Leah! You forgot to mention...

Dateline: 2007 December 31st, Monday.
Location: The Trinidad Guardian, Letters to the Editor page.
Topic: Anand a hero to many in T&T.
Author: Leah Scott, of Flanagin Town, Tabaquite, Trinidad and Tobago.
Excerpt therefrom:

Perhaps Rahaman has been living on Mars because if there is one man who has taken the fight against the Government to the courts, it is Ramlogan.
From discrimination against public servants like Marlene Coudray and Devant Maharaj to the Maha Sabha radio licence case, he has consistently embarrassed the government. And this was before he entered the political arena.
Ramlogan is a young man who is a hero to many in T&T. He has carved out a niche for himself without help from anyone and doesn’t need to sully his reputation and risk compromising his integrity by joining forces with the likes of Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj.
He is his own man and stands head-and-shoulders above him. His is a respected voice that is listened to by one and all in society across racial barriers. He is the new darling in our politics, and has fought for equality and social justice for everyone.

My dear Leah! You (conveniently?) forgot to mention that, for each and every one of these battles "for the people" which Mr. Anand Ramlogan has "fought" and to which you referred, Mr. Anand Ramlogan was handsomely briefed by his each and every client(s)!

Amazing Newsday conclusion: it defies our current reality!

Today's Trinidad and Tobago Newsday, in its Editorial, analyzes the crime situation, a situation we all know to be oppressive because of its rampance.
The article is well put-together and, so, I recommend that it be read by one and all, even memorized, for, having surmised that:

"...the Manning administration must face up to. In 1999, there were 93 murders. In 2000, there were 120 murders; by 2003, this jumped to 229 murders, and 2005, 2006, and now 2007 saw the all-time high of over 380 murders. In a population of 1.2 million, this meant a murder rate of 30 per 100,000 persons, as compared to an average of three per 100,000 in developed nations."

it put forward the following recommendations:

What can the Government do to reverse this trend? There are many options on the table, but two strategies stand out as the best methods of catalysing (sic) change. One, revamp the Unemployment Relief Programme so that gang leaders are no longer in control.
Two, set up an independent body to investigate errant police officers, so that the Police Service becomes part of the solution instead of part of the problem.

So far so good! Alas, in its epilogue, it makes a volte face by the startlingly concluding that:

If these strategies are not implemented in 2008, citizens can assume – if they have not already done so – that the Government is not really concerned about reducing crime in Trinidad and Tobago.

as if not appreciating that the citizens had just such an opportunity to demonstrate their vexation with the administration under whose watch the current situation developed and, thanks to the inanity of the 148,000, hadloudly proclaimed, last November the fifth, "We know! We like it so!"

Case closed! Guilty as charged! Now, on to the sentencing!

Permit me, through this medium, will you, to take on Martin George, Attorney-at-Law, over a particular comment he made in his, as per usual, erudite weekly Sunday Guardian column on December 30th 2007, to wit:
Dear Martin, my attorney friend,
Re: your declaration that:

"The fact is there has been quite a lot of positive action done in the year 2007 by the Ministry of National Security and the Government, towards trying to reduce crime...",

given the season of year, might I, aptly, comment that, the proof of the pudding is always in the eating? Where is the proof of these myriad positive actions taken, during 2007, by that Ministry to try to reduce crime? Where is it to be found, or, even sought?
I daresay that it exists, as you, ibidem, to it alluded when, immediately after your above hyperbole, you self-rebutted by rejoining, which I quote:

"...but the reality is that it appears to have had little or no recognisable (sic) effect, as far as many in the population are concerned.
It is said the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and we appear to be well on the way towards some kind of crime hell, if we do not get some real and tangible results soon.
If not, then we could face a 2008 that is even more bloody and more violent."

which is so true and, consequently, so sad.
Given that (your own) swift rebuttal, as above, one may unequivocally concur that a prima facie case has been made against the Ministry of National Security and the Government on the charge of dereliction of duty. All that's left now to be done is to dish out to them the appropriate sentence!

Benazir's passing: The most important lesson to be learnt.

As Benazir's mortal remains inexorably assume their divinely-ordained chemical state, one needs to be reminded that, as is said in France: "Un clou chasse l'autre!" ("Life goes on!").
It is imperative, therefore, for every organization serious about its success, to take heed of all circumstances which, suddenly or not, may trigger a change of its leadership.
And, so, for such organizations, the issue of smooth leadership transition ever must be the number one item on their agenda.

Assassination: a way of life in Trinidad and Tobago.

According to the editor of the Trinidad and Tobago Newsday of December 29, 2007:

Most citizens of Trinidad and Tobago would consider assassination an unthinkable method of political action.

I beg to differ by asking of readers:

Who commits the more heinous act: the assassin who snatches away life's breath from his victim, or, the one who snatches away his victim's good name?

Even a partially-honest answer would consign the Newsday editor's assertion to the garbage heap!

To Benazir.

TO BENAZIR.

With love her all freely she gave

But her all to the yawning grave

Swiftly, with one, iniquitous, blow

Did they that despised her dastardly throw

As her life, December 27^th, they did snuff

By a horrific, lethal, explosive puff.

Yet, for us who would be free

Wherever and whoever we may be

Her light shall e’er blaze on

Like does the proverbial beacon

That beseeches to landfalls of safety

Hapless souls that founder at sea.

Her legacy which He had ordained begun

In the mists long before she was born

Shall always by us, her survivors, appreciated be

And forever remain etched in our memory

As is a link, of the kind that never we sever

But safely keep intact, forever and ever.

Hence, her dying embers quickly must we fan

To revive the sore, wounded spirit of Pakistan

From those embers must forth fly a spark

To fire a new lamp to dispel the dark

Nothing more, nothing less, we owe her

She, the flower of Pakistan, she, Benazir.

For, thus, shall we our present sorrow take

And have it spur us a better tomorrow to make

Thus, only thus, would we cause Benazir to smile

As she sleeps the long sleep, aware that while

Her time with us was cut so short

That futile ‘twas not, as her antagonists sought.

© Richard Wm. Thomas, 5 Rivers, Arouca, Trinidad and Tobago.

Twice bitten, thrice wary!

Okay! So, Chief Justice Sharma is off to meet with the Attorney-General and with the Director of Public Prosecutions! Thus spake Francis Joseph in the Trinidad Newsday, today, December 28th 2007.

Milud! You know your karma! You know what follows after you have meetings of this type ! So, please, walk with a videocam to record everything! Okay, ? Next thing, you end up in a "monkey pants" ("real ticklish situation", "deep shit", "a holy mess").

Would Benazir, too, have been banned?

Assumption Parish says:

• Church compound off limits to State witness
• The parish fears for the safety of parishioners

BY DAVID THURTON

The Assumption Parish in Maraval is maintaining that a man who witnessed a double murder must not set foot nor receive help from parishioners on the church’s compound.

However, members of the parish were free to offer any assistance to the man through the parish’s St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP), who would do so off the church’s compound, said a statement from the parish in last Sunday’s Catholic News.

The above is an excerpt from the Trinidad Guardian's story, today, which appears under the headline, "Church warns off murder witness".

Given such continued evidence of the un-Christianlike stance of the Trinidad and Tobago Roman Catholic heirarchy towards "the murder witness", I wonder whether, were she a Maraval Assumption parishioner or not, the late Benazir Bhutto, whose life was under constant violent threat and attack, would, too, have been warned off from coming to the parish church, there to worship?

Nah! I doubt!

Dr. Steve Smith and the Professor doctor.

If I were the authority that appointed the new Trinidad and Tobago Medical Board, upon reading Professor Dr. Courtenay Bartholomew's Trinidad Express exposé, given the specifics of the therein-contained allegations about that Board's President, Dr. Steve Smith and, indeed, about the entire damn Board, I'd be in a race to deliver a proactive, positive and peremptory response! Nothing more, nothing less!

Benazir Bhutto.

The dreadful news of the cowardly-executed assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the charismatic woman who, most likely, would have won the Pakistani election due on January 8th coming, shocked me, almost out of my wits.

I wish to and do join with the many who condemn such dastardly behaviour and who ask God Almighty to be merciful to her soul and the souls of all the others murdered in the attack.

We, in Trinidad and Tobago, need now, more than ever before, to understand why, in our politics, we have no other option but to take the civilized route in resolving our partisan differences. It is thus that I urge!

May God have mercy on us all!

The spirit of Christmas, Trinidad and Tobago style!

Or, maybe I should say, "Houston! We have a problem!"

My eyebrows raised when I read two articles in the Trinidad Express, today, Boxing Day 2007, the one headlined, Drivers told go easy on liquor and,the other, Alcohol sales soaring

My curiosity whetted (no pun intended!), I decided, there and then, to do a little analysis, to determine, exactly, how much alcohol Trinis who drink, actually drink.

Noting what unnamed importers had boasted in the "Alcohol sales soaring" article to wit,

"...Indications from the nation's 10 major importers of alcoholic drinks are that people are buying a whopping 25 per cent more than they did last year..."

and that,

"...Official figures are not yet available but an idea of just how much is being drunk can be gleaned by these figures from last year when more than 500,000 cases of rum, 250,000 cases of whisky and 70,000 cases of wine were imported...",

I browsed the internet, gleaning more statistics to help me find the answers. What I found so boggles the mind (again, no pun intended!) that I must share with the wider community the information I found. In interpreting that information, in addition to the rules I've highlighted in the tabular report, I assumed the following:

1. That the adult population of Trinidad and Tobago is 990,352 (according to EBC for the 2007 General Elections);
2. That fifty percent (50%) (495,176) of those adults drink alcoholic beverages (if the number is smaller, the picture is worse!);
3. That, during any given year, ninety-one point six seven percent (91.67%) or, eleven-twelfths (11/12) of the alcoholic beverages available to be consumed are in fact consumed prudent sellers will hold a one-month inventory at all times);
4. That local rum production is equal to what is imported (conservative, very conservative estimate on my part);
5. A bottle of rum or whisky holds 750 ml (discounting the fact that many larger capacity bottles are on the shelf);
6. A bottle of beer or stout holds 275.5 ml (thanks, Leo, for that bit of info!);
7. That a case of rum or whisky contains twelve (12) bottles (before the case is opened, duh!); and
   
8. That a case of beer or stout starts off with twenty-four (24) bottles.
   

The following is the report that I present, you be the judge:

YEAR	TYPE OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE	No. OF CASES AVAILABLE TO BE CONSUMED	No. OF BOTTLES AVAILABLE TO BE CONSUMED	No. OF BOTTLES CONSUMED PER DRINKING ADULT PER YEAR	No. OF LITRES ACTUALLY CONSUMED PER DRINKING ADULT PER YEAR
2006	Imported rum	500,000	6,000,000	11.11	8.33
2006	Local rum (Estimated @ 100% of Imported rum)	500,000	6,000,000	11.11	8.33
2006	Bahbash (Estimated)	10,000	120,000	0.22	0.17
2006	Local beer, stout (750,000 cases per month brewed)	9,000,000	216,000,000	399.86	110.16
2006	Imported beer, stout (Estimated @ 15% of Local beer, stout)	1,350,000	32,400,000	59.98	16.52
2006	Whisky	250,000	3,000,000	5.55	4.17
2006	Imported wine	70,000	840,000	1.56	1.17
2006	Local wine (Estimated @ 50% of Imported wine)	35,000	420,000	0.78	0.58
2006	TOTALS:	11,680,000	264,360,000	489.38	148.84
2007	Imported rum	625,000	7,500,000	15.15	11.36
2007	Local rum (Estimated @ 100% of Imported rum)	625,000	7,500,000	15.15	11.36
2007	Bahbash (Estimated)	12,500	150,000	0.30	0.23
2007	Local beer, stout (Estimated @ 25% more than 2006 figure)	11,250,000	270,000,000	545.26	150.22
2007	Imported beer, stout (Estimated @ 15% of Local beer, stout)	1,687,500	40,500,000	81.79	22.53
2007	Whisky	312,500	3,750,000	7.57	5.68
2007	Imported wine	87,500	1,050,000	2.12	1.59
2007	Local wine (Estimated @ 50% of Imported wine)	43,750	525,000	1.06	0.80
2007	TOTALS:	14,600,000	330,450,000	667.34	202.97

Of course, the consumption details become more intoxicating or diluted if one juggles the number of drinkers. Pun intended.

It now comes home to me what the carouser means, when he sings:

"Have yourself a merry little Christmas!"

Now, on the other hand...

To read, again in The Newsday, of the vicious attack on sixty-year old Viola Jones who was transported, against her will, to a place she had no intention of going, by an irate taxi driver and, of the police, after intervening, releasing the taxi driver who was caught walking down the public road with cutlass in hand, when compared to the consequences to James Baptiste who was jailed in Tobago for fourteen days for misbehaviour while he was drunk, I tell you, one must wonder as to the evenhandedness of the application of the law, for, in Ms Jones's case, if, among other things, that's not kidnapping, then tell me what is?

But.. but... Your Honour!??!!!

The Newsday today reports that, on Thursday last, five days before Christmas, James Baptiste (of Tobago, I presume) was jailed for fourteen days by Tobago Court Senior Magistrate, Annette Mc Kenzie. The offences? Using obscene language, disorderly behaviour and (not surprisingly) resisting arrest. The defence? None: James pleaded guilty! He did offer an excuse that "Mih head was nice," though!

Come on Your Honour! We're in the midst of the Christmas Season! Were I in your robes, I would have given Mr. James Baptiste a suspended sentence and would have placed him on a good behaviour bond for, say, four years. What say all?

In the spirit of the season.

The similarity between these two men is uncanny:

Born in most humble circumstances, to poor parents in a rural village, driven by an ever-burning desire to lift their people out of the mire which was their legacy, a legacy of being naught but hewers of stone and drawers of water, they departed, whilst still young men, for distant lands, there better to learn the ways of the world of they who walk the corridors of power, for such knowledge they required if their life's odyssey was to be successful.

After many years abroad, they returned to their people and immediately plunged, not into what, traditionally, their ilk had done, no, but to a life of ministering in tangible, everyday ways, to their people.

The elites amongst their own people were very upset at their choice of career, since they felt that their chosen field of endeavour was beneath their dignity and training; undaunted, they both shrugged off such scorn and "advice" and forged ahead to meet their date with destiny and glory. So it was that they began to preach messages of unity and brotherhood and of the need for the poor and hungry to rise up together and take charge of their fate, all the while heaping approbation on the rulers of their people.

At first, few embraced their message, preferring instead to stay on the beaten path, though that beaten path had them beaten without them realizing it. Undeterred, onwards they soldiered, forging alliances, as forward, ever, they moved, till one day, at last, at long last, the heavens themselves opened up as if to say, "This is my anointed one, listen to him!"

So it was that they were allowed triumphantly to enter the gates of power, amidst cries of "Hail to The Chief!"

Alas, the cries had hardly subsided when, each, by his own trusted lieutenant, was betrayed into the hands of the enemy, publicly to be stripped, pilloried and crucified.

Yet the enemy broke them not!

Molded from superhuman mud as they were, it surprised none that, in the end, they forgave the one who, thus, had betrayed them and who, like the robber that begged forgiveness with his dying breath, owned up to the error of his ways; with compassion and love they invited the great betrayer again to sit with them in a place of honour.

Not so the other robber, the one who, rather than emulating the lofty example of his partner-in-crime, hurled derisive insults even as his own life ebbed away.

One of the men, of whom I speak, is none other than The Most Honourable Basdeo Panday; I trust that, given the season, all know who the other is.

May one and all have a peaceful, holy Christmas, this December 2007!

Lessons in Communityism.

Case for community activism

Written by Professor Prakash Persad

and published in
The Trinidad Guardian 2007 December 24th.

A community is not just a group of people living in the same neighbourhood. They must share some common values and possess some sort of kinship.

Historically, at least in the village where I grew up in north Trinidad, there was a strong sense of shared concern for all children and for the welfare of all residents.

The purpose of raising this issue is not for the purpose of nostalgia. It is to point to the positive benefits that were derived from such a social norm.

I still vividly remember the initial terror that swept the village when the infamous “grease-man,” a thief who rubbed grease on his skin so that he could not be easily held, started a programme of thievery.

The initial paralysis quickly gave way to the organisation of watch groups. Soon enough, a group of men, alerted by the alarm raised by a family, chased and caught the interloper, who was given a gentle reminder as to the consequences of his nefarious activities. Community activism triumphed.

During the coup attempt of some 17-odd years ago, again the village was subjected to the extreme trauma of having unknown elements traversing the village roads while the inhabitants stayed indoors. A state of paralysis and sheer terror pervaded until community activism and courage surfaced.

Residents came out, prepared to deal with the exigencies, and in a remarkably short period of time a sense of security and order was restored. Another triumph for the community spirit.

Let’s shift to central Trinidad, to another village, one that has produced many cricketers for the T&T team. It was a normal, peaceful and quiet village. A few months ago, this tranquillity was shattered by a spate of break-ins. Not even the religious institutions were spared. In fact, they presented the easiest targets for no one lived in them.

Despite the fact that the entire community was being targeted, there was no move to deal with the perpetrator. It took the activism of two sets of victims. Soon enough, the unconscionable thug was interrupted during a break-in, chased by members of the community, and caught.

The perpetrator, a well known resident drug addict, was reported, several times, to the authorities, who seemed unwilling to treat with the matter.

Despite the fact that almost the entire community was aware of his nefarious activities, he felt so emboldened that he actually went to one of the religious institutions that he had pillaged and brazenly declared that he was an honest man. That being the case then, a miracle must have occurred, for since his later incarceration there have been no break-ins.

These examples point to the benefits of community activism. It’s only when cowardly self-interest predominates that we become targets to these social predators. Why do we wait until it is so late in the day before the community spirit kicks in? Is not prevention better than cure?

While not being a fan of the cable TV, but being somewhat of an insomniac, I was recently watching on Animal Planet a documentary of lions hunting wildebeests.

These creatures, especially the vulnerable, are targeted by lions. Interestingly, if they were to mass together and charge the lions, they would have an excellent chance of removing that threat from their lives.

Instead, they generally mindlessly charge forward on their migration drive. Of course, the majority survive but many are slaughtered by the predatory lions and crocodiles in the process.

Take a look at society today. As we spout hot air, both victims and the apologists shop and mindlessly follow other daily routines, subjected to the crime roulette. We must ask ourselves this: how is our situation different from that of the wildebeests?

The rationale for living in communities is that there is strength in numbers. Amazingly, we live in neighbourly isolation. We are defeating the purpose of the community.

Community spirit is absolutely essential if we are to have a sense of patriotism. It is unlikely that a person who does not give two hoots about his community would care anything about his country.

Furthermore, developed status is more a function of the attitudes and mind-set of the population than the number of cars per capita or the infrastructure. In fact, if one were to examine developed countries, one would realise that community activism is fundamental to development.

In light of this, it then behooves us to take our destiny in our own hands. Yep, that is why God gave us hands. To clasp them in prayer and to think and act in order to create our destinies. So that those who tell us to only pray and leave the rest in the hands of God are negating the purpose of our creation and going against God.

Surely we also do need the help of the law enforcement authorities and the State. We should insist that they too fulfil their duties and obligations but we cannot, should not, and must not leave the destiny of our families and communities to others. We must be the masters of own destiny.

This is a world of action. We are all empowered by the Lord with an organ of analysis and those of action. To not be able to rationalise the need for unity of purpose and subsequent action is to reject our very humanness and innate divinity, not to mention our future.

Prof Prakash Persad is the Chairman of Swaha Inc, Trinidad and Tobago.

Parliament can fix it, but, would they?

In another of her incisive discourses, published in the Trinidad Express of December 24th 2007, Professor Dr. Mary King lambastes the Patrick Manning administration for its indecent haste in signing the European Union (EU) Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) before our Parliament agreed to it. In other words, in this matter, the executive arms of government adhered merely to the letter of our law, which allows them so to sign, while shunning the spirit of our law, which requires them to be subject to us, the people, through our Parliament.

Such a situation shall, in future, repeatedly recur, until and unless there be a complete shift in our constitutional paradigms.

We proudly proclaim that Trinidad and Tobago is a democratic country. Well! That be the case, then no government of ours must be allowed to enter into any treaty/agreement with any foreign entity unless we, the people, freely agree. I make such statement with the clear proviso that, for us, the people, to agree, we must have prior and complete knowledge of the contents and intents of every such agreement. Where oligarchy, monocracy or dictatorship exists, otherwise is the case and vice versa!

In her article, Professor Dr. King's also and rightly so, rhetorically asks:

"Is our political executive knowledgeable and mature enough to maintain the responsibility of signing binding trade agreements on our behalf without parliamentary oversight and permission?"

Though, in Trinidad and Tobago, there be no real difference between the political executive and Parliament, yet I call upon the elected Members of Parliament forthwith to reject and repudiate what the Executive has done in this matter! They can and will so do if they heed the advice given to the just-appointed independent Senators by new Senate president, The Honourable Danny Montano, to wit, that they must speak for themselves when discharging their parliamentary duties.

In the meantime, may God help us in Trinidad and Tobago!

Brother Rochard's just making it worse!

"It's not the things you do at Christmas time, but the little things you do all year through,".

That is the quotation which introduced Brother Garfield Rochard's interview, as reported in the Trinidad and Tobago Newsday of December 22nd 2007.

And, therein lies the rub with Roman Catholicism: It turns every which where for inspiration and guidance, except from what it proclaims to the words of God Himself, The Bible.

While the article points out the goodly brother's reticence when pressed for further clarification on his previously reported "banning" of a murder witness from the compound of the Assumption Church at Maraval, it so does under the caption, "Fr Rochard Leads his flock", as misleading a headline, if ever there was one, for, given his vocation, to describe what he leads as a "flock", is to infer that he is a shepherd, no more, no less!

I humbly suggest to Brother Rochard and to others similarly disposed, to follow the prescript of the Good Shepherd (peace be upon him!), who, as before I've reminded, came to rescue the lost sheep, not the ones that were already in the fold.

I close with two references to the Christian Scriptures. The first is from First Corinthians, Chapter 13, verses 1 to 3:

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And if I shall dole out all my goods in food, and if I deliver up my body that I may be burned, but have not love, I profit nothing.

The second is of Matthew, Chapter 11, verse 28:

Come to me, all ye who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest.

God bless!

Loose lips sink ships!

Could be that, genuinely, the man does not know what "a majority" means. Nonetheless, at the epilogue of a Trinidad Express newspaper article... Wait! Let me quote straight from it (the insertions are mine!):

Newly appointed Leader of Government Business in the Senate, Energy Minister Conrad Enill, said that given there are Government, Opposition and Independent Senators in the Upper House, 'it will require a different level of discussion. Whereas in the other place (meaning: the House of Representatives) you have a majority, in this one (meaning: the Senate) you have to negotiate a number of things,' Enill (also) said.

In the first place, in the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago, there are sixteen Senators who are appointed at the direct instruction of the Prime Minister (or, as most say, "the government") and fifteen others, of which number, nine are selected, as he sees fit, by the President of the country and the remaining six appointed at the direct instruction of the Opposition Leader.

Which is the greater number Mr. Enill? Sixteen? Or, fifteen? No wonder the boss shunted you away from the Finance Ministry!

Of greater significance (we, the people of Trinidad and Tobago, need, therefore, to take careful note) is that they serve as an eye-opener, these comments of Minister Enill do! Why? If, for no other reason than that, just as his his boss did in his comments in "the other place", as reported in the prologue of same Express article, they exude an arrogance, a disdain for the legitimate Opposition and a sense that, as far as they both are concerned, because "the government" has an "enillian majority" in the House of Representatives, it could do whatever the hell they want and, ain't nobody could stop them!

I have news for them though: "the journey now start!" If they believe they can ride roughshod over us then we shall show them what it means to hang tough! For we, who are of the Loyal Opposition, shall not, ever, be cowed down by their manningavellian machinations!

If you had any sense, Mr. Manning, you'd latch on to this penny!

Just comparing comments made by the Prime Minister, Patrick Manning and by the newly-elected Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Penelope Beckles, in their describing "the way some Opposition MPs objected to the appointment of Barendra Sinanan for yet another term as Speaker of the House of Representatives during yesterday's Parliament opening ceremony". Their comments were reported in a newspaper story, as follows:

Manning:

"nothing more than silliness... We have 26 seats in the Parliament, they have 15. Don't worry, let not your heart be troubled1"

Penny:

"My position is that all efforts must be made to have the kind of Parliament where you listen to their complaints, you know, ensure that you indicate that you're willing to listen and certainly if their objections are valid, you deal with it accordingly."

Draw your own conclusions as to who of the two commentors are better suited to lead a team, any team!

At last! Now I may sleep at ease!

How comforting to read/hear that our brought-out-of retirement Police Commissioner and our who-didn't-know-the-magnitude-of-his-task Minister of National Security are knocking together their heads (How I wish this is being done literally and not figuratively!) in order "to formulate the best immediate remedy to deal with the escalating crime levels."

Guess what?

Read the caption of this post for the answer!

PS: Ignore, at your peril, the sarcasm!

We, the people of Trinidad and Tobago!

Let anyone forget, the issues which we, the people of Trinidad and Tobago, cry out to have addressed and explicitly, expeditiously and efficiently eradicated or enormously eased are:

1. Insecurity of the person and of private property;
2. Skyrocketed cost of living;
3. Incipient racial intolerance;
4. Traffic chaos;
5. Vagrancy; and
6. Rapidly deteriorating national physical infrastructure.

Thus is the constitutional and sacred duty of the government!

The Opposition, too, has a constitutional and sacred duty:

To take the fight to whomsoever it must, howsoever, wheresoever and whensoever, in order to get the government to stay focussed, always, on the above six-point agenda.

We, the people, shall be marking them all!

Cart before the horse.

For the second time since the last General election, we, the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago are hearing the startling disclosure from a senior Manning-Cabinet Minister that he did not know the magnitude of the cabinet portfolio which he was given.

In a litany of "prayers" Senator Dr. Lenny Saith's confesses that "the government" cannot meet Justice Lennox Deyalsingh's judicial deadline to honour its contract with the ex-Caroni workers.

Why so?

Because "it was a very time-consuming and difficult exercise."

Dr. Saith's confession is an insult to the intelligence of us mere mortals and may, yet, prove to be an albatross around the PNM's neck!

Here is the superman who, for the past four years, has been chairing the Cabinet Committee responsible for implementing the different aspects of the Caroni VSEP package "deal", coming now to tell us that, having spent over TT$500,000,000.00 of the people's money, not a single agricultural site is as yet ready to be handed over to the former workers!

Compare that, if you would, to a certain TT$148,000,000.00 castle that was built in mere months. What conclusion would the reader draw?

Aha!

That the Chinese possess the magic wand and they should have been given those TT$500,000,000.00! They would have gotten the job done, on time!

Seriously though, Dr. Saith needs to identify the contractors who won those TT$500,000,000.00 worth of contracts and the basis/bases upon which they got and, despite their tardiness, still have, those contracts.

Now, at first reading, Dr. Saith's apology suggests that, in fact, a helluva lot of work has been done and that nearly everything is completed insofar as on-site infrastructure works are concerned. Allow me to quote from the early portion of the Sunday Express of December 16th, 2007 story headlined "Saith: Tough to meet deadline.":

Dealing with (VSEP) package, Saith said, "Government had spent $500 million developing the Caroni lands for distribution to the former workers. He said that by May 2008, sites at Jerningham would be 100 per cent ready, at Waterloo-95 per cent ready, Orange Grove-85 per cent, Longeria-80 per cent, Exchange-70 per cent and Felicity-65 per cent. Accordingly offers for some 1,369 sites at Orange Grove, Longeria, Caroni, Waterloo and Jerningham would be available to former workers".

In fact, the goodly doctor was not referring to farming lands at all! He was talking about residential lands, nothing more, or less! Because, lower down in the same article it is stated:

On the issue of the two acre agricultural lots, Saith said government, recognised that it too would take time, given the construction in the country and the problem of getting contractors to prepare the sites. It therefore decided to carve out the two acre (sic) lots once the land was graded and allow some people to see and have access to their lots, he said. He said Government also relaxed the conditions so that persons could get licences to register as farmers which would enable them to access all the incentives offered by government. And this was being done, he said, prior to them receiving their leases. He said over 1,000 people had already received farmer's licences under this arrangement.

When he says, "government, recognised that it too would take time", I ain't sure if, by the word "it", he means, "the government" or "the logistics". In any event, it is clear that the issue of providing the ex-Caroni workers with the tools to become independent income earners was never a priority, as far as the Manning/PNM administration was/is concerned.

So, a situation exists where TT$500,000,000.00 has been spent, so far!

To do what?

To develop residential plots on ex-Caroni lands!

How many plots?

We do not know! What we know is that all that money was not spent to develop just the 1,369 plots (Dr. Saith calls them "sites"; we know what he means.) that are "earmarked" to be leased to ex-Caroni workers.

Yeah? Says who?

Common sense does! For, to suggest that it was would mean that each of those 1,369 lots cost, on average, some TT$365,200.00 to develop! Not so?

It would also mean that the ATSGWU and the other unions involved in negotiating the VSEP packages for their members would have had to have been the biggest financial jackasses that every existed!

How so?

Because that would have been tantamount to them saying to Caroni, "Okay sirs! We want you to take, on average, $365,000.00 plus, of YOUR hard cash, and develop each lot. Our members would then rent these lots from you for a limited time, paying with $20-30,000.00 THEIR hard cash. We give you those instructions because, in our considered judgment, we find that to be a much better deal for our members than you keeping your land and, instead, giving each of our members the $365,000.00 in cash, up front, punto final!"

Everything considered, the following questions need to be answered:

• How many residential lots have been actually developed?
• Where?
• Who, besides ex-Caroni workers, are the persons to whom these thousands of other lots are to be "given"?
• Who selects those other persons? And,
  
• what price would those other persons pay for ex-Caroni lands?"