Playing Smart with Stupidness... (Political Absurdity)

The textbook definition of stupidity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, and one only has to observe Trinidad politics to understand what they were trying to say. On the hustings for political leader of the Congress of the People Vernon De Lima has come in for some blows for saying that ALL Trinidadians and Tobagonians should benefit from government largesse regardless of race, creed or political affiliation, and despite this being the EXACT tonic this country needs to pull away from the brink of the looming racial conflagration and social collapse there are those who are adamantly against this idea. As there really are none so blind as those who would not see it is not surprising that we are in the position we find ourselves in today.

Real change will never be a reality in this country as long as the people remain divided politically along tribal lines to obscure forward thinking and as long as opposition means simply to oppose. We have all seen the lunacy as Government Ministers pilot or support bills in Parliament when they are in government and turn around and block the same exact bill for no reason other than to oppose when they find themselves in Opposition.

Seriously, tell me if that should not be the new definition of stupidness.

Or the forward thinking morons who believe themselves the moral majority able to cast judgement on all things from a 'them' and 'us' position, yet hoping for a miracle to deliver us out of divisive and adversarial politics into some sort of national unity. 


Shouldn't this be referred to as advanced idiocy?

Priests, poets and pundits everywhere are of the same view, that for us to survive and thrive we need to adopt the watch words coined by our founding fathers - "Together we aspire, together we achieve."  Yet to hear some of these mindless minions and Party hacks speak, the country is for one side and one race only, and if you not in you out. What utter foolishness, really. How then do we advance, if we are prepared to always disenfranchise at least fifty per cent of our people?

Until we understand that the only vision for this country that works is spelled out succinctly in the national anthem - "Where every creed and race find and equal place" we will continue circling the drain. I was alive for the attempted coup of 1990, and the days following July 27th were some of the best days among people I have ever seen. The sense of neighborliness, the sharing and support between strangers i had not encountered before nor since was remarkable. Others have noted similar sentiments during other times of national crisis, and from this it would seem fair to say that the only times that we get out of each other's way is when we have a common enemy. If that is indeed the case then in about ten to fifteen years things will be perfect in this country because it is predicted as that is the end of oil and gas and those of us left behind will share a common struggle, poverty.

That it could take the loss of every real opportunity we will ever have to unite us should make us feel proud to be as stupid as we are, and I for one suggest we at least acknowledge the thing we most share in common and celebrate it with a real national holiday every year.

 We need an act of Parliament to remove April 1st as all fools day and rename it instead National Stupidity day. Ironically, it could be the one day of the year we all have something to celebrate...

Slaughter in Fyzabad... (How ah Talk?)

Despite a late start due to an electricity break down, Congress of the People Vice Chairman Vernon De Lima wasted no time making quick work of his two opponents (Nalini being more of a fan and a supporter than an opponent) and dispatched them both with the consummate ease of a seasoned contender.

The first to fall was Prakash Ramadhar, who brings a falseness to the politics that we have not seen for some time; the end result of slick marketing and 'handling' even his posture at the podium appears fake and uncomfortable. Had I not seen this side of the man I would have thought him forever a man of serious integrity, now all I see is a man desperate to achieve an objective at whatever cost and it is very off putting to watch. As much as it pains me to say it, Prakash Ramadhar will not be good for the Congress of the People at this time, not as long as his devotion to the strengthening and rebuilding of the Party is in any doubt. A vote for him in this election is a vote to moth ball the Party and may allow others in other organizations to plunder it and romp home with their treasure. 


His other opponent was an easier conquest as there really is no comparison between the two styles. Where Vernon De Lima comes across as sincere and compassionate, Anil Roberts is a slow train wreck to watch and represents everything wrong in our politics today. As harsh as that sounds this is not a personal attack as i think he is a great guy but would make a terrible leader and may single handedly spell the demise of our great Party. There are roles for which he is best suited, but leadership, especially at this time, in this situation is not one of them. He comes across as belligerent, all knowing and crass when he should be aiming for strong, able and committed. Where the people need a champion he offers them a squabble. Where they look for answers and policies he offers distraction, deflection and misdirection. A vote for Anil Roberts is a wasted vote and a step backwards in my opinion.

We must be careful to not treat with these elections as if they were a beauty contest or a fashion parade, nor must we make the grave error of voting for our friend out of friendship. Make no mistake, this election is being as heavily contested as it is because others outside of our Party are fighting for its very soul. Political leadership is not just an entry to your resume nor is it bling to be hung on your belt and swagger. It is a trust placed in you by the people, a hope that by your existence and on your promise the lot of their lives could be elevated and changed for the better. There are things we can give to people because we like them, but power over our lives and our loved ones should not be one of those things. 


Neither Prakash Ramadhar nor Anil Roberts are mature enough, seasoned enough, credible enough nor possess enough strength of character between the two of them combined to do the job that needs doing, the rebuilding of a floundering Party long on promise and pregnant with purpose for a better day.

Listening to Vernon De Lima speak tonight without the benefit of Prakash's sound bytes and Anil's crammed knowledge one hears again the genuine voice of a father and a leader and the caring of someone who is really driven to make a difference.  I believe that he is the genuine article and that is why I have put my total support and pledged my effort to get him elected; our country and its people deserve better and have been waiting for better for so long, now that better has arrived we dare not flinch lest we lose it.

It is said that we are the ones we have been waiting on and this is true. Our political redemption is so close we can almost touch it, the power to make real and lasting change and to open doors for many whose sole interest is to make this world a better place. 


I urge all the members of the Congress of the People to stand in solidarity with each other and with the Party on July 3rd and vote for Mr. Vernon De Lima, the change we have all been waiting on and the next political leader of the COP. 

Not Necessarily the News... July 1st 2011

Welcome to Not Necessarily the News, the only show that takes a no holds barred look at the stories making news, those not making news and those that should be making news.

In the headlines:

A LETTER of complaint from the Congress of the People (COP) denouncing changes in the People's Partnership administration was delivered to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar last night. Believing their own rhetoric that they are still a valid political Party rather than a staging area for UNC members in training, Chairman and Chief Party Apologist Joseph Toney sent off a strongly worded, two-fisted, no-holds-barred, guaranteed-not-to-offend letter to the Prime Minister, which he quickly followed up with a letter of apology on behalf of the Party. The letter was drafted by the executive members of the party after an impromptu closed-door meeting at the Tunapuna constituency office of the political leader Winston Dookeran yesterday, who just returned from promoting his latest book "This Time I Mean It!"

Asked to comment on the development within the Partnership and how it augers for the future, the four candidates for Political Leader all had much to say on the subject:

"This election is really a cost cutting exercise as we hope to all be wearing yellow shirts one day instead of having two different coloured shirts for no reason." - Prakash Ramadhar

"Anything Prakash have to say from now on he lie. He's a liar, and liars lie. How ah talk?" - Vernon De Lima

"I totally disagree with my learned friend the Minister of Legal Affairs as some of us have already started wearing our yellow shirts since last year so the issue does not arise. We do not need legislation, what we need is yellow shirts for all the members. Only when the members have shirts will we truly rise" - Anil Roberts

"I called Prakash a snake, not only because I thought he was shifty but because I love to hug up snakes. In fact, when I am political leader I will pass legislation so that everyone could have their own snake." - Nalini Dial

 There has been no response from the Prime Minister or anyone in her government for that matter on this new development as of this writing.

In other news:

In a 10-minute address to the nation last Sunday night, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar quelled the hours of speculation over the realignment of her one-year-old administration with a gentle sway to music no one else could hear.

"The consensus by way of our achievement is that we have done well in our first year," she mumbled, adding that she was aware of the need to do better not realizing the irony in her statement or that nothing says success like political musical chairs.

Appearing subdued and somewhat medicated, Persad-Bissessar thanked those who served in the past year and said a realignment of portfolios was "common", which we guess is a euphemism and Kamla-speak for finding a way to fire Cornelis.

"In this Government, it was obvious that certain Ministries had responsibilities which were not in keeping with their core business," she said, such as driving and roads it would appear. Hoping to bring an end to the tempestuous on again/off again 'bromance' between Jack Warner and George Nicholas, the Prime Minister decided that the only option available to her was to make it a threesome and added Devant Maharaj to the mix. This prompted none other than Dr. Amery Browne to apply for the now vacant post at the PTSC as (quote) he never knew that Works and Transport could be so much fun (unquote).

Dr Roodal Moonilal, deputy political leader of the United National Congress (UNC), Leader of Government Business in the House and Minister of Housing and the Environment said he was satisfied with the way Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar handled her first realignment of Cabinet ministers on Saturday and said if he had his way she would realign some of them every Saturday. Although he was not aware of the finalised plan, he gave Persad-Bissessar 100 per cent support which makes us wonder what he would be prepared to give when he eventually knew the finished plan. Minister of the People, Missing Goats and Manhole Covers - Glenn Ramadhar Singh was also in high praise for the Prime Minister but chose to speak off camera as he did not walk with his comb or his mousse. Saying her endorsement of him made him feel like a million dollars, which reminded many of those present of his days at UWI.

Finally, members of the Billion Dollar Boys Club - Duprey, Monteil and Hart have decided to join forces and make a play for the rest of Trinidad & Tobago as between them they own more than the fifty one percent required to trigger a takeover bid. Public relations officer for the consortium Karen Nunez-Texeira admitted that they had in fact formed themselves into a Company registered in Malaysia called So-soomee Limited, and that the bid would be handled by International Accountants Douie, Cheethem and Howe. The Board, not yet constituted was expected to include past, present and future Central Bank Governors, two former Supervisors of Insurance and Reverend julia Pena.

Stay tuned for these and other stories in subsequent broadcasts of Not Necessarily the News...

And Now - Magic.... (COP Election Style)

Smart-man politics and sleight of hand parlor tricks have replaced the 'new politics' espoused by the founders of the Congress of the People as the Party's way and enunciated by the Party's election committee, causing many to wonder if either Prakash & Co. and the Anil Roberts 'Bullet Train to Nowhere' have ever stopped to read the memo.

Looking on as Anil tries his hardest to legitimize 'badjohnism' and 'thug behavior' by calling it grassroots is funny, but not as funny as Prakash's endless parade of political lightweights to endorse him as their candidate, taking the term rent-a-crowd to a whole new level and cost.

The World IQ definition of grassroots is: "the political processes which are driven by groups of ordinary citizens, as opposed to larger organisations or wealthy individuals with concentrated vested interests in particular policies." In other words, if you have to compensate them in any way, you're doing it wrong.

Moving on. 

Listening to the Mayor of Arima Ghassan Youseph and Minister of something or other Dr. Lincoln Douglas throw their considerable nothingness behind Prakash Ramadhar's campaign seems to serve them more than it serves him as the exercise put titles and faces to names heard only in passing and at the bottom of the news. Prakash seems to be going out of his way to twist Mr. Dookeran's arm for an endorsement and seems willing to do anything to get it, even if it means using Dr. Douglas as his go to boy so as to escape making the dubious claim himself.

Knowing Mr. Dookeran and his love for fair play the little that I do, Prakash may indeed force him to choose a dog in this fight and, if rumors of his young protege's role in his (Mr. Dookeran's) untimely leadership demise is true, it is highly unlikely that Mr. Dookeran would ever endorse Prakash Ramadhar for anything, and especially not for Political Leader of the COP.

With a mere six days left to go in this campaign I have surrendered predicting where these two might attempt to take us next and am just as eager as everyone else to sit and watch as they put on their show.

Who else will Prakash scare up an endorsement from, the janitor at the Flagship House, the doubles man in Barataria, who knows? Or maybe the wife of the cousin of someone he met in a taxi one day. In other words, it's anybody's guess, but one thing is for certain, all of his endorsers thus far have had one major trait in common and that is they are all searching for validity and relevance themselves. 

Anil on the other hand has a seemingly bottomless pit of money or a magician's touch with wringing full value out of the meager twenty five thousand dollar spend limit as set down by the election commission; one fully expects him to top his City Hall tassa side entrance with a pan side and fire eaters for the next debate, and maybe a sixteen piece orchestra for the one after that. His onstage attempts at embarrassing the other candidates by cramming stats and figures and regurgitating them when prompted seems to be backfiring as some have been heard to say 'methinks he doth spout too much.' 

Want an answer on the economy? Anil has the latest figures from top, bottom and sideways. 
Want to know the weather for the next two weeks? Check Anil. 
Want to know who in the Party is guilty of beating their spouses? He might be able to help there too as he seems all knowledgeable. Maybe he has his own crystal ball, maybe he has a psychic on the payroll; who knows, but with this quirky guy anything is possible so don't blink as you might miss it.

Am I making fun of the two of them?

Yes, but they started it. Instead of the sober debate confined to ideas exchange based on facts and track records, we are treated instead to a big top show complete with clowns, jugglers and stilt walkers. The humiliating thing is the membership seems unable to appreciate how the Party of high morality and integrity is appearing to onlookers and outsiders of the Party, because if they did they would be having none of this side show; if they did they would instead insist on the New Politics they signed up for, the New Politics they voted for and the New Politics they joined up for.

Not the Anil and Prakash Amateur Hour, not at all... 

I like Prakash...

As a person, as a politician, even as a leader, make no mistake I like and respect Prakash Ramadhar a lot. I have said over and over and over again that were he not already an MP, a government Minister and a devoted family man he would possibly get my support for political leader, but he is all those things and more too besides, and therein lies the problem.

He is only one man and there are only so many hours in a day full of demands in ALL of his already strenuous responsibilities; Common sense says that a family man is a full time job, being a loving, attentive and present husband as well as a daddy is the service we do on God's behalf here on earth and this should never be pushed aside for anything as the time lost here will never ever come back. A Government Minister is a full time hands on burn-the-midnight-oil-to-be-successful responsibility, and for the country to be best served by this important Ministry the Minister ought not to be distracted;  Being a Member of Parliament is to be in your constituency on the ground seven days a week so that the people can get the change they walked for, the change they fought for, the change they voted in their numbers for, so tell me, how in heaven's name will this man find time to grow our Party on top of all of these other responsibilities?

He cannot, and no matter how much he protests to the contrary, for every one of the things he succeeds at on this list he will hopelessly and completely fail at another.

We need a political leader focused, hands on and available 24/7 to the task of growing our Party into a national Party, by establishing 41 working constituency offices over the next three years, identifying and preparing possible candidates and constituency executives and grooming them and readying them for elections, by working in each constituency to drive the membership and prepare us for victory at the next general election.

Let us not fool ourselves, while we are in a coalition NOW, the Congress of the People MUST have intentions on governing on its own outright in the future or it will quickly become irrelevant to the politics and may well go the way of the NAR. There can be no denying this as no one forms a political party to be a junior member forever, and anyone pretending otherwise is being disingenuous and is hiding their true agenda.

As neither Praksah nor Anil for that matter will be able to serve the Party effectively I ask again, what is driving this burning and frenzied desire to control the COP?

What is behind it, or should I be asking who is behind it?

Whose agenda does it serve? 

This is a no brainer and a non issue and the membership has to send a strong message that we want a strong Party and not some limp along junior version of ourselves, forever standing outside of the UNC door hat in hand hoping for a bligh.
 

If you care about our Party you MUST vote for Vernon De Lima, the only person in this race with the time, the vision and the desire to grow the Party, and if you love Prakash, save him from himself here, and relieve him of yet another burden...

Lies, Damn Lies & Statistics... (Say What Prakash?)

Tonight during the St. Augustine leg of the Debate series in the lead up to the election of the next Political Leader of the Congress of the People, candidate Prakash Ramadhar pulled at a thread that may inadvertently unravel the whole thing by this time tomorrow.

In response to a direct question from candidate Vernon De Lima as to if he (Prakash) would run if Winston Dookeran himself was in the race, Prakash exuberantly and emphatically responded that the question did not arise as Mr. Dookeran himself told him to run, causing a gasp to be heard around the room and around the country to those who understood the implications of that statement.

Make no mistake, the words spoken were very clear and amounted to a claim of nothing less than an outright endorsement of Prakash Ramadhar by Winston Dookeran, which upon utterance either makes a liar of Winston Dookeran and nullifies both Vernon De Lima  and Nalini Dial's candidacy or, if proven untrue, exposes Prakash Ramadhar as a liar at the highest level and leaves him no recourse short of a disgraceful exit from the race.

There is no other avenue open to him as his words challenges the recorded statement and position of the Party's outgoing leader that he would not nor could he endorse ANY candidate and would leave it up to the membership to decide. This is very serious business and the members and the country as a whole must be waiting at the proverbial edge of their seats for Mr. Dookeran's response to Prakash's outlandish claim.

If Mr. Dookeran agrees with him (Ramadhar) then, despite making HIMSELF a liar, also unravels the De Lima and possibly the Dial campaigns as both candidates have publicly stated on the record time and again that the ONLY reason that they were in the race was because Winston wasn't and that he did not have any dog in the fight. Regardless of the outcome someone is going to lose big here and one wonders if Prakash was aware that he was going all in on a sucker bet.

I refuse to believe that Vernon De Lima, consummate Attorney and notorious cross examiner that he is did not know the answer to the question that he posed to his brash adversary, and like many who have been lulled into a false sense of security trying to match wits with the experienced warhorse before, Prakash tripped and fell into his own bravado.

Now all that remains is for the other shoe to fall, for Mr. Dookeran to weigh in on the topic and for the chips to fall where they may. No matter what happens next it would be near impossible to assume that the campaign can continue on with business as usual, and I for one wait with baited breath to see where this goes from here.


Stay very tuned....

Socializing Media....

As facebook itself has been thrust into the news because of the actions of a few I thought I would turn the spotlight on the medium itself for a change and try to understand what social media means and why it still 'works' as an application.

In the internet age content is king as without it the screen would be blank. Social media is predicated on the concept that we are all either exhibitionists, stalkers, commenters or a combination of the above, and the interplay between these personality traits is the deep end of the pool. The 'other' posts like activists efforts and outright commerce makes up less than one percent of the posts on the average wall, leaving the rest of the reality of social media ripe for warping and outright perversion.

Exhibitionists:

We all have a deep desire to be noticed and loved, but exhibitionists have it bad. Most people lean towards the trait they are most recognized and rewarded for, and in the world of genital based personalities those of us still blessed with sexually attractive attributes put it out there front and center along with our opinions on the whales, the turtles and the planet as a whole. While we may think that our forty eight hundred 'friends' are there to exchange ideas on the plight of the tidal pools, if we were to be honest forty seven hundred and fifty of them are stalkers there to enjoy our 'me and the girls doing shots in Cancun' pics. Trying to have topical and serious conversations with a profile pic in a bikini suggestively twirling her hair in the 'naughty girl' look is a contradiction to nature and at some point will be discovered to be the basis for some of the silly life decisions being made. That most pretty girls are not intelligent enough to see that they are actually being served up as a 'breast and butt' entree makes the thing work as intelligent women do not waste their money buying designer or designer knock off appendages to promote their assets, nor do they base their self worth on the amount of people who want to oogle their offerings.

Stalkers:

These are the opposite of exhibitionists as they do not believe themselves attractive enough to put their 'stuff' out there, so their profile is usually something that suggests that they are either daring, progressive or thinking, none of which will help them get sex, so they have no choice but to 'friend' those who can. Nothing like a little spill over joy juice, and this is the main reason fat girls tolerate skinny ones. Male stalkers are even worse as they accept early on that the only sex they are ever likely to have (despite what the nerd movies tell them) are the weak ones they separate from the pack, so they work hard at amassing items of interests to encourage others to look at them. BMW understands this concept better than most, but many manufacturers build product messages around the concept that 'it might get you laid.' This is why attractive people generally do not own or collect anything, they don't need to. Stalkers on facebook friend others with fake names and faker profile pictures and usually add exhibitionists as friends, which in a testimony to irony completes the life cycle and fulfills the core needs of both groups.

Commenters:

By far the largest group on facebook, commenters can be made up of people who seek out content to post, look for already posted content to argue with, or have an agenda to promote so regardless of the topic their job is to direct it towards their idea. Commenters in the main are broken up into three groups -Recalcitrant intelligentsia, trolls and aloof commenters.

- The recalcitrant intelligentsia are those who are 'uber' intelligent on many topics and are more than willing to let you know but not to engage you. Their job is to 'model' their knowledge down the facebook catwalk and then fade as you and others come to terms with their brilliance. Fawning is encouraged and these people's friends are made up of fans and willing ego inflaters.

- Trolls are the worst part of social interaction as they make most conversations uncomfortable. They attack those who do not agree with their position or who promote a position opposite to the one they support, they hijack the thread in abusive ways to derail the conversation and are willing to irritate other contributors to the point of exasperation so that they give up on the whole exercise.

- Aloof commenters are similar to the recalcitrant intelligentsia except they do not have their own original contributions to offer but rely rather on picking everyone else's apart. They base their support on a cult of similar personalities so it is not uncommon to see them and the same four or five followers enjoying each others company and opinions on multiple topics in full agreement with each other having a laugh at everyone else. These people go on to become columnists as nothing sells like dissent. As they agree with nobody and think themselves entitled to it people lap it up. I always wonder what happens to people like these when the societies they could have helped save collapses, do they become victims of the collapse or do they escape and run away to pontificate another day? Do they at any point develop anything like situational awareness or are they doomed by their own sense of irony to the very end?

As it is still referred to as an experiment almost ten years in, social media is affecting the way we communicate by herding us into groups and exploiting us and like everything else that runs unchecked in society it is becoming the lowest version of itself. If content is king and we generate content, then it is fair to ask if this is an accurate representation of us or is it in fact making a mockery of us?

I don't know. As someone who is heavily involved in content I hope to survive the experiment that is social media, and I think step one is awareness; understanding what it is we are really about here and constantly striving for the high ground.

I am sharing this on Facebook, you decide for yourself what that means...

Anilly Retentive... (Not so Mr. Roberts, Not So)

In what can only be described as 'Old Politics' gone wild, candidate Anil Roberts has shown and shown quite clearly why the Congress of the People exists today and why he should never have any opportunity whatsoever, now or in the foreseeable future to lead it.

From the moment he stepped into public life he has out-dirtied the dirty politics, out-screamed the screamers and out-heckled the hecklers. His behavior in the House of Representatives took that institution into places it had not gone before and should not be encouraged to go to again. His candidacy for the leadership of the Congress of the People flies in the face of everything the membership stands for, and more and more as the debates and meetings progress he is starting to appear as a man out of control with a campaign falling apart all around him. His entire presentation last evening was an exercise in excess, and if it his intention to outdo himself everytime we may be in for quite a show in the coming days.

How can he justify his headache inducing rants at the microphone everytime he steps up to speak even though he is flanked by the likes of Prakash and Vernon (two gentlemen in every sense of the word) and Nalini, who despite the numerous attempts at disrespect and provocation has chosen to keep herself and her message on the high road?

In Arima he used one of his questions to the other candidates to draw Nalini into what turned out to be a joke in very poor taste and an attack on the person of the Mayor and his host no less, and last night he used two of his speaking opportunities to attack me personally for what I can only assume is my willingness to challenge him on all his evasiveness and double speak thus far.

Mr. Roberts cannot unsay the things he says and it is my opinion that he should be asked to step down from the race as he is bringing the entire procedure into odium and disrepute. His rants against our founder and political leader has left a sour taste in many of the members' mouths despite his booming attempts to drown out his own words and rewrite history, and the impact of his rent-a-crowd on the debates is startling and striking to say the least. While everyone else in the room sits still they get on like the frenzied army that they are, picking up on his cues to add their hysteria to the din and causing everyone else much discomfort.

Is that new politics Anil Roberts style?

His defamatory attacks on me at last evening's debate has caused me to seek legal advice, and while it appears Mr. Roberts may be laboring under the misconception that he speaks under Parliamentary privilege wherever he goes, I am assured that in due course he will learn to his dismay that he doesn't.

The ironic question that was was put to all the candidates last evening - what would you do to stem the exodus and encourage new members into the COP caused him to once again scream his message to a now turned off membership. To hear him say it one would think he built the Party single handedly, yet his supporters all have to be 'bussed in' and outfitted; Of all the 'names' he called that allegedly support him, not one have yet shown their face at a meeting or a debate or even come out and publicly endorsed him for that matter.

The existing leadership of this Party needs to take a long hard look at what he says and what he does and decide if this is what we mean by new  politics. I tell you without hesitation or fear of contradiction that whatever new politics means to everyone else, this style of politics that Anil Roberts wants to bring to the Party will have the complete opposite effect and I for one, should he win, would leave and never look back.

 

The Devil's Deception.... (On the Warner Saga)

On the morning of the Labor Day holiday of 2011 the country was abuzz with the news that Austin Jack Warner and FIFA had come to a parting of ways and because of said parting, FIFA was prepared to consider all charges and allegations pertaining to Mr. Warner closed. That FIFA went on to  recommend that he should henceforth remain presumed innocent of all charges is rather presumptuous on their part and Mr. Blatter and his colleagues should be cautioned against ascribing more authority to themselves than they really possess.

How much of this was fallout from his support of Bin Hamam over his former boss and how much was the strength of the English response to what they considered a grave insult and a questionable result to the award of the World Cup Competitions of 2018 and 2022 we will never know, but what is known is there was enough in the mortar to sever a high ranking official from his substantial post of over thirty years and this cannot be presumed to have happened over nothing.

Needless to say that FIFA's ruling can in no way be the end of this matter and their presumption of innocence does nothing to remove the perception of guilt surrounding certain events alleged to have taken place here. FIFA's modus operand appears to be self preservation at all costs, and while this may be fine for that organization the gentleman in question is at present a member of the Government and the Cabinet and remains bound by the rules and conventions that govern those institutions and is not above the laws of this land.

Based on all that has been said on this issue and the information on a multi million dollar bribe that may have also involved the breach of our currency, Customs and other laws, it remains a responsibility of our law enforcement agencies to pursue these numerous allegations of wrong doing and misconduct within their jurisdiction to a determined conclusion and subsequent prosecution if found warranted.

The questions that now burn to be answered are if he should be allowed to remain a Minister and a member of the Cabinet until he is cleared of all questions of wrongdoing, and should he be allowed to remain a member of the House of Representatives. Despite protestations of his Attorney that Mr. Warner has no questions to answer here, we the people of this country are entitled to and should be asking questions until there is a clear understanding as to what exactly took place so as to protect our highest institutions from being sullied by this scandal now or in the future.

Until then, it is the view of this writer that Mr. Warner is ethically if not morally bound to step down until his name is cleared, and should he fail to do so then it becomes incumbent on the Prime Minister to remove him and place as much distance as possible between her government and this scandal as she can ill afford to be tainted by it. The Westminster tradition demands no less, and as long as we want to retain some semblance of respect in the civilized world, the actions prescribed in these circumstances do not require much thought.

A Letter to Prakash...

Dear Prakash,

I hope this letter finds you well and that you are finding time to relax despite your hectic workload. Even though we find ourselves temporarily on opposing sides for this Congress of the People leadership election, I am still of the view that I could take the liberty of calling you friend and to send you a letter out of concern for you, our great Party and the country as a whole.

I remember thinking that you were one of the standard bearers for truth and decency in Trinidad & Tobago and that having you on board the Congress of the People strengthened our hand in the dual fights we were waging for an expression space of our own with the then UNC and the PNM. Your courage inspired, your integrity shone through, and we the members of the COP were proud to have you on 'our' team.

 What a difference a year in politics makes. After winning your seat in the 2010 General election you all but disappeared from the scene; calls to your once easily accessed phone went unanswered, your facebook profile was turned off and it seemed like the only time we the members who cut the road you walked to get into Office saw you was on TV. 

I for one am willing to accept that you were simply overwhelmed by your dual role of Minister and Member of Parliament, but when we walked your consistency for this internal campaign and heard the litany of woes and the complaints on your absence I felt ashamed. These are the people we made the promise of 'New Politics' to, the same people who now swear that the Congress of the People let them down so badly they don't now if they could ever vote COP again. I listened to you in Arima boast about your constituents and their support, yet the very next day the very same constituents said that you may be mistaking last year's support for this year as they have not seen you since. Roads in utterly deplorable conditions, absence of stop signs on the few roads that were paved making intersections a game of russian roulette, promises made to come back after and fix the area COP style left fading in the evening sun like the Vote for Prakash posters still visible on lampposts and walls.

If I were close enough to advise you it would be to check yourself before you wreck such a bright and promising career. I would tell you do not take on any further responsibilities until you can adequately manage the ones you already have, and I would tell you that whoever is encouraging you to pursue this post of Political Leader of our Party is using you for their own agenda and probably setting you up to fail in the long run. Surely you must know that the additional burden may be one burden too many, that the role of Political Leader in these challenging and demanding political times will exhaust even someone who has no other significant responsibilities. Aren't your closest advisors honest enough with you to tell you that?

Prakash my friend you need to take a step back and see how you are coming across. My biggest shame came from watching the debates and to be honest I don't know if it is because you have been sitting too close to Anil for too long, because you seem to have caught his slipperiness in evading questions as asked. I remember pointing out to someone after the third debate that trying to get Anil to answer a question was like trying to nail jello to a wall, but Praklash you are really not that far behind. Why don't you get your hands on the recordings of the debates and see if you are really proud of your performances thus far, if this Prakash is the same man we rallied behind since 2007 or not. and if you find that somehow the trappings of Office have changed you for the worse I suggest you take some time to re-evalute what is important to you in the long run. For someone so young with so much to look forward to it would be a damnable shame to squander it chasing tokens to glorify yourself that could only serve to pull you down.

My advice to you my friend, if you really do love the Congress of the People as much as you say you do, do the gentlemanly thing, the sensible thing really and bow out of this race. Your hands are already too full and you are starting to fail and that should not be allowed to continue. To the Prakash Ramadhar I know, that could never be good enough. My friend, if you really do love the COP then do what is best for the Party and support Vernon De Lima.  He is only in this race to enlarge the Party and is committed to taking the vision of a truly national Party further, to create an alternative to the dispossessed, the disenfranchised, a place of political refuge to those who won't or can't vote race and who, without the Congress of the People, would be left to the mercy of the wolves in the UNC and PNM again.

Do you remember when those ideals were your ideals? 

They can be again. The Prakash Ramadhar we know as a much loved national figure has a singular clarity of vision when it comes to recognizing when things are going wrong. My friend, trust your instincts; do what is best for the Party, bow out of this race and throw your full support behind Vernon De Lima, our best hope for our Party's future.

The members of the Congress of the People are counting on you to do the right thing and I know that in your heart of hearts you already know what that is.

All the very best to you and yours

Your friend,

Phillip 

Making Parliament Work... (A Common Sense Approach to Change)

Our current system of governance is a representative system that relies on the voters to elect a representative to attend the House of Representatives to look after the concerns of their area and and to represent their issues to government. While on paper this sounds functional, the system is plagued with some gaps in its functionality that frustrates its ability to deliver effectively and these gaps need to be addressed if we are to find our way to useful change anytime soon.

There are some changes that could have an immediate impact on the system if implemented promptly and properly, and as this government promised to be the agents of real change, who better to begin the process.

The Member of Parliament (once elected) immediately becomes overseer and chief spokesperson simultaneously for the constituency and because of those demands, one would expect it to be a full time occupation. To do otherwise would be to frustrate the intention of the election and fail to best serve the electorate's interests. I would first like to suggest that the Member of Parliament for an area should be resident in the area a full two years prior to nomination and for the duration of the electoral term so as to guarantee a more effective and knowledgeable representation on behalf of the people. This would have the effect of the MP having intimate knowledge all of the issues and problems endemic to the constituency and should motivate a faster response as the fortunes of the area would affect him or her as well, whether good or bad.

Secondly, Members of Parliament should have no further or additional responsibilities save for committees on oversight as I believe the nation would be best served by Ministerial posts being hired out to professionals answerable to oversight committees made up of members of the House. This would have the effect of professionals being responsible for delivering the manifesto promises of the Party who would be answerable to the members themselves. Our history is littered with the mismatched sets we get as successive governments rewarded supporters and members with Ministries they were ill equipped to handle and this practice needs to brought to an end. Again, both Member of Parliament and Government Minister are full time responsibilities and should never be forced upon the same person regardless of how capable they may appear. 

Lastly and quite possibly most importantly, we need to put the power back into the peoples' hands; we need recall legislation enacted with some haste (as promised) if we want our representatives to perform. Gone would be the days of suffering from election to election hoping for adequate representation as, should the elected member fail to live up to his or her promised service, the same people that hired them would have the authority and the ability to summon them back to the constituency and fire them.

Under the current system the people are under-represented and these changes need to be made with some haste so as to restore the people's faith in governance. It is not enough to make hollow promises just to get elected as the people are becoming numb to the process and disinterested. We need to engage the people, empower them, and give them hope that change can indeed be effected effectively. This is as good a place to start as any, and once we get our elected employees working to maximum efficiency the rest of the problems should be a lot easier to solve.

Learning Curve... (In response to Rubadiri)

Reading Rubadiri's column this week I was heartened and encouraged to say the least, because his new maiden column took a position that demonstrated that there were still people among us willing to understand what was really going on and to expose us to ourselves; amidst all the wasted words exchanged everyday, that was indeed a breath of fresh air.

I have heard dinosaurs like Manning and Panday described as former gatekeepers, and if this is true (and to add to the metaphor), then the war to bring them down was fought on information brought by the light-bearers, the people like Rubadiri and  others who (at great risk and harm to themselves) work at exposing wrong in all its disguises so as to at least take away their power to surprise.

Conversely I am dismayed that the membership of the PNM are so braInwashed that they cannot see that their Party still remains in the clutches of the special interests that almost foisted a dictator upon us, and among whose front line membership the promise of darker days still resides. It is obvious that Dr. Keith Rowley is besieged within his own Party and cannot make a move without overwhelming support, but this support is stymied by an army of attackers that include online trolling warriors and recalcitrant calypsonians whose job it is to undermine messages and destroy reputations. These members of the last bastion of deceit are so dangerous now that they have been exposed that they are willing to do anything to upset society so as to return their side to power.


We must never let that happen.

We must resist the PNM of the Manningites with all we have, and if the enemy of my enemy is my friend then we must embrace all who stand against the evil empire that was and still is the Patrick Manning PNM. I myself was fooled by the performances of some of them, but never again. I would do anything to help the Party's rightful leader Dr. Keith Rowley in his quest to rebrand, reinvent and remake the Party, but he has to make the first move.

Sound the warning publicly sir, because at this point you have very little to lose. Tell us the names of those you want purged and we will expose them and shame them and send them back to hell. 

This country must never risk the scourge of a Patrick Manning administration again, not even through the thinly veiled disguise of an Amery Browne led version of it. As Mr. Victor has so eloquently said this is new ground for us, this idea that the government belongs to the people and we do in fact have a say; we must not be clumsy with it while we and it are in infancy; during the time of learning what we want to be we must never forget what we never want to be again, especially citizens of Patrick's Megalomaniac Empire. Make no mistake, ALL who support him (Manning) support him for selfish purposes and personal corrupt gain and we must not be fooled by their camaraderie. 

Trinidad & Tobago is still underghoing the labor pains of change and we see it and hear it everyday in the easy feedback and the citizen involvement and opinion in the day to day running of the country. Keep this up, but don't be fooled into thinking because you have a voice that the people are in dissent. In every sphere of public life there are areas that need urgent change left over form the heartless unfeeling grab-mania of the Manning regime. Focus on where you can help, let us build, let us look from among our ranks to find tomorrow's leaders, and until Dr. Rowley finds his voice and returns to his promise of dry dock and begions the work to court martial and purge, let us turn away from the PNM for ever more.


Never, never, ever forget....