Holi

This weekend we celebrated the festival of Holi. It is a beautiful celebration of colour, joy and happiness. The pictures in the media are normally of children spraying each other with different colours, having a fun time. It is one of the times on the Rock where you do not have to be a Hindu to celebrate. Like Christmas, Divali or Eid you do not have to be of the faith to participate. This is probably why I think the Rock is the place to be, we are a nation of peoples, of tribes, of religions, of the world.

 As much as the politics divide us deep down we are one nation, one Republic. We really do not take on the stupidness that is fed to us by stupid people, unless of course the election bell rings and all zandolie back in their hole. Why is this? What is it in the minds of Trini's that we feel we would rather starve under one tribe than the other? We prefer to catch our bums under one tribe rather than suffer under another? If one tribe gives the other tribe something it is not accepted as genuine, only my people can do for me. Where did this come from?  One word, politics. The issue of slavery, indentureship, plantocracy all have a part to play in why we are where we are today. A country cannot hide from its past but it can surely learn from its history. What happened two hundred years ago happened. It is up to all of us to build a country where the demons of the past can finally be put to rest. The many wrongs must be righted, the opportunities must be available to all. The divide will close but only if we finally get our politics right.
If we continue with the notion of one sector either owns or is entitled or is better or worse or has contributed more or contributed less or is productive or is not, if we continue with the stereotype then we continue to go around in circles. The politics has played a horrible trick on all of us, it has divided a people who would have been together, the politics will be the demise of the Rock. Some of us are not even aware as to why we do it but it happens. When I think of myself being one of eight children and the only one to stay with the Rock being my home and how many families has this happened to? What would the Rock look like today if we did not have the migration? Of course people relocate for a host of reasons but when the main issue is opportunity then something is wrong.
This is the land of opportunity, this Rock is a place where we could have been so far ahead in a number of areas, energy, agriculture, education, the arts, sport and yet we seem to have always just missed the boat. We pride ourselves reverting to the former colonisers for almost everything when if we just opened our eyes we would have seen it.  Years ago the then government established the Secondary Roads Co. setup and operated by German nationals. Why? We cannot repair a secondary road? OK there must have been an issue of finance at the time but what an embarrassment for all of us. We become Independent, change the flag and that's it, a flag and an anthem?
People of the Rock we must put a stop to this, we can no longer think that we will become a serious nation if we allow the politics to dictate that we are incapable of managing our own interests.

The insults this week of a thrice sworn in Minister of State, a land slide that cannot be controlled, flooding in areas during the height of the dry season, an Opposition that did not even know that they were being led to the slaughter, a Chief Justice who is now above the same laws that he must administer to you and me, a PMOTT who is doing nothing to bring the country together. Are we in trouble, the answer is a resounding yes, we are in deep trouble.

Thank you for Holi, at least we had some colour and fun in our lives, albeit for a 24 hr period. This is a fight everyday to make the Rock a good place. It can be done, I do not regret for one minute that I was the only descendant of Ramon Garcia de Cadiz to stay, not a minute!

The tribe, good night and good luck!