The Pastor and the Businessman

Danah Alleyne and her parents should be held fully accountable for this teenager's lascivious public behaviour. At 15 years of age, it is culturally narrow-minded for anyone to believe that Miss Alleyne was not and is not fully aware of her actions, and now, we blame the Businessman and the Pastor for her lack of judgement and self-respect. Even pastor Manning wants to voice his opinion, along with his Minister of Tourism - nothing better to do with taxpayers' time?

I am not implying that Zen management should not be fined or reprimanded in some way for their lax security measures that night and any night, anyone believing for one second that their security checks are as tight as they should be, are far removed from "trikidadian" culture, not even the hardest head should be able to be fooled by her baby face, but they are in no way responsible for Miss Alleyne's behaviour. This is typical trinidadian behaviour, most of us growing up learning to dance from our big cousins, in more recent times, learning to "flex", "dutty wine", "hot wuk" and "genie wine" from television, from the numerous parties on the circuit throughtout the year and from our lauded carnival. You think Zen's door policy is to be blamed for the mindset of children like Danah Alleyne, and her father's a pastor? What about the rest of us! I think Pastor Alleyne and Pastor Manning need to start rethinking their sermons to their respective flocks, both of them are failing.

This fiasco is quickly swivelling its focus. The Police are now searching for sex tapes. This opens up an entirely new can of worms on the presumptions being made by our officers of the law, that somehow they suspect pornographic materials being either safeguarded at Zen nightclub, or filmed there! Are they purporting that these tapes are of Miss Alleyne and Akon? The illegality of pornography on its own demonstrates the stranglehold of expression and the archaic thinking of our policy-makers on a whole, but the swift shift of attention from "poor" Miss Alleyne to the dubious workings of an upscale trinidadian nightclub, with Ministers on high calling for the head of Mr Soong is all too suspect, far too soap opera-like for a country soaked in the sadness of criminality.

I wonder if anyone has ever investigated the ages of the young girls that Machel terrorizes with his winer-boy antics, year in, year out.

Patch Mentality

It is quite appropriate that the Government has decided to pave the nation’s roads to the tune of $600 million in this election year, given that the roads of T&T perhaps best represent the manner in which we govern ourselves. If we initially ignore the coincidence that this age old ‘mamaguy’ election practice follows the announcement of public consultations regarding the scourge of crime in this 2007 electoral year, the resurfacing of the roads is great news. The roads of T&T need urgent attention. The transport of the nation needs urgent attention. But, will the approach of this resurfacing differ to any of the previous paving regimes that were blatant vote garnering ploys?

How do the roads represent the governance and the society? Firstly, consider the resources available, a never ending pitch lake much like the natural and human resources T&T is blessed with, the envy of many a nation but yet it cannot be managed properly to produce a desirable end product--- in this case a semi-perfect road. Secondly, consider that while the normal (and logical) practice is to remove the old layer of asphalt first, we take the approach that we just heap the new pitch upon the old. Not only is this a great metaphor of adding layers on top of the old problems but the side effects results in much more than a road with a humped profile that leaves the actual road higher than the pavement. Consider the flooding woes caused by this practice of which no self respecting engineer would be proud, or how this affects the drivers/cyclists that use those outer sloping lanes. This tradition further creates problems where previously none existed and the attempt to rectify it reeks of the attitude that brings no positive outcome for the vital aspects of society. An example of this? A simple ‘man-hole’ cover is turned into a perfect pothole by layers of asphalt and the answer is to paint a white circle around it in the hope that the driving public will avoid it. The symbolism of this procedure can be used across many segments of our society where the bare minimum is done to address self-created problems and the hope is that it can somehow be evaded.

Even the labour process of resurfacing offers representation of archaic practices that require a novel approach. In a nation 10 degrees from the equator and with a massive traffic problem, resurfacing is carried out during the working hours of the day? Minimise the disruption caused to already frustrated commuters by carrying out the work at night and also gain greater productivity from workers plying their trade of working with hot materials in cooler conditions. This some would say, is 2020 thinking. I will not go into the question of less work being carried out at night by workers, which is down to the deadlines set by the Ministry when planning such projects. (We do set deadlines, no?)

Finally, though the similes can go on and on, the resurfacing over age old roads signify the need to use public funds to gloss over the inadequacy that lies underneath. New roads are a much needed requirement, but it has to be done properly. Engineers point to the heat of T&T and the type of pitch that we use as a disadvantage to building perfect roads, but if sprawling, flawless highways can be built amongst deserts of the Middle East why can the art not be perfected for our roads?

Given his eagerness to respond to letters in the press (a practice to be partially commended as it at least displays his willingness to read the public’s view), Mr. Imbert will not be thrilled with the comments above nor the government with the metaphorical exercise, but it would be refreshing to know that an innovative approach was taken with this $600 million. Is that old bane of many, the old road going to be removed prior to resurfacing? It is so simple in helping perfect the roads that it baffles one as to why it is not done. Have other institutions such as WASA been consulted in this latest wave of road works to ensure that they do not dig up the new roads shortly after they are built, when in fact they can use the opportunity to carry out their own works with the minimum of disruption to the public? A sort of killing-two-birds-with-one-stone tactic (apologies to the bird lovers). Has there been any consideration to conducting the work at off-peak times? Where roads are being resurfaced in flood prone areas, is the road works going to include attention to the surrounding environs that cause the flooding?

Just a few questions to consider ensuring that this valid and much needed resurfacing represents forward thinking in keeping with the Vision 2020 concept and that it is not an archaic election gimmick that is being thrust upon voters as an insult to their intelligence. After all, we would not want the roads of our nation to continue to exist as a metaphor for the country through a $600 million trick, would we?

Sheldon Waithe