Today Trinidad and Tobago was on fire. The discussions on the 'apology,' discussions on the status of the Parliament, everybody is now a certified meteorological expert reporting rainy season rain, people were out and about being very assertive about things that many of them did not really understand. Heat in the place!
The statements being made, which caused the 'apology' to then be made, were being said, I think, without really understanding who we are as a people. This is 2017 and we still are having trouble in coming to grips with many social and historic issues that strangely enough are being discussed every day in many places and yet it is only a problem depending on who makes the statement. Let me say that the statement that was made was, even though to many factual, however it rubbed people the wrong way. This is where I have a problem.
You read columns written by certain persons that under no circumstances will offend any sector of the society. That same position taken by another writer all of a sudden is blasphemy, taboo and must never be said far less even thought. Certain religious leaders have an open license to comment but for others they are thrown to the wolves. The political leadership condones foolishness when it comes out of their camp, but once again if it is only imagined by the others it is a major issue.
For me, coming through the middle and not belonging to any camp, nor having a position on religious beliefs, (each to his or her own) fully supportive of human rights, don't support capital punishment, support LGBT rights, free speech, right to work and own property, understanding who I am and where I came from, feeling extremely comfortable with who I am, I sometimes have a problem understanding what all the noise is about. If I don't like what someone said or did or how they treat people I simply move away. I do not need to make a public statement, I just go quietly about my business.
Of course in T&T it is ironic that the 'apology' had to come from a person/group [not sure] that is somehow very well connected to the current administration but it would seem that the supporters of the administration are having mixed feelings. You would also know that the same person/group also backs the other political grouping, just in case.
Trinidad and Tobago is complicated!
The issue of crime will not go away, foreign TV Food shows will continue to talk about it, foreign governments will continue to issue Travel Advisories and we will continue to hide our heads in the sand.
The PMOTT must relieve himself of the rigors of dealing with the Sandal's Group and take control of the crime and security situation. USD in plywood shipments, no arrests, automatic weapons being shipped in 'dog food' barrels, no arrests, open and porous borders, no closure, not a single case before the courts for financial impropriety, no scanner operations at the ports of entry and the list goes on and on. Today a child and his carer were murdered, yesterday a Chinese national was murdered, gun play in Morvant. I had the misfortune of viewing a local Police TV Show where the TV police officer was astounded to learn of drug blocks within spitting distance of a police station.
To get rid of this crime problem requires leadership from the top. This pussyfooting with Customs, Immigration, Coast Guard, the Regiment, the SEC and the TTPS is going to send this country to hell. Crime is going to destroy this place and we will all wake up one morning, if we are still alive, and ask how in God's name did we allow this.
We are not in a good place!
In 1987 I started my own company, in the depths of T&T's worst recession. I was determined to make a go of it. Many of my friends thought that I was crazy. I believed in this country. I remember driving home one evening not having a cent to put gas in the car to be able to go to work the next day. I made sure to pay salaries to all employees, with me being the last person to get paid. It was very difficult, family, mortgage, business loans and you were the only one who could make it happen. On top of that I had three [3] O'Levels as my claim to a formal education.
We are not all privileged, we are not all born with a 'gold spoon.' Not because we might look one way, walk and talk one way that we have a right to success. It simply does not just happen. It is as a result of hard work and belief in what you are doing, nothing else. OK, some have daddy's money, some win the lottery, but a great number do it by sheer guts and will power.
I hope that one day we will do away with Indian Arrival, Emancipation Day and now First Peoples and celebrate a National Day For All. It seems as though the longer we keep making the distinction as to who did what in building the society the longer it will take to build a real country!
The weather seems like it will be good tomorrow, there is a moon out tonight, I am sure the meteorological experts will pronounce.
G'd night!
The statements being made, which caused the 'apology' to then be made, were being said, I think, without really understanding who we are as a people. This is 2017 and we still are having trouble in coming to grips with many social and historic issues that strangely enough are being discussed every day in many places and yet it is only a problem depending on who makes the statement. Let me say that the statement that was made was, even though to many factual, however it rubbed people the wrong way. This is where I have a problem.
You read columns written by certain persons that under no circumstances will offend any sector of the society. That same position taken by another writer all of a sudden is blasphemy, taboo and must never be said far less even thought. Certain religious leaders have an open license to comment but for others they are thrown to the wolves. The political leadership condones foolishness when it comes out of their camp, but once again if it is only imagined by the others it is a major issue.
For me, coming through the middle and not belonging to any camp, nor having a position on religious beliefs, (each to his or her own) fully supportive of human rights, don't support capital punishment, support LGBT rights, free speech, right to work and own property, understanding who I am and where I came from, feeling extremely comfortable with who I am, I sometimes have a problem understanding what all the noise is about. If I don't like what someone said or did or how they treat people I simply move away. I do not need to make a public statement, I just go quietly about my business.
Of course in T&T it is ironic that the 'apology' had to come from a person/group [not sure] that is somehow very well connected to the current administration but it would seem that the supporters of the administration are having mixed feelings. You would also know that the same person/group also backs the other political grouping, just in case.
Trinidad and Tobago is complicated!
The issue of crime will not go away, foreign TV Food shows will continue to talk about it, foreign governments will continue to issue Travel Advisories and we will continue to hide our heads in the sand.
The PMOTT must relieve himself of the rigors of dealing with the Sandal's Group and take control of the crime and security situation. USD in plywood shipments, no arrests, automatic weapons being shipped in 'dog food' barrels, no arrests, open and porous borders, no closure, not a single case before the courts for financial impropriety, no scanner operations at the ports of entry and the list goes on and on. Today a child and his carer were murdered, yesterday a Chinese national was murdered, gun play in Morvant. I had the misfortune of viewing a local Police TV Show where the TV police officer was astounded to learn of drug blocks within spitting distance of a police station.
To get rid of this crime problem requires leadership from the top. This pussyfooting with Customs, Immigration, Coast Guard, the Regiment, the SEC and the TTPS is going to send this country to hell. Crime is going to destroy this place and we will all wake up one morning, if we are still alive, and ask how in God's name did we allow this.
We are not in a good place!
In 1987 I started my own company, in the depths of T&T's worst recession. I was determined to make a go of it. Many of my friends thought that I was crazy. I believed in this country. I remember driving home one evening not having a cent to put gas in the car to be able to go to work the next day. I made sure to pay salaries to all employees, with me being the last person to get paid. It was very difficult, family, mortgage, business loans and you were the only one who could make it happen. On top of that I had three [3] O'Levels as my claim to a formal education.
We are not all privileged, we are not all born with a 'gold spoon.' Not because we might look one way, walk and talk one way that we have a right to success. It simply does not just happen. It is as a result of hard work and belief in what you are doing, nothing else. OK, some have daddy's money, some win the lottery, but a great number do it by sheer guts and will power.
I hope that one day we will do away with Indian Arrival, Emancipation Day and now First Peoples and celebrate a National Day For All. It seems as though the longer we keep making the distinction as to who did what in building the society the longer it will take to build a real country!
The weather seems like it will be good tomorrow, there is a moon out tonight, I am sure the meteorological experts will pronounce.
G'd night!
I agree, it is so unfortunate that our society remains this way. I truly hope that as a people we can move beyond the foolish divide and address the issues as opposed to attacking the people. That way we can make some real progress as a nation
ReplyDeleteIt starts with the leadership. The leadership must initiate a new contract, the Constitution, with the people. Unless we have a Constitution that gives the people the power to control the politicians, not just a vote every five years, we will wallow in the 'foolish divide'.
ReplyDelete