The deaths must not be in vain!

Re: http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/FAR_FROM_HOME-136044613.html

wherein, in trying to defend the indefensible, HDC Chief Cook and Bottlewasher, Jearlean John, reportedly said the limit of fire safety measures required at HDC buildings up to 2007 extended merely to smoke detectors and fire extinguishers;

also re: http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,152585.html

wherein said Chief Cook and Bottlewasher, more than thirty-six hours after the Trou Macaque inferno, is unable to to say precisely how many HDC units are fire-escapeless and, worse yet, informs a nation weary of Public Service apathy that, in 2011, fire-escapeless HDC multi-level units are still being built.

May I rebut as follows?

The inescapable conclusion is that our building codes at the time did not require for fire escapes to be incorporated in such buildings. However, longstanding standard civil engineering practices certainly did/do. So, too, commonsense. So, too, did/do our laws of tort, particularly negligence. The unavoidable inference is: the fire escapes ought to have been installed from the outset.

In the civilized world, people woulda done tender their resignation! We are not civilized! Were we, by now someone woulda surely pay for the lethal episodes as at St. Ann's Hospital (salmonella-laced eggnog snack) and at the Caroni Bridge on the Old Southern Main Road (unbolting a bridge from midspan)!

I say, this time heads must roll! That kind of response, among other things, is for why we, who voted this administration into office, voted. And why we, who voted this administration into office, must lead the charge in seeing they do roll!

Time for another State of Emergency!

Time for another State of Emergency! This time, throughout all Housing Development Corporation housing estates! Why? To retrofit them so they'd fall in line with adequate 21st-century Occupant Safety Standards! Bring it on, Kamla! Bring it on!

Rowley flipping-flopping.

On TV6 news last night, in reacting to the pyrotechnics and gunplay at Beverly Hills, East Dry River, Port of Spain, on Wednesday night, Opposition Leader, Dr. Keith Rowley, flatly stated that, to prevent violent criminal acts from ever happening, the government must ensure round-the-clock police presence in such areas.

Mind you, this is the same man who had previously insisted there is no need for a State of Emergency, nor for "stigmatising" "such areas" by designating them as "crime hotspots".

Great is the bewilderment generated by the flip-flop! That's why flippers-floppers must never be allowed to prevail!

Then again...

Grinning like the Cheshire Cat, someone (not of us) just asked me, "Richard! How come the PP administration for which you stoutly campaigned and bat ent yet ketch any of crooks who allyuh was bitterly complaining between 2001 Christmas Eve and May 24th 2010?"

His smirk vanished, just before he himself did, when, I straightaway replied, "It takes a thief to catch a thief!"

Colm! Are you saying PNMites are all sycophantic, spineless sheep?

Dear Colm Imbert,

Honourable Member of Parliament for Diego Martin North/Central; and
Vice-Chairman, People's National Movement.

For the benefit of an attentive public, kind sir, would you care to elucidate on the following statement you made (as reported in The Sunday Newsday of Dec 18th 2011)?

“...one of the problems with a coalition (is, they) have the power to change the leadership of the party,”

(http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,152420.html)

If you neither don't, nor can't, nor don't recant, then, I'm afraid, we will have to take it that, in your party, unlike in mine and in the COP, democracy does not, nor will ever prevail.

So! Tell us, Colm! Are you saying PNM is a tyranny and or autocracy? And that PNM comprises a slew of sycophantic or spineless onlookers?

Why COP was born...therefore, must not suborn.

CAVEAT: Please excuse any factual error in this discourse...of late my brain has been wracked with fever wrought by a combination of the flu virus and the ongoing frenetic kinetic energy of partners-in-coalition adjustment.

Before certain persons get carried away, let me remind all why COP was born, therefore, must not suborn.

The long and short of it can be found in the acronym for Congress of the People -COP- for, before COP was, everyone who wanted the PNM to "take aside" openly opined there was one person and only one person preventing that reality from materialising: Panday.

Put another way: there was a strong and deep Criticism Of Pandayism, Crabbiness Over Pandayism sentiment sweeping the land. (Call it what you will, just make sure its acronym spells "COP"!)-.

Pandayism is the other side of the coin -maximum leadership- of the type practiced for twenty-five uninterrupted years by the PNM under Dr. Eric Eustace Williams -1956-1981, then again by the PNM from 1988-1995 under the son of a PNM; and, finally, from the end of 2001 to May 24th 2010.

Giving credit where it's due: between 1981-1986, when he was Prime Minister, the late George Michael Chambers never operated that way!

So quickly acculturated we became to Dr. Eric Williams style of ruling that, early o'clock, we coined the phrase "Doctah Politics" more properly to describe it. The acculturation was so thorough it hornswoggled a people who were numerically superior to the PNM and who hated PNMism (which was/is/and forever will be the overwhelming majority of T&T's population) to believe only a giant personified could bring down the likes of Dr. Williams.

What's worse, it led many to think once the Doctah was defanged, PNMism would come tumbling after and all the King's men and horses would not ever be able to put PNMism together again. Of that assessment, history has shown how mistaken we were...but, that's another story.

Because we were deluded to search for an Eric counterweight, we suffered to encourage autocratic rule within our own political groupings though the very canons of such groupings expressly declared otherwise. In short, our delusion was such where every political peewat thought to himself he harboured manrat material.

Hence, against the PNM in electoral battles over the years, perhaps one hundred or more political parties forayed and fought, all futilely.

Now, Father Time inexorably guides even the most unwilling to Epiphany -sometimes the awakening comes at Death's Door- so, despite the death of the Doctah bringing us to our knees in the first epiphanous shock (his death forced us to acknowledge our leaders as flesh and blood, just as us) when the opportunity first thereafter arose for us to shake loose from the PNM's clutches, we rejected it, preferring to "give de new man ah chance", especially after his famous "Fete over! Back to work!" dictum.

Without belabouring the point.

Re: http://www.guardian.co.tt/sport/2011/12/10/day-reckoning-near-says-roget-trade-unions-out-full-force-after-emergency

The most poignant aspect of Friday's SOPO (Shindig* Of Public Officers) was this comment by Mr. Roget:

“We have to be better next time around. We have some work to do still. “I like the crowd. I am happy that after 107 days we are ready but we have more work to do. We have to go back and do the work.”

which he ruefully made, after headcounting the gathered crowd.

Clearly, Roget et al do not have the ability to partner with their own people...or their own people do not view being part of such activity as partly or wholly in furtherance of the country's interests.

Meantime, I repeat my call for the public to be told of the remuneration packages (including retirement) of these trade union leaders. (See: Go ahead! One day the cheese will stand alone!)

Laevae! Laevae! Mweh kah ahlay!

© Richard Wm. Thomas,
    kid5rivers.com
    Five Rivers,
    Arouca,
    Trinidad and Tobago.

*Um! It was a shindig, wasn't it? Else, why would the Trinidad Guardian publish the below?

Hope the reader noticed the path which said Guardian deemed most apt for the above photo and its related story? That's right! sport!

Hilton castrates Trinidad and Tobago sovereignty? What nonsense yall talking?

Concerning the hurricane in the snocone cup over the shifted location of the 2011 CARICOM-Cuba Summit, seems like two fundamental points are being missed:

1. Hilton Trinidad is owned by somebody/somebodies; and,
2. such body/bodies is/are not the State of Trinidad and Tobago!

One of the basic tenets of ownership is: the owner has exclusive control over who enjoys use of the owned-property.

Regarding 2. above, if you doubt me, then doubt the Ministry of Finance listing of all the local enterprises which are wholly or partly owned (and or controlled) by the government of Trinidad and Tobago, as at April 12, 2011! Trinidad Hilton is nowhere to be found!

To facilitate the readers, I've downloaded the relevant pdf report, which I'll email to you if you include your email address in the comments box and which. mind you, is posted and viewable on the Internet at http://www.finance.gov.tt/content/state-enterprise-company-portfolio.pdf!

So, I fail to understand how the local media did not check that before swallowing the bull fed to them by Mr. Ali Khan, Trinidad Hilton's General Manager:

that even though the State owns the hotel, its operations are subject to the directives of Hilton Worldwide which runs it as the manager.

(see: http://www.newsday.co.tt/politics/0,151929.html and the below screenshot)

Unless this Kamla-led government somehow managed to buy into the shareholding of Trinidad Hilton (given the candour with which it operates, I can equivocate, it has not), then Trinidad Hilton remains no different to any similar business operation: its management reserves the right to refuse admission, especially when, the last time it opened its doors to the one who wishes again to use the privately-owned facility, a part of hell broke loose, even in the midst of the tightest of security, damaging the property of other guests as they did!

As to the future though, I'd expect Trinidad Hilton won't be benefitting from the public purse anymore, for that purse we, the people, own!

A word of advice to Hilton Worldwide...before saying what Raul (pun intended) would say: "¡Punto final!"

Dear Hilton Worldwide!

You boast how your vision is:

To fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality.

(See: http://www.hiltonworldwide.com/about/mission/)

And how your mission is:

To be the preeminent (sic) global hospitality company - the first choice of guests, team members, and owners alike.

(See: ibid)

How come, then, in this instance, you didn't allow your core values to guide you in this thing? No doubt, had you, you would have passionately remained owners of your actions by being a leader not a follower, something which you can neither be nor sustain unless you're a team player in the whatever community you operate and unless you have the sense of urgency and discipline to do the right thing all the time?

(See screenshot below!)

Next time, do the right thing: tell Raul, "¡Bienvenido, Excellencia!" ¿Especialmente cuando todos estan preparando para La Feliz Natividad, ok?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wXaFhjALNs

¡Ayi! ¡Ayi!

¡Punto final!

SoE done! To hell we're back!

Those who doomsay or pledge that "all hell would break loose as soon as the State of Emergency ends" thereby all unwittingly confess the said State of Emergency, while it lasted, was instrumental in containing the forces of hell, thus, that Kamla damn well did the right thing at the right time. (Please forgive the familiarity...the context would lose its flavour if I were more formal!)

By the way, Kamla  when are you going to get it: that the mindset of the PNM is to rule at all costs, all times, all places, therefore, even when someone other than the PNM is elected to rule, they will exert their considerable, accumulated-over-the-years power by being a vehemently recalcitrant minority?

Therefore, Kamla, I beg you: to eff (France) with the PNM! We voted for you to lead us, not for them!

Government; government; Opposition.

From time to time, persons who ought to know better would state that the Opposition is part of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. It's time to settle this nonsense, once and, hopefully, for all!
The Opposition is not part of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago: to be part of the Government, one must be a part of the Cabinet!

75. (1) There shall be a Cabinet for Trinidad and Tobago which shall have the general direction and control of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago and shall be collectively responsible therefor to Parliament.
      (2) The Cabinet shall consist of the Prime Minister and such number of other Ministers (of whom one shall be the Attorney General), appointed in accordance with the provisions of section 76, as the Prime Minister may consider appropriate.

76 (3) The Ministers other than the Prime Minister shall be such persons as the President, acting in accordance with the advice of the Prime Minister, shall appoint from among the members of the House of Representatives and the Senators.

79. (1) The President, acting in accordance with the advice of the Prime Minister, may, by directions in writing, assign to the Prime Minister or any other Minister responsibility for any business of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, including the administration of any department of Government.

81. The Prime Minister shall keep the President fully informed concerning the general conduct of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago and shall furnish the President with such information as he may request with respect to any particular matter relating to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago.

83. (1) There shall be an office of Leader of the Opposition and appointments thereto shall be made by the President.
      (2) The President shall, if the person concerned is willing to be appointed, appoint as Leader of the Opposition the member of the House of Representatives who, in his judgement, is best able to command the support of the greatest number of members of the House of Representatives who do not support the Government.

However, being part of Parliament and as Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Opposition, through...

53. Parliament may make laws for the peace, order and good government of Trinidad and Tobago...

Please note the lower-case spelling of the word "government", as compared to upper-case when referring to the Government. Obviously, the difference in casing is not unintentional, for they refer to two different things.

Yes, one may argue that the Leader of the Opposition must be consulted by the President (interestingly, never by the Prime Minister, you hear that, Kamla?) where certain appointments are to be made, however, as far as the author's concerned, every zandolie must find dey hole because of this: the crowning piece to confirm the Leader of the Opposition not being part of the Government is this:

83 (6) Where the office of Leader of the Opposition is vacant, whether because there is no member of the House of Representatives so qualified for appointment or because no one qualified for appointment is willing to be appointed, or because the Leader of the Opposition has resigned his office or for any other reason, any provision in this Constitution requiring consultation with the Leader of the Opposition shall, in so far as it requires such consultation, be of no effect.

Did you get that? What it says is there is not bound to be a Leader of the Opposition, even though there may be elected Members of Parliament who occupy the opposition benches! So, if Leader of the Opposition is not bound-to-must, then Leader of the Opposition cannot be part of something that bound-to-must.

No need then to write any further, is there?

Read your Constitution! It's accessible online here: http://rgd.legalaffairs.gov.tt/Laws2/Constitution.pdf

Phrased, phased and fazed. Homonyms and the straight!

Re: http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Kamla__I_m_not_frightened_by__alleged__plot-134803568.html

Wherein, in its haste to turn something straightforward in something sinister, the penultimate paragraph directly, as follows, quotes our Prime Minister, the Most Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar:

"It would be reckless and foolhardy to go into the details that were shared with me by the Commissioner of Police and the other protective services. There will always be doubting Thomases; we know that, but I am not phased by that; all I can do is act on the recommendations made by the police and the Defence Force," she said.

Given my surname and the context wherein the Honourable Prime Minister's quote was phrased, one would understand my doubt over the availability, capacity, or, perchance, penchants of the Trinidad Express's proofreaders: they seem to be going through a phase where homonyms are preferred over the straightforward, since, in the clause, "I am not phased by that", the verb "fazed" is incorrectly spelt as "phased".

As to the overall intent of the article? Major fail! For the plot remains in the "alleged" phase, until the hatcher(s) is(are) found guilty.

I'm phasing out of here...the salt mine beckons!