Dear Editor/head of News,
I recently learnt (from an up-close birdie, who, over the years, being a birdie, has been flying very high up in officialdom), that the Culture Ministry is sharing out grants to Trinbagonian students at university in Trinbago and abroad. The friend said the grants are...well, grants, thus do not have to be repaid at all, whether by working for the government on completion of the relevant course of study, or by actually paying back what was advanced, with interest, if not.
I find that strange, very strange indeed, especially given that the amount being disbursed ranges between TT$25,000.00 and TT$120,000.00, from what the birdie whispered to me. I find it even more strange that these grants are being...well...granted...to sons and daughters of PNM people, only or mainly, hence why it's Joan Yuille-Williams Ministry not the Ministry of Public Administration or Ministry of Education that's exclusively dealing with this programme.
Now! I have a relative who is at university, so, eager to help, I tried approaching the Culture Ministry to get the details. Guess what? Every time I called or went (at least twenty-five times!) the Doctor woman who ALONE is in charge, was never in office and, daughter-of-a-gun, she never returned any of my several calls, despite whoever answered the phone promising that she would so do.
Meantime, the birdie himself is trying to get one of these grants for his family too. I'll therefore keep close to the birdie, for birds of a feather flock together and, as may be gleaned from what I've written, we're both at one on this.
Yep! That's what a birdie whispered to me.
Friday, 30 November 2007
Is this what you call democracy, Mr. Manning?
Dear Editor/Head of News,
The oft-repeated and very pertinent warnings of Reginald Dumas (Oh! How Manning must hate that name!), as last-evidenced in his recent Sunday Express article, are ever before me as I pen this script; we ignore Mr. Dumas' words at our peril!
On reading that Prime Minister Patrick Manning does not have the convening of Parliament on the front burner, my first reaction was, "My God! Like Idi Amin's spirit take possession of him while he was in Uganda!" After all, how else can this, his refusal to convene OUR Parliament, be likened, except to what Idi Amin Dada did to the Ugandan Parliament, back in February 1971.
Mr. Manning's instant (in)action is also reminiscent of that of Burmese General, Saw Maung and his SLROC, which, to this day, has refused to convene that country's Parliament, one which was elected to office since May 1990!
His action, in concert with the President, also calls into question whether our Constitution has been infringed, since Section 76 Sub-section 5 categorically states (emphasis is mine):
What, then, are we to make of the appointments of a whole fleet of Ministers who were not Members of Parliament (neither as members of the House of Representatives nor of the Senate!) when Parliament was dissolved at midnight, last September the twenty-eighth?
The intent (spirit) of our Constitution is clear: forthwith after the holding of General Elections and the certification of the results, the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago is to be convened, the appropriate oaths taken and, THEN, the Prime Minister-designate (the person invited by the President to form the new government) goes about the business of forming his/her Cabinet! Because we have been doing it a particular way in the past does NOT mean that that particular way is THE right way! We have suffered it so to be only because of what I identified in an earlier letter to the Editor (yet-to-be-published), as:
Therein lies the reason why our leaders and politicians like Mr. Manning and his ilk can treat us with the impunity, disdain and contumelies that, time and time again, they have hurled against us: it is we who allow them so to do!
Turning back to the immediate question: "How do we solve this problem of Mr. Manning not wanting to convene the new Parliament?" It's no use complaining that we had the opportunity back last November the fifth, just as it's no use crying over the cup of tea that's spilt!
My bold view is that, now, what has to happen, is for those of us who are serious about fostering democracy in our beautiful country (I'm speaking, of course, of those who voted for the UNCA) and all other patriotic-minded citizens, to come together as one and, led by all who have been elected to Parliament and who are being denied the opportunity to assume their portfolio, to take to the streets in peaceful, sombre and sustained protest, to demand that our the President convene our Parliament without further delay, since his role is to defend the Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago! And what, pray tell must he defend? Not just the letter of our Constitution, but, just as, if not more, importantly, its spirit!
But, then again, His Excellency, Professor Max, may place his his enjoyment of la dolce vita for another term, a carrot which, recently, was dangled before him, as being more important and, thus, may very well refuse to entertain any such popular protest. In that event, the President ought to be aware that such a refusal, I'm afraid, may have much more dire consequences for our nation.
May God help us all, for nothing is impossible to God!
The oft-repeated and very pertinent warnings of Reginald Dumas (Oh! How Manning must hate that name!), as last-evidenced in his recent Sunday Express article, are ever before me as I pen this script; we ignore Mr. Dumas' words at our peril!
On reading that Prime Minister Patrick Manning does not have the convening of Parliament on the front burner, my first reaction was, "My God! Like Idi Amin's spirit take possession of him while he was in Uganda!" After all, how else can this, his refusal to convene OUR Parliament, be likened, except to what Idi Amin Dada did to the Ugandan Parliament, back in February 1971.
Mr. Manning's instant (in)action is also reminiscent of that of Burmese General, Saw Maung and his SLROC, which, to this day, has refused to convene that country's Parliament, one which was elected to office since May 1990!
His action, in concert with the President, also calls into question whether our Constitution has been infringed, since Section 76 Sub-section 5 categorically states (emphasis is mine):
- Where occasion arises for making and appointment to the office of Minister while Parliament is dissolved, a person who immediately before the dissolution, was a Senator or a member of the House of Representatives may be appointed Minister.
What, then, are we to make of the appointments of a whole fleet of Ministers who were not Members of Parliament (neither as members of the House of Representatives nor of the Senate!) when Parliament was dissolved at midnight, last September the twenty-eighth?
The intent (spirit) of our Constitution is clear: forthwith after the holding of General Elections and the certification of the results, the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago is to be convened, the appropriate oaths taken and, THEN, the Prime Minister-designate (the person invited by the President to form the new government) goes about the business of forming his/her Cabinet! Because we have been doing it a particular way in the past does NOT mean that that particular way is THE right way! We have suffered it so to be only because of what I identified in an earlier letter to the Editor (yet-to-be-published), as:
"...this penchant of us, the vast majority, or, masses, voting and then retiring to our shells and letting those elected call the shots, every shot,.."
which
"...is not democracy, neither in its theoretical or practical form..."
And, ibidem, further:
"...The very word, "democracy", is derived from the Greek word, "demos", which means people. Democracy, then, is as Abraham Lincoln described it in his Gettysburg Address: ...government of the people, by the people and, for the people!"
The question is, "In the real world, how are these three criteria satisfied?"
In a nutshell, it is by "the people" becoming "politically aware"!
Democracy, you see, contemplates a scenario where the people, at all times, exercise control over their elected representatives, their government and their legislators and not, as some swear, the other way around.
This is done by distributing power as widely as possible, not by concentrating it in some centralized repository.
In true democracies, then, decision-making which belongs to/in the local/community purview is left there and not usurped by "the Port of Spain office". Such decentralization to the local/community level is done in a way that meaningfully demonstrates government's responsiveness and accessibility to the people whom it serves..."
Therein lies the reason why our leaders and politicians like Mr. Manning and his ilk can treat us with the impunity, disdain and contumelies that, time and time again, they have hurled against us: it is we who allow them so to do!
Turning back to the immediate question: "How do we solve this problem of Mr. Manning not wanting to convene the new Parliament?" It's no use complaining that we had the opportunity back last November the fifth, just as it's no use crying over the cup of tea that's spilt!
My bold view is that, now, what has to happen, is for those of us who are serious about fostering democracy in our beautiful country (I'm speaking, of course, of those who voted for the UNCA) and all other patriotic-minded citizens, to come together as one and, led by all who have been elected to Parliament and who are being denied the opportunity to assume their portfolio, to take to the streets in peaceful, sombre and sustained protest, to demand that our the President convene our Parliament without further delay, since his role is to defend the Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago! And what, pray tell must he defend? Not just the letter of our Constitution, but, just as, if not more, importantly, its spirit!
But, then again, His Excellency, Professor Max, may place his his enjoyment of la dolce vita for another term, a carrot which, recently, was dangled before him, as being more important and, thus, may very well refuse to entertain any such popular protest. In that event, the President ought to be aware that such a refusal, I'm afraid, may have much more dire consequences for our nation.
May God help us all, for nothing is impossible to God!
Dear Joseph Pierre (What is "democracy").
Nov 25th, 2007.
Dear Editor/Head of News,
This is in response to the letter from Joseph Pierre of Diego Martin.
Mr. Joseph Pierre, sir,
Having read your response to Thelma Cross, I have to let you know that I was very impressed by the fervour and sincerity of your therein contained arguments.
I agree with you that this penchant of us, the vast majority, or, masses, voting and then retiring to our shells and letting those elected call the shots, every shot, is not democracy, neither in its theoretical or practical form. No siree! But, I noted that, whilst you pointed out what a democracy is not, you did not expand to explain what democracy was (if you did, it was not published) . Allow me, therefore, to add that bit, will you?
The very word, "democracy", is derived from the Greek word, "demos", which means people. Democracy, then, is as Abraham Lincoln described it in his Gettysburg Address:
In a nutshell, it is by "the people" become "politically aware"!
Democracy, you see, contemplates a scenario where the people, at all times, exercise control over their elected representatives, their government and their legislators and not, as some swear, the other way around.
This is done by distributing power as widely as possible, not by concentrating it in some centralized repository.
In true democracies, then, decision-making which belongs to/in the local/community purview is left there and not usurped by "the Port of Spain office". Such decentralization to the local/community level is done in a way that meaningfully demonstrates government's responsiveness and accessibility to the people whom it serves.
Democracies, true democracies, also jealously and fearlessly guard the rights of the minorities in its midst. One may quizzically ponder how is it possible for a democracy (majority rule/will) to adopt such a favourable stance towards its minorities. The answer is simple: "It is because a democratic society recognizes the basic human rights of each and every of its members/citizens, such as, the opportunity to organize, participate fully in AND enjoy the political, economic, and cultural life of society!"
In turn, citizens in a democracy must understand that, not only do they have rights, but they have a duty to participate in the political system that, in turn, protects their rights and freedoms. In other words, for democracies to work in a proper manner, the majority of the population needs to get up off its haunches and take active part in the running of things!
How so?
By forming themselves into groups, since in numbers there is greater strength.
These are the groups called political parties. To be effective, these parties must organize themselves and operate not just for the sake of having a candidate, or candidates, whom they support, elected to office, but, just as, if not more, importantly, as the means whereby such candidate(s), once elected, can be held accountable to them whilst they hold elected office, through internal party meetings, congresses, conventions, what-have-you.
Whilst on this note, let me point out that one thing which all serious democratic political parties have in common is, that they all believe in and practice, compromise and tolerance, since they know that it is only through broad alliances and co-operation with other political parties and organizations that they would ever be able to provide the leadership and common vision that will win the support of the majority of the voters and, so, get themselves elected to government.
Again, one must understand that, for a free people to govern themselves, they must be free to express themselves, openly, publicly and repeatedly; in speech and in writing and for them so to do, they must have the know-how! This is why I place so much emphasis on citizens becoming educated as to the workings of the political systems under which our democracy operates.
And, so, it is our duty, each and every one of us, to get up and get involved, to educate ourselves, to become aware, and to spread the word throughout our community, for it is only with the correct knowledge that we would come to realize that the Government is accountable to us and not the other way around. By that, I mean that public officials, elected and unelected, have an obligation to explain their decisions and actions to us, the citizens.
Government accountability is achieved in a variety of ways, political, legal, and administrative, all designed to prevent corruption and ensure that public officials remain answerable and accessible to the people they serve. In the absence of such mechanisms, dictators like Mr. Manning and his cohorts thrive!
The primary political accountability mechanism is free and fair elections. When coupled with fixed-terms of office, free and fair elections force elected officials to account for their performance and provide opportunities for challengers to offer citizens alternative policy choices. If voters are not satisfied with the performance of an official, they must go out and vote them out of office when their terms expire.
My instant business is that of continuing to prepare the groundwork for that task, through my association/involvement with the political party to which I belong, the United National Congress Alliance.
My question to you, Mr. Joseph Pierre and others of your ilk, is: "Are you, too, ready to do your part?"
Dear Editor/Head of News,
This is in response to the letter from Joseph Pierre of Diego Martin.
Mr. Joseph Pierre, sir,
Having read your response to Thelma Cross, I have to let you know that I was very impressed by the fervour and sincerity of your therein contained arguments.
I agree with you that this penchant of us, the vast majority, or, masses, voting and then retiring to our shells and letting those elected call the shots, every shot, is not democracy, neither in its theoretical or practical form. No siree! But, I noted that, whilst you pointed out what a democracy is not, you did not expand to explain what democracy was (if you did, it was not published) . Allow me, therefore, to add that bit, will you?
The very word, "democracy", is derived from the Greek word, "demos", which means people. Democracy, then, is as Abraham Lincoln described it in his Gettysburg Address:
- ...government of the people, by the people and, for the people!"
In a nutshell, it is by "the people" become "politically aware"!
Democracy, you see, contemplates a scenario where the people, at all times, exercise control over their elected representatives, their government and their legislators and not, as some swear, the other way around.
This is done by distributing power as widely as possible, not by concentrating it in some centralized repository.
In true democracies, then, decision-making which belongs to/in the local/community purview is left there and not usurped by "the Port of Spain office". Such decentralization to the local/community level is done in a way that meaningfully demonstrates government's responsiveness and accessibility to the people whom it serves.
Democracies, true democracies, also jealously and fearlessly guard the rights of the minorities in its midst. One may quizzically ponder how is it possible for a democracy (majority rule/will) to adopt such a favourable stance towards its minorities. The answer is simple: "It is because a democratic society recognizes the basic human rights of each and every of its members/citizens, such as, the opportunity to organize, participate fully in AND enjoy the political, economic, and cultural life of society!"
In turn, citizens in a democracy must understand that, not only do they have rights, but they have a duty to participate in the political system that, in turn, protects their rights and freedoms. In other words, for democracies to work in a proper manner, the majority of the population needs to get up off its haunches and take active part in the running of things!
How so?
By forming themselves into groups, since in numbers there is greater strength.
These are the groups called political parties. To be effective, these parties must organize themselves and operate not just for the sake of having a candidate, or candidates, whom they support, elected to office, but, just as, if not more, importantly, as the means whereby such candidate(s), once elected, can be held accountable to them whilst they hold elected office, through internal party meetings, congresses, conventions, what-have-you.
Whilst on this note, let me point out that one thing which all serious democratic political parties have in common is, that they all believe in and practice, compromise and tolerance, since they know that it is only through broad alliances and co-operation with other political parties and organizations that they would ever be able to provide the leadership and common vision that will win the support of the majority of the voters and, so, get themselves elected to government.
Again, one must understand that, for a free people to govern themselves, they must be free to express themselves, openly, publicly and repeatedly; in speech and in writing and for them so to do, they must have the know-how! This is why I place so much emphasis on citizens becoming educated as to the workings of the political systems under which our democracy operates.
And, so, it is our duty, each and every one of us, to get up and get involved, to educate ourselves, to become aware, and to spread the word throughout our community, for it is only with the correct knowledge that we would come to realize that the Government is accountable to us and not the other way around. By that, I mean that public officials, elected and unelected, have an obligation to explain their decisions and actions to us, the citizens.
Government accountability is achieved in a variety of ways, political, legal, and administrative, all designed to prevent corruption and ensure that public officials remain answerable and accessible to the people they serve. In the absence of such mechanisms, dictators like Mr. Manning and his cohorts thrive!
The primary political accountability mechanism is free and fair elections. When coupled with fixed-terms of office, free and fair elections force elected officials to account for their performance and provide opportunities for challengers to offer citizens alternative policy choices. If voters are not satisfied with the performance of an official, they must go out and vote them out of office when their terms expire.
My instant business is that of continuing to prepare the groundwork for that task, through my association/involvement with the political party to which I belong, the United National Congress Alliance.
My question to you, Mr. Joseph Pierre and others of your ilk, is: "Are you, too, ready to do your part?"
Tuesday, 27 November 2007
The Power of "ALL"!
In Eulogy of “ALL”:
All…
...human power is a compound of time and patience. — Honoré de Balzac
...growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work. — Calvin Coolidge
...jobs are easy to the person who doesn't have to do them. — Holt's Law
...censorships exist to prevent any one from challenging current conceptions and existing institutions; all progress is initiated by challenging current conceptions, and executed by supplanting existing institutions. Consequently the first condition of progress is the removal of censorships. — George Bernard Shaw
...government, indeed, every human benefit and enjoyment, every virtue and every prudent act, is founded on compromise and barter. — Edmund Burke, Speech on the Conciliation of
...men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. — Martin Luther King, Jr.
...of us could take a lesson from the weather: it pays no attention to criticism. — North
...of us who are concerned for peace and triumph of reason and justice must be keenly aware how small an influence reason and honest good will exert upon events in the political field. — Albert Einstein
...prosperity begins in the mind and is dependent only on the full use of our creative imagination. — Ruth Ross
...truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. — Arthur Schopenhauer
...truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them. — Galileo Galilei
...you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure. — Mark Twain
...the knowledge in the world is found within you. — Anthony J. D'Angelo, The College Blue Book
...that we are is the result of what we have thought. — Buddha
...the problems of the world could be settled if people were only willing to think. The trouble is that people very often resort to all sorts of devices in order not to think, because thinking is such hard work. — Thomas J. Watson
...things are possible to him that believeth. — Mark 9:23
Monday, 26 November 2007
T&T Election Paradigm Shift.
Dear Editor/Head of News,
Maybe the time has come for election campaigns to be conducted on this basis:
Maybe the time has come for election campaigns to be conducted on this basis:
- Each political party that wishes to contest, must prepare and, SIMULTANEOUSLY, present to the public, ON A PRE-DETERMINED DATE, which, in any event, must not be less than two clear months BEFORE the date of the elections, its detailed five-year programme and its entire slate of candidates, INCLUDING those whom it proposes to appoint to ministerial office, should it win.
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