Years ago a friend gave me a joke about a watchman he had on a job site. The guy told him ' Mr. Barry, doh worry, deh cyar fool me, I have everyting in written writing!'
Well today proved 'Watchie' right. If the recently fired USA FBI Director did not make notes to self and write everything down, keeping a file on his meetings with the POTUS then he might be in serious trouble. What I thought was very scary was the fact that he states that after his first meeting he realised that he could not trust him, the POTUS.
Of course I have to bring everything back to home. Who can we trust in this beautiful country of ours?
The President, the Chief Justice, the PMOTT, the Cabinet, the LOTO, the Members of Parliament, the heads of the various security agencies, customs, immigration, Permanent Secretaries, Chairmen and Directors of state owned companies, who? When asked about anything all seem to have a different story.
Is that not something? We the electorate have zero idea about what is happening with our country. I am talking about a situation that has been going ever since 1962. Every election we the 'jerseyed' numbers go out and support our party and then that's it. The promises of transparency, accountability and bringing the government to the people flies out the window at about 10.08 pm that election night, never to return. If a citizen wants to find out about anything to do with government and they cannot get a straight answer, they can then file under the Freedom of Information Act. Yeah right, if I want to find out who gave the directive to fire the 'Galicia' I have to go through the process of the FOI.
And that people is how the Republic runs or in our current position does not run.
Now back to Constitution 101.
There has been a lot of talk about Proportional Representation [PR]. In 2010 I believe the Peoples Partnership committed to bringing PR to the fore when dealing with Constitutional Reform. Well, we know what happened there, no Government with a constitutional majority in Parliament will bring the necessary changes, especially when talking about PR. Why, because they don't need it and they don't want people questioning what they are doing, at least definitely not people with real power under a PR system. So you end up with a system where once in power, even with a simple majority of one, you are in and to hell with everybody else. I am the boss or more famous 'when I talk no damn dog bark' Eric Williams, whenever.
In nine [9] different general elections in Trinidad and Tobago 46.64 % of the electorate have been disenfranchised by the first past the post system. This system works well in horse races and the Olympics, not with a country's future. In some cases minority governments have been elected where that particular political party did not win the popular vote, but formed the government.
The concept of a PR system works well. You still have a government, with a leader etc but you have a Parliament system that does not allow a runaway horse. In many cases the government is made up of a coalition. What you do not have is close to half your population vex for five years. If you look at T&T that is our main problem. The main political parties are divided into the two main ethnic groups and story done. When one party loses you have all the accusations of race against the other one and then next election we reverse the result then you have another five years of accusations. This makes no sense especially when in the last population census approximately 30% of the population is mixed. This mixed percentage is growing every election so the time is right for a well thought out PR system.
The time to put racial voting away is now!
I really have to mention the issue of the elderly gentleman left to die outside the main hospital. How come? Someones father, son, grandfather how about simply being a human being. I guess in this land of ' it wasn't me' that's it. Man was born lives then dies!
We keep with the issues of the Constitution because we will never escape this mediocrity, if we do not demand. I hate being referred to as a banana Republic.
' Day-O, day-o
daylight come an me wah go home'
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