Vote with Intelligence

We are constantly aware that each election is considered a cross roads for Trinidad and Tobago for the simple reason that successive governments fail to bring meaningful changes to the basic issues that continue to stifle this nation. Now we are faced with the bonus of a surprisingly early return to the polls with the opportunity to rectify the mistakes of the past 48 years and take a step towards meaningful change. That we have had a general election thrust upon us itself speaks volumes about the current situation and the despair that Patrick Manning is feeling– from the revelations about the PNM’s very questionable activities, the growing disillusion with a dictatorial Prime Minister who’s vision is clouded by his own delusion, the possibility that the money in the Treasury has dried up as a result of ridiculous wastage in the name of ego and the daily murder statistic that leaves the nation an uncivil society.

There is the opinion that this latest election is part of a move by Manning to also stall any progress that the Opposition forces are making; Manning can no longer rely on the divisive nature of the UNC while the Sunway revelations highlight the growing will of the COP. The Prime Minister may see himself as the most political savvy of the nation’s politicians - playing yet another game with the electorate - but this is one game too far; ask yourself why he would rather go to the polls at a time where the PNM is held in such low esteem rather than face the music from the revelations that have put the Govt in that self-same low esteem position?

The next few weeks will comprise the age-old practices of mud-slinging, idle boasts about empty achievements and the usual promises to gain your vote. We have to challenge ourselves to see past the bacchanal performances on the political platform and look for the policies, the intention of the parties to resolve crime, corruption, the economy, the health system, to provide the basic amenities and to ensure that transparency and responsibility are no longer factors that our civil servants continue to dismiss. We have to challenge ourselves to think differently with our vote if we are to have any hope of forcing our politicians to act differently when in power. We have to look past the sheer idiocy of voting on race, on gender, religion or social background and look deep within ourselves to realise that none of this makes one iota of difference, after all, in successive regimes all races and genders continue to suffer. We all belong to this beautiful and blessed soil and have to start looking to what unites us rather than be so quick to look at our differences. We all have a role to play in each other’s life as we attempt to put this nation on the trajectory to realising its true potential. We are faced with claims that we have surpassed our potential because of the ability to host world leaders but anyone can clean the home for visitors, it is the daily living that counts.

Look to your recent history. We have to be willing to accept that we have been duped but also be filled with the hope that there are real, meaningful changes afoot in our political arena and this is the time to take a step towards a new option, because the old regimes will only continue to fail us.

And they have failed us miserably. A nation blessed with all the resources in the world to lay the foundation for its relatively small population to enjoy the basic needs of existence has instead succumbed to taking the cosmetic route, constructing unwarranted buildings while the ailing health system remains a symbol of failure to care for the population. The thought process that a giant and costly flag somehow makes things better shows the mindset of the government; worse, those responsible for such a debacle remain in their positions of power in complete disregard to public opinion that asks who pays $2 million for a pole and a piece of cloth while our people drink water from drains? The electorate have to ask why is it that in almost 50 years of independence we have no political will to provide water to all in a nation surrounded by sea with a heavy rainfall season, the answer is incompetence and mismanagement with a lack of priorities. It is laughable that the Government jumps on the environment bandwagon when visiting leaders make the topic fashionable, yet they construct brand new buildings without exploring powering them with alternative uses of energy. They lack the planning to heed basic Geography lessons, so that we erode the landscape then claim that annual flooding is beyond our control. The basics have to be the focus. Until a party presents itself as being able to think outside the traditional T&T political arena we will be left with the same old khaki pants in the Red House.

If T&T is to have meaningful change politicians have to declare not just the intention to rectify the problems of the island but a logical explanation as to how those problems will be solved. It will require a mammoth exercise in terms of research but better to do it before an election rather than scratch your heads while in power. As an example, the scourge of crime would logically be targeted by a wide reaching cohesive plan to engage social and education forces with strong investment, plans to split our jails for minor and major offences, plans to separate our police from the Police Complaints Authority (police investigating themselves is laughable), plans to invest seriously in sport and the arts so that our youth are given alternatives to crime and plans to ably monitor and equip our police with training and technology (a nation wide CCTV network) in line with the boast of 2020 instead of an officer taking notes on paper like 1920. There has to be a stated goal of murder reduction through these plans with realistic aims that it will take time but also show that the implementation will reduce the loss of life for instance by 20% in the first year, 50% in the second etc. In all that these parties claim to be able to provide we must demand checkpoints so that we know they are serious with these claims and we can hold them accountable at said time. The nation requires no less.

Those that seek to govern us have to show that they are also willing to empower us, give us back the notion that they are our workers, spending our money. Those that seek to govern need to tell us on the campaign trail that they are willing to implement the idea of a recall for underperforming MPs; that they are willing to implement set election dates so we are no longer subjected to the infamy of thrice postponed local elections or the taunting that a general election date is in someone’s back pocket. Taunting is for the school yard, our politicians need to grow up. We need to see the intention to separate powers of the State rather than seek absolute reign via a changed Constitution. There has to be intention that only elected officials can hold posts in Ministries so that relation/nepotism is not the qualification for heading vital Offices and it is the people’s choice that matters. In short T&T, we have to delve deeper than the rum, roti, t-shirt and free fete campaigns to look at the intention to change the mechanics of our governance. We have to confront every promise with “How? What? Why? When?” New politics does not begin with any of those parties seeking power; it begins with the electorate and their level of acceptance.

Finally, we have to vote. People complain daily about the state of the nation yet we are faced with the sad statistic that 35,000 people do not exercise their right to a voice in what affects every facet of their life; they do not exercise a right for which people in other nations die. Quite simply, if you do not vote, then you accept that you are not deserving of better.

This is not a utopian rant; no country will ever achieve perfection, but despite the inevitable die-hards claiming that the nation is fit to call itself a civil society under the present regime, the avoidance of the issues, the despair of the sick and impoverished, the erosion of our land, our people and civil liberties, together with the inability to provide a secure environment all points to the need of a different approach with our vote. By all means vote for your choice but make best use of that vital right and if you do not like what you hear on podiums promising paradise, make your voice heard. It is time to be fed up with divisive politics – lambasting the opposing parties is looking to the past, I want a party that elevates itself away from the race-based politics and lets its policies do the talking. For the sake of T&T fulfilling even an iota of its true potential and ensuring a basic standard of living for all, so should you.

Sheldon Waithe

Dear Ruth

Dear Ruth,

I have been with my man Peter Noel Melville for donkeys years, but to say that things aren’t entirely working out between us is a gross understatement. Things with Peter and I haven’t really been rosy for some time now, but you know how we Trini women like to stand by our men through thick and thin and give them the benefit of the doubt. However, over the last eighteen months or so, things have really come to a boil, and I have now reached the stage where I don’t think I can deal with this any more. Now don’t get me wrong Ruth, because Peter is not a violent man by any stretch. Despite what people say about his controlling nature, I still have the freedom to say what I want, and believe me I does pelt some good cuss in his ass when I’m ready. But what Peter doesn’t do to me physically, he more than makes up for with mental and emotional torment. Honestly Ruth, this man wasn’t always so, but over the years he started liming with a certain crew, and is now almost unrecognisable from the smart, young, dashing man that I fell in love with all those years ago.

Peter had a partner Calder, who came down from Canada and was staying by us for a little while. No word of a lie Ruth, as soon as Calder came into my house, money started going missing. I bit my tongue in the beginning because to be fair, Peter had Calder doing some work fixing up the house, and with Christmas coming and all, I was glad for the little help to make the place look nice. However, when I told Peter what was happening after Christmas, he simply didn’t believe me. Imagine, my own man, after all these years, thinking that I am a liar. Peter had a really good friend called Keith who lives in Diego Martin; the two of them practically grew up together. One day Keith pulled Peter square and told him that Calder was stealing from him too. Peter ketch a vaps one time and started accusing Keith of liking too much bacchanal and wajang thing. To this day, Keith and Peter still don’t speak to each other because of that scene.

But as God would have it Ruth, last week Peter came home from work to see Calder rummaging through the chest-of-drawers in the master bedroom. Ruth girl, is a long time I haven’t seen Peter that angry. He grab up Calder and told him to get the so and so out of his so and so house before he so and so damage him. Girl, I was real scared for Calder yes. But he didn’t say a word; he just packed up his things and left quietly- I heard that he has since gone back to Canada. You wouldn’t believe that after Calder left, Peter’s sister Emily had the temerity to come in front of my gate and tell me that I should be ashamed of the way I treated Calder. My children had to hold me back yes girl...

But it’s not just the whole episode with Calder and Emily that leaves me feeling frustrated Ruth; I just don’t know where Peter’s priorities lie anymore. Sometime last year I came home from work to find that Peter had spruced up the entire front garden; he had cut the lawn, pruned the trees and painted the driveway. I asked Peter what was going on and he told me that he had some friends coming down from foreign, and that he was making the place look presentable for them. Ruth, when I asked Peter if in this guava season we could really afford the expense of having so many people over at once; with the costs involved in showing them a good time, feeding and lodging them, he told me to mind my own business. Some of his friends came from as far away as Africa and Asia, and by all accounts, they had a really good time. But it hurt me like hell to know that as Peter was renting out cars by Kalloos and paying for his partners to have dinner in the Hyatt, we barely had enough water in the house for the children to brush their teeth. Ruth, you feel this man right here.

I mean, all the showing off to the outside world and yet when it rains, those children and I have to be shovelling water out of the living room. I can just imagine how the neighbours laugh and snigger behind their curtains as they look at us. But Peter no longer seems to care. The other day he got a pain in one of his kidneys and we didn’t even have aspirin in the house Ruth...aspirin!!! Peter ended up having to go and beg some from the Cuban fella up the road. Now, I have been inside that Cuban fella’s house on two occasions and you could really see that they ketching they nennen. Imagine that we now having to beg from them! People could say what they want about Raul- about how he does beat his wife and thing, but when it comes to the health of his kids, the man never skylarks. However, while all our children have Blackberries and Iphones, God help them if they should catch so much as a cold!

I think that you may have guessed it by now Ruth because it is often the case in these things- There is somebody else who has caught my eye. It didn’t just happen overnight, but he has been paying me attention [at least it feels that way] while Peter has repeatedly taken me for granted. Truth be told Ruth, I did in fact leave Peter for him quite a while back but things ended up turning sour and I went back to Peter. But now this guy’s back and wants me to leave Peter for good. He says that he’s changed but hasn’t really said how he plans to look after my children and me. Ruth, I really do not know what to do now. I will tell you more about him when I write next week. His name? Umar Nigel Chalsingh...

Fed up but confused...

post by the prophet...