THE TOP TEN PROBLEMS FACING TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

I have been thinking about our (T&T's) problems. And because I am firmly of the view that if you can't say something in one sentence you can't say it at all, I am going to set out what in one sentence each what I think are the ten biggest problems that we have. You will realize that it will probably take a paragraph, a chapter or even a whole book to discuss each one properly. I don't propose to do that. I simply propose to list the "top ten" problems in the order that I see them as being important.  If you disagree with my order or even feel that some other problem/s is/are bigger and either should be higher up my scale or that something on my scale shouldn't be there, then feel free to say so. But a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step, and the first step in our journey ought to be articulating clearly each and every problem that we are facing. Incidentally, my list is not intended to be political or critical of anybody ... it is simply intended to be a discussion point and to try and come to a consensus as to the way forward. And, yes, I personally do have some ideas but as Chairman Mao once said, "if you want to lead the people, lead from behind". The point here is to promote a national discussion without rancor or finger pointing. It matters little at this point who is to blame for the sinking ship. The damned ship has hit an iceberg and is sinking. Rather than quarrel about whose fault it was that the ship hit the iceberg, I think that we should talk about how to save the lives of everyone on board.


So here is my list of the top ten problems that we are facing:
1) Lack of economic opportunity and employment;
2) Safety, security, wellbeing;
3) Lack of education;
4) Health security;
5) Food and water security;
6) Government accountability and transparency/corruption;
7) Racial conflict;
8) Poverty;
9) Inequality (income, discrimination);
10) Climate change.


Okay. That's my list. What's yours?

THE BAFFLING APPOINTMENT OF MARLENE McDONALD

Let's understand something: on the face of it Marlene McDonalds appointment on the face of it makes no sense. First of all, she was fired from the Cabinet when an issue arose concerning her husband having a job in her office and also getting certain favours. Indeed, that matter (which goes on back to 2016 is reportedly still under "investigation". (One can't help but wonder how long this "investigation" is going to go on and whether it would have been concluded by now if she was a different person ... but that's another story!) Then she was reappointed to the Cabinet but fired when a person who is reputed to be a gang leader attended her swearing in. And now she is reappointed for the third time because the Prime Minister says that everybody deserves a second chance. (I suppose he also means a third and possibly even a fourth and a fifth chance. But, again, that's another story.)




No. Her appointment as a Minister in the Ministry of Public Communications makes no sense and is completely baffling, unless ... wait a minute! Isn't Maxie Cuffie the substantive Minister? And didn't he suffer a massive stroke some five months or so ago? And haven't there been rumours going around that he is not getting better but is still severely incapacitated or even dead? And wouldn't the Prime Minister know whether or not the stricken Mr. Cuffie will in fact be well enough to resume his duties by Easter? (I know that they said that he was coming home at Easter but the innuendo from that statement was that he was going to be well enough to resume his duties then.)




Now, a few questions: what if the unfortunate Mr. Cuffie is in fact dead?  Well sooner or later that will have to come out. But from the Government's point of view the later it comes out the better because they would not want  by-election in Mr. Cuffie's constituency right now. They would probably lose and they would have to hold one if he was dead.




So, what if he isn't dead, but is so seriously disabled from his stroke that he can't function as a Minister but he can still hang on to his seat in Parliament? Now this makes a little more sense. The question of a by-election can be deflected by saying that he will be able to resume "limited" duties to look after his constituents and in any case the stress of running the Ministry is being handled by Ms. McDonald. Neat, eh?


What do I think? Well, I have absolutely no evidence one way or the other, but on the balance of probabilities I think that Mr. Cuffie is still alive but that he is severely incapacitated. I think that it is even quite possible that he will return at Easter, but that when he does we will see that he really will not be able to function properly.  I think that the Prime Minister knowing this is "taking in front" by appointing Ms. McDonald.




Of course, all this may be complete hogwash and Mr. Cuffie is well and fine (to which we will all sing 'Glory Hallelujah') and there is absolutely no hidden motive or agenda here. But this Government has told so many conflicting things on so many different issues ranging from the Tobago ferry to the A&P 'oilgate' scandal that it is hard to discern when we are being told the truth and when we are having the wool pulled over our eyes. In this regard, Dr. Rowley and his Ministers have only themselves to blame if they complain that people don't trust them.


Of course, one has only to look at Dr. Rowley's speeches on what he thought was misbehavior on the part of the UNC government to think about what he would be saying now if they had done this! I don't understand how right thinking people cannot see the hypocrisy at play here. Unless of course, the rule is that there is one law for the PNM and another for everybody else.




One final point, can anybody explain why the mainstream media has not tried to telephone and speak with Mr. Cuffie personally? Because I have seen no report that any reporter from any newspaper has so tried. I would have thought that in a matter such as this that such an action would have been done not once, but many times. Instead, the mainstream media simply reports in parrot fashion the medical bulletins coming out from the Government. This lack of action on the media's part raises certain ugly suspicions that are probably better left unexpressed at this time. But they(the media) should know that thinking people are taking note of their behavior.