ARE YOU BETTER OR WORSE OFF THAN YOU WERE 8 YEARS AGO?

 At the end of the day, self-interest is the biggest motivator of all. Wouldn't it be great if that statement was true? Unfortunately, like so many things  in this country it is heavily nuanced by external factors. Take the coming elections on August 14th for example: if you are better off under the PNM then you can be expected to vote for that Party. If you are worse off then you can be expected to vote for the UNC. That is why I used the word "unfortunately", because things are not necessarily what they might seem.  Many PNM voters feel worse off under the Rowley regime but the available evidence suggests that they are not ready to decamp 'en masse' but instead will voice their displeasure by simply not turning out to vote.

You might think that this then would be a great time to be a supporter of the UNC. After all, your Party should win. But this is far from being a 'done deal' for Kamla and her supporters. There is a great deal of rumbling and discontent in the ranks of the UNC (although  it seems that the discontent is not as high as with Dr. Rowley). In addition, that crucial element in T&T politics, the swing voters, do not seem to be enamored with either side. A careful reading of the newspapers  shows that the various editors (answering to their bosses, the owners) seem to understand this and are betting that the PNM will survive this election, although it will be a close run thing; closer than it would  or should be if the issue of race was not a determining factor.

Let's face it: the country is (generally speaking) worse off than it was 8 years ago. In any normal political environment, the Government of the day would be blamed unless it was so very obvious that it wasn't the fault of the Government. That's more than a little hard to do when you have been running the show for 8 years ...  because things aren't good at all  Even though it is not being discussed openly, a devaluation with all its adverse consequences is looming on the not too distant horizon. But the PNM certainly appears to be stronger than one might expect and a cursory reading of the newspapers doesn't appear to show much concern about the crashing economy. If anybody can give a reason other than race, I'd love to hear it.

For the record, I understand why the newspaper reporting is as incompetent as it appears to be. The editors have to answer to their bosses ... who are heavily invested in the PNM. Therefore, there is very little 'wiggle room' for these editors, even when they see things going down and crashing all around them. Money talks and you know what walks!! So we come back to the age old question: are you better or worse off than you were 8 years ago? The answer to that question should dictate what you should do. What you will do is  a different story.

ELECTIONS - Both Local and General

 Human beings love arguing. There's something gratifying about pointing arrows and playing devil's advocate. It seems to bring a sense of satisfaction that outweighs the sense of harmony that stems from agreements. Most Trinbagonians are in a tricky mental space, brought about by poverty and huge doses of lies and propaganda that sow hatred, fear and a simultaneous sense of superiority and helplessness.

With the economy in freefall is a UNC general election victory certain?  The short answer to that question is 'no'. There are too many rumours coupled with racist suspicions, accusations and innuendoes from both sides. For example, the very recent resignation and crossing of the floor by this fellow Tabiska Obika. He is a black man who occupied a high position in the UNC until very recently. He resigned his position and immediately declared his support for the PNM barely two months before  a local government election. That a black man would leave the UNC for whatever reason is a big thing and going across to the PNM in the way that he did sends a very clear message: "There is no place in the UNC for anybody who is not Indian." 

Unfortunately, he watered down this news by immediately joining the PNM in a very public way giving rise to rumours that he had been bribed away from his position in the UNC by the PNM who has promised him the mayor's seat in Point Fortin (which, of course, they hope to win in the upcoming local government elections.) Well, it's going to be a very short time  when we will know for certain whether or not Mr. Obika will get any sort of "reward" for his crossing (whether its a mayoralty or otherwise), and if he does then people will draw their own conclusions.

Meanwhile, "back at the ranch" Kamla Persad Bissessar's best chance/hope for the Prime Minister's chair rests on her ability to present herself as a capable, caring technocrat capable of solving the country's economic woes. So far, she has been unable to show to the general public that she indeed has that capability. People look at her team and with only a few notable exceptions, regard them as weak. Unfortunately, the racial division in the country will dictate that if you are an Indian you must vote for the UNC, and if you are an African you must vote for the PNM and ability (perceived or otherwise) is not as important as it should be.

The PNM's big problem in the coming general elections (which are some two years away) is whether or not they can persuade enough of their supporters to come out and vote for them today. Many of their supporters are saying that they are fed up and simply will not vote. With the gerrymandered seats in the Parliament this then should be the UNC's best chance as most of the UNC supporters know that there is a great deal of disillusionment with the PNM at the moment. But all indications are that the local elections that are to be held on August 1th will have a very low poll. The problem that Mrs. Persad Bissessar has, is that the UNC, at the very least, has to ensure that it comes out with the same number of seats that it had going into the election. To this end, control of Sangre Grande's council is crucial. Control of this Council is currently with the UNC, but this is very "iffy" for both sides. If the PNM can take the Council at this time that will be an epic disaster for the UNC. Conversely, if the PNM more or less is able to maintain the status quo that will not be good news for Mrs. Persad Bissessar either. Her detractors (of whom there are many) will say with some justification that if in these bad times the UNC cannot improve it's position then the UNC can never win. In other words, the UNC has to do well in these local elections in order for Mrs. Persad Bissessar to be able to present herself as a credible alternative to Dr. Rowley. 

SHOULD TELEVISION AND RADIO BE ALLOWED IN COURT?

 Looking on with great interest at the circus that is the Donald Trump trial it occurred to me that the bedrock of the criminal judicial system - both in the United States as well as here in Trinidad & Tobago - is that the system is designed so that trials can be held in public. Indeed, anyone can enter a courtroom at nay time during a criminal trial and sit and listen to whatever is going on. But this system evolved over the years long before television - or even radio, for that matter - was ever invented.

So if the 'raison d'etre' of criminal trials includes the fact that we all agree that criminal trials ought to be held in public because we (the public) have an inalienable right to know, then why shouldn't television and radio be allowed in our court rooms? It seems to me that the fact that modern technology has made it possible for us to "attend" an event even though we are not actually physically present, then we should go with the times and allow radio and television into our courtrooms as a matter of course. Naturally, there would have to be some rules about this. For example, the cameras and microphones would have to be static (i.e., not capable of being moved). Also, there would obviously be no commentators allowed inside the courtroom. Obviously, nothing should be done that would create a distraction.

If we all agree that criminal trials should be held in public in keeping with the public's right to know, then there is absolutely no good reason why cameras and microphones should not be allowed. It is only our innate conservatism that prevents us from moving boldly with the times into the twenty first century.

What do you think?

QUESTIONS - PART 2

 I had such a good response to my last post that I thought of some more questions for you to think about. The same rules apply: this is for you only to answer to yourself and nobody else. Here goes:

11) If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future or anything else, what would you want to know?

12) Is there something you've dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven't you done it?

13) What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?

14) What do you value most in a friendship?

15) What is your most treasured memory?

16) If you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way that you are living? Why?

17) What does friendship mean to you?

18) How do you feel about your relationship with your mother?

19)When last did you cry in front of another person? By yourself?

20) If you were to die this evening without having an opportunity to communicate with anyone, what would you regret most not having told someone? Why haven't you told them yet?

Okay. That's it! Next week I'll go back to discussing politics and the world as I see it. I do hope in the meantime, though, that my questions have helped you a little to think about who you are and about your life. I know that some of the questions as well as the answers may be uncomfortable for you, but if my questions have helped you a little bit to think about who you really are then I will have achieved my goal.

QUESTIONS

 I think that I once read a list of rather interesting questions somewhere (but I can't remember where). But thinking about it again I thought that you might like to answer them to yourself and for yourself only. So, here goes:

1) Given the choice of anyone living or dead in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?

2) Would you like to be famous? In what way?

3) What would constitute a "perfect" day for you?

4) When last did you sing to yourself? To someone else?

5) Do you have a secret hunch about how you would die and when?

6) Name three things that you and your partner have in common.

7) For what in your life do you feel most grateful?

8) If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any quality or ability, what would it be?

9) What do you value most in a friendship?

10) If you knew that in exactly one year from today that you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way that you are living? Why?

I hope that you find these questions interesting. Life ought not to be only about politics.  I thought that these questions were interesting and that you might enjoy them. I'll try and think of some more.

JOINING THE RANKS OF THE INSANE

 I came across this saying from the ancient Roman philosopher, Marcus Aurelius, the other day: "the object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." Thinking about the political situation here in Trinidad & Tobago, I felt that this particular saying was most appropriate. This country is dominated by two distinct political tribes. If you are Indian you must vote for the UNC and if you are African you are a traitor to your race if you don't vote for the PNM. And that's it! Punto final!!

There is no discernible philosophical difference between either of the two parties. You can't say that one is better than the other in anything - except perhaps on the issue of corruption, and even there you will find members of both tribes saying that "they" are more corrupt than "mine". But I challenge anybody to lay out clearly and concisely exactly how the two parties differ from each other in policy. Both say that they are better at governance than the other and both cite all kinds of statistics, whether true or false, to justify whatever issue they might be on at the moment.

But in the meantime, the average citizen is suffering. Crime has reached unprecedented levels of violence and our economy is crashing. Haiti has shown that there is no "bottoming" out for a country, The descent is unending and things simply get worse. Put another way, there is no brighter tomorrow on the horizon.

Why do I say this? Take, for example, the latest imbroglio for the as yet to be announced Local Government election. (And take note that the Privy Council ruling on this matter was more than 10 days ago at the time of writing this post.) In other words, it is not unreasonable to assume that "things" are being put in place to ensure a certain result at the polls before the election is called. The Leader of the Opposition has called for international observers for the upcoming poll. Isn't it reasonable to assume that a Government committed to the Rule of Law would have reacted and obeyed immediately?  The Prime Minister says that it is insulting to us as an independent nation to have independent international observers, despite the fact that HE made a similar call at the 2015 general elections, which, incidentally, his party won. So? Why is the call insulting today when he is in power but it wasn't yesterday when he was not? Because he would never cheat at elections and the UNC would?

As we like to say in this country, you can't play mas' and  'fraid powder. And if the Leader of the Opposition really believes that there is a real possibility that there might be cheating, then SHE can invite international observers here. But she hasn't done that  - at least, not yet - and she hasn't threatened to do so. Why not?

And finally, the media is simply avoiding calling these two leaders to account. Why not? Isn't this something of importance to the country? And we are quietly putting up with all of it! And you say that we are not finding ourselves in the ranks of the insane?