mangled, the walls unpainted. Police write statements in huge report logs (which take an ETERNITY), and they show no interest whatsoever.

Now, here's my own little story: I had some equipment stolen years ago, and I did my own investigations and found back my amplifier. Some spineless fraction of a human being still has my two guitars and another amp, but I was later told by the police that I was interfering with their job, by finding back MY OWN gear!!! I was told I should've waited at the pawn store on South Quay where I first saw my amp, called the police and they would've collected my gear for me. When I retrieved my amp, I called the station, at 11.00AM that Saturday morning after I reached home from the shop. I received a return call at 3.30 PM that evening! It's a good thing I took back my amp when I had the chance.

The Police are incompetent! Worse yet, from what the kidnapping articles imply - they are in bed with these kidnappers, getting a 'cut' of the earnings. If that is the case, who do you trust? Whether the kidnappers themselves are ex-pat criminals returning home, or policemen, or soldiers or members of the Jamaat (that lovely organization that STILL terrorizes our nation, 16 years and counting since July 1990!!!), whoever they are, I know one thing, these hooligans must be stopped.

If our dishonourable Government keeps on turning a blind eye and a deaf ear, maybe if they can't hear, they will feel? I'm not advocating widespread rioting, I'm not advocating vigilante activities, after all, you talk freedom, and you get arrested for mere words (case in point -Inshan - I heard he's a terrorist now?)

I am advocating taking back our country. To quote the late Malcolm X, 'BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY'. We have to be honest with ourselves, there is an element that exists in society, their only care is to survive at our cost, and now, they are killing, raping, stealing and kidnapping. So in a matter of life or death, will it be us, or them?

I'm not saying 'shoot first', but I'm saying 'stand up, stop denying what's happening and DO something!' Can you forget about the fete this weekend, and protest, march in the streets, stop the country, make a sign, start a petition, form a community watch-group, take to concerned citizens, write to the UN security council, Amnesty International (Tell them our rights as law-abiding citizens are being marginalised), stage a go-slow, a sit-in, a walk-out, and if all that fails - SHUT down the country! TALK TO ANYONE WHO WILL LISTEN!

If we ALL know where the criminals live (and supposedly the police do too!!), why can't we as decent citizens march into their strongholds and meet them face to face, and TAKE BACK what they stole from us - OUR DIGNITY! After all, they can walk into our homes and take whatever they want, so why can't we do the same. Would we rather build our fence higher, hire another security guard (whose friends will kidnap you soon enough) and go to another “all-inclusive” and just laugh it all off?

An indian friend of mine, wait sorry, an Indo-Trinidadian friend of mine said 'It's ok, they only kidnapping Indians from Chaguanas with money'. But then I thought what if everyone in Chaguanas got up and left, wouldn't these vagabonds look elsewhere? This fight is in everyone's backyard. We all let the devil out of his cage. We have a chance to change things in the next election by voting this great Government out of office, once the die-hards are outnumbered at polling stations, but we also have to stand up, and take back our country.

You know what a patriot is? A patriot is someone who fights for the honour of his country, against all odds, against what the media and the politicians are saying, a patriot knows what's right, what has always been right. It's not that hard to understand right from wrong.

I'm not saying we must kill to get rid of these wicked men, I am saying that the Government, the police force, the regiment, the courts must listen to the voice of the people. And we must make them listen. We've tried various means, now we need to step up the pace, and raise “d heat” a bit. Maybe we should really see these officials as deaf and blind, because surely if they could see and hear, they wouldn't in all good consciousness let us - their own people suffer.

We need a Revolution, in our mind, in the streets, in our Land. We must act now!

Stand up my fellow Trinbagonians, stand straight, and let's take back what is rightfully ours. Stand up!

Francesco

A Trini Musician in Toronto

Listen up!

It is disrespectful to ban people from using their legal holidays to protest problems in a democracy. It says that your employer is also your social master and owns your rights as a citizen. This is the opposite of freedom. That is like when you are a little child misbehaving and your father says "so, is so". All people working for such companies must feel like indentured servants. That is so humiliating. Isn't that the sort of thing that we ended with the advent of independence? What a slap in the face!

Start applying and get a job in a company where you are not considered as a second class citizen, if you can! If it's the last thing I did, I would find a way to leave such a company.

Complaining about problems affecting the population is the fundamental idea of Democracy, as opposed to Autocracy:

Protest action is an escalation which occurs when governments do not listen to complaint action;

History tells us that further escalation into violence occurs when protest action is ignored or clamped down;

Freedom is a thing that people around the world would fight and die for. The well-known phrase "give me freedom or give me death" exemplifies this.

Let us learn from what happened in the mighty US. Learn from the French Revolution. Learn from Czar Nicholas in Russia. Learn from the US civil war. Learn from the effects of terrorism.

The power of the common people washes away even the mightiest and most powerful lords and masters.

NO MATTER HOW MUCH POWER YOU HAVE, IF YOU DO NOT LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE, THEY WILL ESCALATE UNTIL YOU MUST LISTEN. THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE IS THE VOICE OF THE LAND. HISTORY TELLS US NOTHING BUT THAT, OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

Those who abuse power will fall. History also proves this.

GET THE POINT? ESCALATION OCCURS UNTIL YOU LISTEN THE PEOPLE.

LISTEN AND ACT ACCORDINGLY. UNDERSTAND WHAT AN ELECTION IS SUPPOSED TO BE. GOVERNMENT HAS TO REPRESENT THE PEOPLE, NOT ABUSE THE PEOPLE.

Denny Ablack

Let's combine our strengths

The Movement for National Development (MND) calls for the immediate commencement of talks among all political parties in Trinidad and Tobago opposed to the ruling PNM with the view of working out their differences and forming one body to contest the next general elections.

Trinidad and Tobago is faced not only with a deteriorating crime situation but with gross mismanagement of our resources both human and natural.

The fact is that never before in my lifetime have I witnessed such discontent and loathing expressed at a government in Trinidad and Tobago.

However, unless there is a genuine coming together in the interest of the citizens of this Blessed Country, there is little or no prospect of the ruling PNM being dislodged in the next election.

We recognize that each of the party groupings will have leaders who see themselves as future prime ministers and to some that might be their only agenda, but in truth none of their ambitions are likely to be achieved at this juncture of our political development and certainly not by going it alone.

In any event the good of the nation must be the paramount consideration NOT the sectoral interest of any one group or person.

The stakes are far too high to take a chance with the future of this nation. Also and most importantly, it is clear from the opinion polls that this what the citizens want since the population too is more mature in its judgment than it is often given credit for.

We have, each of us, to put aside our political differences in the interests of the Country, since unless we do Trinidad & Tobago will simply decline into a state of anarchy, as the PNM returns to power with an even more dictatorial and callous approach than we have seen already.

We cannot afford to have our brothers and sisters to continue to be murdered, kidnapped, raped, intimidated and fearful. We cannot afford to have our resources plundered and given away to foreigners to detriment of our own citizens. We cannot continue to allow our schools to be places of abuse and violation rather than places of learning. We cannot allow our health system to be a slush fund for the family and friends of government officials whilst the poor continue to suffer daily for proper medical attention. We simply cannot continue on this path.

We are perilously close to the edge right now, and unless some kind of credible accommodation is formed between all the parties, and fairly quickly at that, then we are all doomed to failure.

Never in our history has an upcoming election been so critical to the development of our Country, and we owe it to the vast majority of law abiding citizens to heed their call, and work together to try and create a better future for our children.

Garvin Nicholas

Political Leader

Movement for National Development

www.mndtt.com

868 685-1403

MND condemns the behaviour of the government, the Commissioner of Police and the hypocrisy of some trade unions

The MND is absolutely appalled at the behaviour of the government, the Commissioner of Police and the hypocrisy of some Trade Unionist in the treatment of social activist Inshan Ishmael.

The MND notes the government's intervention acting through the Telecommunications Authority in cancelling two programmes hosted by Mr. Ishmael on his IBN television station because of his outspokenness against what he sees as the ills of our society and the complicity of the government in the furtherance of these ills.

It is irrelevant to the MND what Mr. Ishmael's political motives may be or what political party he may support. What is important is that Mr. Ishmael, like any and every other citizen of Trinidad and Tobago, has the democratic and constitutional right to voice his opinion and to protest against any democratically elected government in Trinidad and Tobago.

The MND further notes the decision of the San Juan Regional Corporation to revoke permission previously granted to Mr. Ishmael to host a protest rally at the Aranguez Savannah.

This is yet another example of the erosion of our democracy and the clamp down against dissenting voices to this government.

But most significantly, the MND notes with horror, the government's action through the Commissioner of Police, in the detention of Mr. Ishmael under the anti-terrorism laws of Trinidad and Tobago for his outspokenness. This is the most significant action taken by this government to date and is a giant step towards the curtailing of freedom of expression and the right to protest. This government has a history of highhanded action going back to the days of Occah Seepaul and continuing. It is terribly unfortunate that the CoP is being used as a comedic Gestapo type leader reminiscent of Herr Otto Flick in the series "Allo Allo" to carry out the demands of this government.

Further, the MND condemns the hypocrisy of the Trade Unionists who have come out in condemnation of national shut downs as a means of protest. These Trade Unionists routinely call for this kind of demonstration against government policy when it serves their own interests and are not in the habit of issuing special invitations to anyone. The position adopted demonstrates that they do not give a hoot about the national interests but are instead caught up in their own sectional interest and consumed by their own egos.

This is a very serious move by this government to shut up dissenting voices, it is meant to put fear in the hearts of the ordinary citizen to refrain from challenging the government. It is the same tactic used by criminals in their attempt to shut up witnesses to criminal activity.

The nation must not tolerate this clamp down of our democracy. The United States invaded Iraq to establish democracy. They have spent trillions of dollars to remove dictators all around the globe. But here it is, on the door step of the United States and in full view of the Ambassador, the government of Trinidad and Tobago has virtually become a dictatorship and he remains silent.

The protestors in Otaheite were recently treated to a lesser dose of arrogance and dictatorship when government officials and the PNM bandwagon rolled through their community. Senior Cabinet members looked upon protestors with contempt and scorn as they passed in their chauffeur driven luxury vehicles whilst the Prime Minister failed to face the public but instead proceeded to his convention and announced his plans for us the people even as the majority of us do not support these plans.

The MND calls upon all the people of Trinidad and Tobago to stand up against this kind of dictatorship today, as failing to do so will ultimately lead to regret and gnashing of teeth tomorrow when reality hits.

Garvin Nicholas

Political Leader

Movement for National Development

www.mndtt.com

Feature Article - African History Month - More Than a Celebration of Struggle, Arts & Culture

If I didn’t know better, during the month of February I will be left with the distinct impression that the Civil Rights Struggle, crafts and music, mixed with a dazzling display of dance and a variety of cultural activities represents the sum of Africa’s contribution to civilization. In spite of the overwhelming scientific evidence and the existence of numerous artifacts, little is ever mentioned in the mainstream about Africa’s contributions to civilization in the fields of science and technology. With the exception of inquiring minds, the proliferation of numerous books and scholarly articles on the subject has done little to dispel the truncated view of Africa as simply a land of exoticism in the consciousness of the greater public.

As the editor of the book, “Blacks in Science - Ancient and Modern”, Prof. Ivan Van Sertima of Rutgers University, USA refers to the lost sciences of Africa ranging from Astronomy as practiced by the Dogon of Mali to the Writing Systems of the Akan people on the West coast of Africa and the Mande or Manding-speaking people who flourished in the Sahara during its period of fertility. In the past few decades, archeologist and historians have made astonishing discoveries shedding new light on Africa and it centers of science and technology. However, these discoveries have been slow to penetrate the mainstream and even slower to become integrated into the science and technology courses of education systems. Among the African sciences identified are architecture, aeronautics, engineering, mathematics, metallurgy and medicine, navigation and physics to mention a few.

Van Sertima makes the point that historically, anthropologists have chosen to focus on the primitive, in particular – the African Bushmen, and to forgo the complexities in the primary centers of large African nations. These are the areas where, according to contemporary archeologist and historians, the technological and scientific life of Africa was located. They include steel-smelting in Tanzania 1,500-2000 years old, an astronomical observatory in Kenya 300 years BC and an African glider-plane 2,300 years old. Using microwave beams to probe beneath the sands of the Sahara, an American radar satellite revealed cultures 200,000 years old and the traces of ancient rivers running from this African center. Some of these buried stream-valleys they concluded are ancient connections to the upper Nile tributaries, where blacks migrated and later populated Nubia and Egypt.

Given the proliferation of wars, famine, refugees in constant flight and the disturbing images of hungry children with swollen bellies, dying - with mouths and eyes infested with flies; it is understandably difficult to envision Africa as a land where science and technology once flourished. To shed some light on this dichotomous phenomenon, Prof. Van Sertima explained how science and technology may rise and fall with a civilization and why the destruction of a center could lead almost to the instant evaporation or disappearance of centuries of knowledge and technical skills.

According to Van Sertima, not unlike modern cities prior to the Industrial Revolution and to a great extent today, centers of science and technology tended to be highly concentrated in areas such as scholastic institutions, among the priest cast, trading posts or in royal capital cities. However, science and technology was slow to reach the peripheries and in many areas were entirely absent. With such a high concentration in selected areas, a nuclear war for example could shatter the primary centers of 21^st century technology in a matter of days. The survivors on the peripheries, although they would remember the airplanes and the television sets, the robots and the computers, the satellites now circling our solar system, would not be able for centuries to reproduce that technology. In addition to the wholesale slaughter of the technocratic class, the interconnection between these shattered centers and the equally critical interdependency between the centers and their peripheries would be gone forever. Like the strands of a web which once stretched across the world, it will be left torn and dangling in a void, and a dark age would most certainly follow.

Given this scenario, one can understand why centuries afterwards, the technological brilliance of the 21^st century would seem dream-like and unreal. Future generations in centuries to come will obviously doubt what has been achieved in the centuries preceding the disaster. This happened before in the world. Not in the same way, but with the same catastrophic effects. Van Sertima stated emphatically, that this is what happened in Africa.

He contends that no human disaster with the possible exception of the biblical flood can equal in dimension or destructiveness, the cataclysm that shook Africa. Beginning with the slave trade and the traumatic effect of this on the transplanted blacks, it is difficult to appreciate what horrors were unleashed on Africa itself. Vast populations were uprooted and displaced. Whole generations disappeared. European diseases descended like a plague, annihilate both animals and people with impunity, cities and towns were abandoned, family networks disintegrated, kingdoms crumbled, the thread of cultural and historical continuity were so savagely torn asunder that henceforth, one would have to think of two Africas; the one before and the one after the Holocaust. Anthropologists have said that 80% of traditional African culture survived. What they mean by traditional is the only kind of culture the world have come to accept as African – that of the primitive on the periphery - the stunned survivor.

Nevertheless, in spite of the oppressive and inhospitable circumstances faced by African on the continent and throughout the Diaspora, there was no loss of black ingenuity and technological innovation. The thread of African genius unraveled like light speeding through spools of the glassfibre lightguides that black scientist Dr. Northover developed. Or like impulses traveling along the transatlantic cable Dr. Richardson helped to lay down, channeling voices from one continent to another, one time to another, bridging the chasm between the ancestral African and the modern black, between root and branch, seed and flower, an old heart and a new brain continued to spark with ingenuity.

The destruction of Pompeii and the ongoing efforts to locate the lost city of Atlantis is common knowledge worldwide despite the fact that the existence of Atlantis is still questionable and mired in mythology. By contrast, Africa’s history of scientific and technological innovation, though meticulously documented and scientifically proven, is less familiar than both Pompeii and Atlantis. The perverse resistance to acknowledge Africa’s contributions to civilization has deep historical roots and would require another paper to explore its genesis and perpetuation. Nevertheless, to quote Dr. John Henrick Clarke – the great African thinker and ardent promoter of Pan-Africanism, “...African history is the missing pages of world history”. When this truth becomes universally accepted and is integrated into the general history of human civilization, the need for Black History Month will no longer be necessary. Africa’s numerous and continuing contributions to the development of civilization will finally be known, opening the door to honest debate of other pressing issues and possibly, to the realization of Dr. King’s dream..

mdegale@hotmail.com

Soca Warrior - post "Germany 2006" analysis

It has been approximately just over seven months since the Trinidad and Tobago Soca Warriors graced the world football stage in the 2006 edition of the World Cup finals. The 10^th of June 2006 was an important date for the country as the first time experience of being in the World Cup filled every Trinbagonian’s veins with immense, nationalistic pride. The Road to Germany experience for players, supporters and country was an event not easily forgotten, and always remembered. It is a pity, however, that the value of this experience, its significance and importance is diminished in the absence of any institutional and national framework to develop far reaching sporting programmes that will nurture football and other sporting talent.

It was with dismay, but not with surprise to witness the national reaction upon the return of the ‘Warriors’ and our inability as a nation to come to terms with the debilitating myopia that grips us in the aftermath of such sporting achievements. Our sporting history has been sprinkled with similar world acclaimed successes in athletics, boxing, swimming, netball, football and cricket. Yet our almost moronic reaction to these achievements of naming structures, planes, streets and giving financial gifts to our sporting heroes, have made them empty and irrelevant. This reaction has become a meaningless and idiotic gesture that makes us looks simply and indisputably, unimaginative and impotent as a nation. This is a malaise that has plagued the island since independence and is a repercussion of dealing with the weight of neo-colonialism.

In certain aspects the island is coping with this burden as evidenced by its position as an emerging exploratory giant in the region. However, it is ironic that we possess this exploratory prowess yet we cannot or appear unwilling to apply the same principles to explore, nurture and sustain the talents of our most prized resource, our human capital. It makes one froth with despair the palpable absence of any meaningful and progressive sporting programmes, degrees and facilities that will create the necessary conditions to sustain such levels of sporting excellence. The establishment of such an agenda will be a long-term investment in social and human capital, contributing to the achievement of societal and cultural goals, which are the basic objectives of any national programme and sentiment. If we are willing to carry out a serious introspection of our political and cultural ideology, there is obviously an obstacle that is preventing us from taking advantage of this and other potentially enriching opportunities. There could be many reasons for not overcoming this obstacle such as institutional failure, ideological deficiency, cultural naivety, social fragility or a volatile mix of all. The inability to identify and overcome this obstacle is having a corrosive effect on our society and wasting our sporting talent. Imagine the level of athletes and sporting technocrats that would be churning out of the island if such forward planning were initiated after the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. It would have been appropriate to embark on a progressive programme at that time to not only celebrate our first international sporting achievement, but as a statement of self-determination having recently obtained independence in 1962. It is unfortunate that the political technocrats of that time were unable to approach these opportunities optimistically in a pragmatic and socially just manner. This issue nor its implications has not been addressed for over 40 years. The issue is not that it is physically impossible, but rather that we are mentally incapable of thinking in such a progressive and far-reaching manner. The main problem in our situation has more to do with attitude rather than aptitude or ability.

In dealing with the above, those at the levers of power adopt ‘policies’ that have been marked by misplaced and myopic causes, expensive both in the monetary and human sense. The present construction of the Brian Lara Stadium and the financial reward of the Soca Warriors is a perfect contemporary example. As a reward for the performances of the football team, each player was given a gift of TT$1m, which all would agree is a very generous and deserving gift. Half a year after the World cup all we have to show for it is memories and the granting of an extensive gratuity. It would have been more far-reaching if a percentage of the approximate TT$11m collective gift, be that the initial payment/donation to the institutional body newly created to oversee the conversion of wasted land into football fields, the transformation of derelict and unused football fields around the country, the building of football/sporting facilities, the establishment of football schools for the youth, workshops, training facilities and coaching programmes around the country, the development of a more established professional league, the establishment of sporting and other related degrees in the universities, all of this funded by public and private contributions, with a few of the "Warriors" lending their skills and experience to various programmes, thereby recycling their talents into the society, to the youth and the development of a vibrant sporting ethos. This is the picture that all Trinbagonians deserve to admire and appreciate.

In the United Kingdom, the former England captain David Beckham has initiated, sponsored and developed football schools to tap into and develop raw football talent. The schools are conduits from grass roots level to professional status, funded by a combination of the personal wealth of Mr Beckham, and allowances and commitments from the private and public sector. There is nothing physical or monetary preventing the Ministry of Sports and Culture to initiate and develop a programme similar to this using the popularity of the Soca warriors or even of the sportsmen such as Yorke and Lara. It is concerning that we have not heard the Ministries’ voice nor seen the private sector’s clout in this matter. Even more concerning is the possibility that both entities do not have a voice to be heard nor speak in a language that is understood by society. On the other hand, we must question the ability of the island’s two most popular and successful sportsmen to come together and use all their sporting contacts and expertise to ignite the inherent development of schools and facilities similar to the aforementioned.

It is common knowledge that these two sporting giants do come together and pool their social resources and expertise every Carnival to throw all-inclusive Carnival parties that have been etched into the Carnival calendar. If collectively or individually they can create a niche for themselves in the annual party circuit, imagine what they could do if they pool their sporting expertise in a much more fulfilling and rewarding project as the Yorke and Lara Football and Cricket School of Excellence. Imagine the quality of young cricketers and footballers that would come out of this institute on a biannual or quadrennial basis. Imagine if this was initiated at the height of Lara’s popularity in 1994 and Yorke’s in 1999. There must be something fundamentally wrong with us as a nation if these icons are unwilling or unable to recycle their talents back into the society. Serious questions should be asked if these two icons are content to be remembered for their Carnival parties rather than for their input to the development and promotion of sport on a domestic and regional level. It is unfortunate that at present there is no evidence to show that by their actions or perceptions, that making permanent incisions into the party circuit is of secondary importance compared to the urgent and obvious need for the development of a national sporting programme.

It should be noted that to place blame for this uncomfortable reality solely on sportsmen like Yorke and Lara is an argument of deeply dubious merit, for as citizens we all posses a responsibility for our welfare and we should be using all our powers to voice our opinion and put pressure on those at the levers of power to discontinue this absurdity and prevent our sporting legacy from plummeting further into new depths of idiocy. The point of culpability is spread to all, society and state and we have an obligation to provide viable and intelligent solutions to the problem facing the nation.

Instead of building the massively expensive and obscenely worthless Brian Lara Stadium, it will be more efficient to build football, cricket and sporting schools all around the country to tap into and nurture the raw sporting wealth of the nation and produce athletes that have a calculated chance to enter and compete in international competitions on a regular basis due to the high level of training, coaching and facilities that the resources and financial means of the country can provide. The two aforementioned icons as well as other specialists in the sporting sector can be used as advisors, their expertise and knowledge filtering down into these projects, creating an assembly line of professional, disciplined and respected sportsmen as well as citizens.

The building of the Brain Lara Stadium and the gift to the Soca Warriors are the unfortunate results of a tremendous confluence of ineptitude and empty cosmetic solutions that is ferociously eroding the very building blocks of the country. The mindset that has initiated these two actions is a recipe for continual inactivity, triviality and proof of our overall inaptitude for self-governance, organisation and lack of vision. It shows clearly the absence of common sense to head towards a new direction. A government and its governed should possess a civic sense and duty, a sense of state, with the ability to look ahead and cultivate the social and political seeds at its disposal and realise when change and not more of the same is needed. The stadium creates an illusion of prosperity, but in reality we are suffering from an entrenched poverty of ideas, and the cheapness of our present ideas if we can call them that, are dwindling our natural, human and financial resources. This is a cause for concern, as the high level of ignorance that has been and is still contaminating our perceptions for the last 40 years, is creating a citizenry that is totally disillusioned and demoralised with the reality that this myopia has created. There is a crisis in the present leadership and style of government which desperately needs to be realigned from a cost led governance to a more design led entity that encourages success and reciprocal benefits and seeks the best solutions to a backlog of huge untidiness. There needs to be a different approach to the design of policies, but the depressing factor is that we seem unable to develop the necessary structures and ideologies that will promote the common good.

The Road to Germany experience more than any other national sporting achievement has brought all of these inefficiencies and misperceptions to light. If we are to move forward as a nation in the 21^st century and beyond it is vital that we begin to deal with these issues in a pragmatic and intelligent manner so that we can arrive at a stage of development to cope efficiently and effectively with all aspects of nation building. It is imperative that we facilitate this, or we run the risk of perpetually wrestling with our own institutional and cultural inertia and remain in a position of impotence and political dysfunction.

Edward Hoskins

Transport under Review - Part 1 - Congestion

It is clear that transportation is a very pressing problem in Trinidad today. The Government's proposals of water taxis and rail system needs to be commended even though they are really not very practical, the effort seems to be sincere enough. What Trinidad really needs is a network of inter-related systems that work towards reducing the traffic problem as well as providing adequate transportation for commuters. Here are a few recommendations and you can decide.

I remember as a school boy being pissed off when city gate was opened. It was much easier to just jump into a maxi at the designated corner on Independence Square but looking back it was actually a pretty good idea. The centralization of the maxi and buses greatly reduces the congestion on the streets and ensures a streamlined way of rotation for the drivers. However, there are many flaws in this system which needs to be corrected. Drivers must not be allowed to wait until their bus is filled before leaving the depot. They should be given a time limit and must leave even if half empty or face a fine. Furthermore, all state-run transport systems must be made to run on a pre-planned time-schedule, with arrival and departure times clearly sign-posted on the multiple stops throughout their designated journey. This is a proven, standard model for public transportation in Europe and USA and given our governing body's current preoccupation with attaining 'developed country' status, this should not be a point of contention. If you are not at the bus stop at the time the bus arrives, you wait for the next. This ensures a flowing stream of mass transport vehicles. We only hope that the planned rail-system, inherently designed to work this way, can actually function in tandem with the Trinbagonians innate 'tardy DNA'!

Fares must be standardized and a system must be implemented at national level, for all state-controlled public transport systems to offer free transport to the elderly, disabled, children and unemployed. Incentives to increase the levels of safety, efficiency and quality that private maxi-taxi and taxi drivers offer should encompass a major part of the re-distribution of the oil-wealth that the government talks about.

Car pooling must be implemented and enforced nationwide. The Government must recognize the importance of such a move in order for such a scheme to work. Car pooling has multiple benefits to the country on a whole, the main two being the considerable reduction of vehicles on the roads and the reduction of toxic carbon dioxide emissions generated by auto over-population. The State must undertake a comprehensive research and education drive in to the effects of pollution caused by toxic vehicle emissions in order for public awareness to increase. Trinbagonians are in general an understanding people, however, our laissez-faire attitude towards the environment must change if we are to sustain a healthy balance of life.

The bus route's use needs to be overhauled. This is an anomaly, in effect an under-used asset in our country. The bus route that currently exists can be used as a major incentive for car poolers, minimum of 5 occupancy per vehicle, easing the congestion on the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway during peak hours of transport. Car pooling lanes must also be created on the major highways in the country, with fine-toting officers placed strategically to offset offenders. The Police do not need to be the officers in question to deal with this, but an expansion of legal responsibilities of License officers - a dedicated branch of highway patrol officers can be created in order to control and regulate the nation's roads.

A ban on the importation of foreign used vehicles was issued by the PNM Government, a move that possibly did more damage to the small business entrepreneurs and the economy as a whole than created a reduction of vehicles circulating the roadways. Change of attitude should be the starting point of any state run initiative, however, the Government decided to jump in the deep end. An understanding of pollution, congestion and the adverse effects upon the country's psyche should be a constant drive being funnelled to the populace at all times. There should be an initial restriction of the number of cars per household, as it is unacceptably ridiculous for a family of 5 to have 5 cars in house. The uproar begins, the arguments of distance, time, traffic, general inconvenience are all symptomatic of simple ignorance of the bigger picture.

It is the duty of the State to provide this information, to forge this change of mindset in order to curb the unbearably escalating traffic on our roads. A family of 5 should be allowed to own 1 car. If you choose to buy a 2-seater roadster for your family of 5, then your stupidity is your choice, but not to the detriment of the rest of your neighbours. This problem is a cultural one that needs to be addressed now. As a people, Trinbagonians enjoy luxury, irrespective of its impact on others, or the country as a whole. We are a small island with big egos, and no one is saying we should be small-minded, but to be socially aware, we have to begin with ourselves, our personal needs.

The price of progress is too high in TNT

As a Trini musician living in Toronto, my heart is always thinking of home. Life in sweet Trinidad - the culture, the people, the lifestyle and all the good things that we, as Trinis over years have come to expect as 'd norm'.

I have only been gone three years, and yet each time I return for a visit, I'm not too sure if it's the same place I once knew. This year I arrived home for Christmas, and I was greeted by an every increasing crime rate, escalating inflation, road hooligans, an alarmingly booming construction industry and open hostility from my people.

This unwanted change is something all Trinis living abroad lament about, just what exactly is the reason can spawn a debate that can last hours among ex-pats, but it seems to me, that like Sparrow said many years ago 'Things bad in Trinidad, oh Lord, Capitalism gone mad!'

I know progress has it's price, but I'm not too sure if it's a worthy one, especially if most houses in the north are out of range for every middle class income earner, leaving only the few wealthy ones to buy a handful at a time, and re-sell to the highest bidder - which in turn, drives up market prices for everyone. Speculation is a hell of a thing, an invisible force that wrecks havoc on a decent man's life savings. The new Condos being built at One Woodbrook place are a prime example of this, they now go for over a million dollars, each. So now, St. James and Woodbrook freehold prices have skyrocketed.

The end result of this construction mayhem may be that many working professionals might still be living at home when they're 40, being unable to afford to buy a property, or worse yet, rent. More and more rentals are now quoted in US dollars, on an island mainly inhabited by Trinis, rent is quoted in US dollars! Unbelievable!

And what about the 'poor man' who can't even begin to pay a meager mortgage, what is he/she to think when they see castles being built all around them, and they must live in their cardboard box? What social systems are in place to help the less fortunate? How can they understand that 'hard work' is all you need, when at the rate this is going, the only people who will be able to afford Trinidad, might be foreign investors, and other 'shrewd businessmen'. I wonder, is it hard work, or Capitalistic greed?

While home, a friend mentioned to me that there's over 700,000 vehicles in Trinidad, if that's correct, then on an island with just over 1.2 million people (and for sure our population is not growing - check out our country's migration stats), does this mean that every household has 3 or 4 cars? That's kind of ridiculous don't you think? And now, there's an impending ban on foreign-used cars, as highways are rushed to expand to fill our road needs, but traffic is worse than ever before. With most people working in the East/West corridor, why wasn't car-pooling ever raised as an option? Most people in Trinidad are driving as if they're going to hell in a hurry, I myself was run out of my lane many times. Where did this hostility come from? Remember the days of someone giving you a chance to get into a lane? Not anymore, no way, either you wait forever or rush like a madman yourself.
And with most people living on other parts of the island, but working in the north, we have gridlock from hell, morning and evening, every day.

The cost of living is ridiculous now, the rationale I guess is that we all must make a profit, from supermarket owners to investors, carnival fete organizers and mass camps, building developers, government officials and last but not least, our kidnapping criminals. Allthewhile, the small man is marginalized, still trying to survive on the same salary he's been getting for years now.

It seems to me that our common courtesy, our 'version' of order, patience and compassion has been replaced with violence, aggression and greed. Greed to get ahead, to accumulate 'possessions', to build higher walls to keep the masses out which of course does an excellent job of attracting criminals to these high walls, like flies to a light (we all like big shiny objects you see).

With our country's rush for power and status, we forgot what intangible treasures we had before, and now, with the panic to keep the 'unwanted' out, we have bred many bi-products - mainly hatred towards one another, resentment, suspicion, covetousness and a people at odds with one another.

Are these all 'teething problems' of a growing nation, a nation that is being touted as the 'Manhattan of the Caribbean', or is this a society in decay? I'm not too sure, but right now, things don't look too good, with no fiscal and monetary policy in place to curb inflation (just ask any housewife who sees chicken prices go up constantly), with no legal framework to combat the new-age criminal (we have 5,000 police officers, who on average make one arrest per year - each police officer makes one arrest per year), with no social system to help re-introduce into society the deported ex-criminal from the US (and yes, they are coming back home in hundreds), it's no wonder things are out of control.

Maybe we're all just biding time, with those who can pay for a false sense of comfort, they're taking full advantage now, having their parties in guarded quarters, for who knows how long our version of paradise will survive? Who knows how long the money makers can keep away the starving vagabonds - whom, having seen how the other half lives, want their share of the pie now, at any cost.

As the middle class continue to leave the island in search of safer havens in foreign lands, who might be left at home are the haves and the have-nots, battling it out for what once was.

What happened to you, my sweet Trinidad? Capitalism gone mad indeed.


Cesco Emmanuel

The blind being led

A recent article by Mr. Gladston Cuffie, in the Trinidad Express entitled "What must Govt do", is just another indication of the blind faith politics that we experience here in Trinidad and Tobago. His rant about all the things that the current government is doing just shows that there are those who actually buy into the propaganda being spread by the ruling party. He is not the only one and this is what worries me.

The government is doing a lot, that is not the problem. The problem Mr. Cuffie is what the government is doing and how resources are being allocated. An aluminium smelter would be a cash cow and provide jobs to many, but do you not find it strange that a country like Brazil rejected the construction of one of these plants? This is a country that willingly destroys millions of acres of rainforest each year to sustain its economy, so why would they not jump at this project? I would ask questions my good sir. The rail project is another excellent idea. However would the money not be better spent on infrastructure to ensure pipe borne water to every corner of the island? Or perhaps implementation of a ferry system between trinidad and tobago from toco? Whatever happened to the interchange system by the Nestle junction? What would happen to all th taxi drivers and maxi operators? Will this solve the traffic situation? Why not just implement car pooling restrictions and have police actually do their jobs?

I am all for providing adequate housing to people who need it but why give away lands that are already set up for farming to non farmers? Have you seen the price for tomatoes recently? Why not invest in persons who are willing to farm the land? Are the new occupants ready to do this? To the government's credit the current budget does have several incentives to farmers, but is the average person aware of this? Are you?

The security measures being implemented are a joke to put it mildly. The real problem with our internal security is the police. It is not a lack of resources but with the people. I am sure most people reading this article know of one officer that has done one thing that is of a shady nature. The police either fear the criminals or are in alliance with them. It is the only logical explanation for the level of crime and the number of unsolved cases. It is the government's duty to correct this and no amount of technology will magically fix it.

CEPEP? Let's not even go there.

Why are foreign professionals being brought into Trinidad and Tobago to fill the gap when there are many, many bright, talented Trinbagonians holding high technical positions in the very countries where you are importing talent? These citizens willingly leave T&T behind because there is no incentive for them to stay. The government is more willing to entice the foreigners to come than to have local talent stay. Buy local does not only apply to fruits and vegetables! India is seeing a rise in outsourced labour with many US companies using the locals for customer service and other jobs. Where is the impetus for the local talent to also be in on this? We have very competent persons and we speak better English too! This would have the double effect of lowering unemployment and increasing the number of families that can make a stable income that can actually buy groceries.

Resources would be better allocated if the government spent more on valid infrastructure development than on a show designed to dazzle the part of the population that has been partially blinded by years of cotton over their eyes. The lack of awareness by the majority of the general population is the biggest problem in society today. We rant and complain but where are the alternative strategies. I do not care which party is in power as long as they make decisions that benefit the people. Our goal of first world status will only be realized by proper planning. However current policies being implemented by this administration do not indicate that the goal will be achieved in a beneficial manner.