PUTTING A CROWN ON THE HEAD OF A CLOWN

 It is difficult, if not impossible, to come to any other conclusion that the sole purpose of having PNM's internal elections spread over a three day period was for there to be an opportunity to cheat. Nobody has been able to give any logical reason why the one day voting for a new executive has been changed to three days and the resistance by the authorities in the Party to the proposal to change to three days of voting from one speaks volumes. I was always taught that if you can't say something in one sentence then you can't say it at all. And I defy anybody to explain how changing the voting from one day to three days will be cost effective and prevent cheating in one sentence.

A lot of people enjoy horror movies, though , for myself, I have never understood the attraction. But when you boil down all of the plots they always follow more or less the same line: in the final act, horror movie monsters that seem unstoppable - zombies, vampires, sharks - always shock the good guys who presumed that their terrifying enemies had been killed once and for all- or at the least, are set to be killed once and for all. Keith Rowley, like one of these monsters seemed to be about to be killed politically in the PNM's internal elections. Clearly, that ain't gonna happen. Though he is gravely wounded, with the attempt to prevent or at least delay the expected efforts to cheat having been thwarted he is likely to threaten not just a handful of teens in the woods, but the PNM and, beyond it the whole democratic process in the country.

It is possible, of course, that the thinking behind putting the internal elections over a three day period and seeking to delay the local government elections for a year is that everything is 'hunky dory' and that there are no hidden reasons for the present actions - possible, but most unlikely!

The PNM is a major political force in this country. Its internal elections are therefore of paramount importance to the country as a whole - the result is obviously important not just to non-members, but to opponents of the PNM. It is most unlikely at the present time that Dr. Rowley's Government enjoys majority support in the country and that most members of the PNM are not happy with either him or his leadership - not to mention his team. If this is correct that would go a long way to explaining the two propose actions referred to earlier. And, of course, they would be acutely aware of their unpopularity. For example, the Finance Minister's bold claims of economic reform and development - which to date have not been backed by tangible and sustainable results - are they mere expressions of personal vanity and hype or are they real and substantial and something that we really can count on? And let's not forget the issue of runaway crime!

Let me put it this way: if you put a crown on the head of a clown you do not make him a king; you simply turn the palace into a circus.

THE SNAKE OIL SALESMAN

 Keith Rowley, the Trinidad & Tobago Prime Minister, emerged as a serious political force at the end of his predecessor's (Patrick Manning) term. But probably the most significant thing that we can note about him is the fact that he is not a creator. His talent lies in marketing (himself) rather than in any type of organizational leadership or in taking a novel concept from its inception to a premium place and thus benefitting the country. He has adroitly played to racist and xenophobic fears that attached to Mrs. Persad Bissessar's re-election bid in 2020. He has continuously lied  and pontificated on just about everything from emailgate to crime to corruption and every thing in between. He has made ridiculous statements and ran with them and has surrounded himself with weak, incompetent and ineffective people who are making ten times more money as Ministers of Government than they could ever earn in the world that the rest of us inhabit. Little wonder that they remain so loyal to him despite all the evidence that the country is falling apart!

Rowley did not single handedly inject the strains of intolerance, racism, belligerence and a durable sympathy for anti democratic behaviour into the PNM and there is no reason to believe that his absence would cause them to evaporate, UNLESS the PNM replaces him with a more moderate and tolerant leader - which is likely to happen IF there is no cheating in the upcoming leadership elections. Unfortunately for the country that seems unlikely at the present time.

For critical observers, it is apparent that everything Rowley has offered the country came slathered in Snake oil. That is either a statement about the willful blindness of the T&T electorate or a barometer of haw many Trinbagonians view these dangerous liabilities or assets. In either case, at least one other insight : fixating on the salesman, misses the point. The problem is, and always has been, the size of the audience rushing to buy what he is selling.

SUE ME IF YOU DARE, MADAM SPEAKER

 It is time to remove the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Parliament is supposed to be a place where matters of public importance are discussed and debated. But this Speaker, sensing that the present administration is vulnerable to some high profile licks, is almost continuously looking to use her office to protect the Government. She is SUPPOSED TO BE NEUTRAL, for crying out loud! 

What could be more urgent for Parliament to discuss than crime? Flooding? Well apparently she doesn't think so either. She shut down a debate on crime last week and now has decided that the flooding that several hundred thousand people have recently suffered is not definite, nor is it urgent, nor is it a matter of public importance!! So, Madam Speaker, what is definite, urgent and of public importance in your book? You can't answer that and make sense, can you?

Look, I have court house clothes. I invite Bridgette Anisette George, the Speaker of the House to sue me for defamation for what I am about to write: You, Madam Speaker are not fit to be a Speaker of the House of Representatives in Trinidad & Tobago. You are incompetent, biased and awful at your job. You seem to think that you are the last bastion of defence for a failing and incompetent Government, and you are using your office  corruptly to stifle legitimate debate. And yes, by doing what you are doing that is corruption. Sue me for saying that you are corrupt. I dare you. But I would remind you of the case of Oscar Wilde more than a hundred years ago.

In that case, Oscar Wilde, who was a famous author and playwright, was also a homosexual at a time when homosexuality was a crime on the statute books of England. He (Wilde) was having an affair with the son of the Marquis of Queensbury (of boxing's Queensbury rules). The Marquis went to Wilde and begged him to leave his son alone. The Marquis said that he (Wilde) was a wealthy and famous man and could have anybody he wanted, but please leave his son alone. Wilde (rather arrogantly) sent the Marquis away with the proverbial flea in his ear.

But the Marquis wasn't done. He went all over London saying that Wilde was a homosexual (and remember, this was at a time when homosexuality was against the law). Wilde sued for defamation AND LOST! The truth and fair comment is a defence in defamation matters. The authorities took note of the civil case and launched a criminal case against Wilde. He was found guilty and sent to prison in the town of Reading, where he wrote what was arguably his most famous poem - The Ballad of Reading Gaol. After serving his time on being released Wilde went into a self-imposed exile in France where he died a few years later.

So just to be clear, Madam Speaker, I am saying that your refusal to allow urgent debates on either crime or flooding is motivated by your very obvious political biases rather than any reasoned thought. And I am saying that because your motives in refusing these debates was to protect the Government rather than to allow free debate in Parliament, In other words, your motives were corrupt and as a result you are guilty of corruption. 

Sue me if you dare. My defence will be the truth and fair comment. (But you already knew that.) And let us instruct our lawyers to fast track this case. I will readily agree to just about anything that causes it to be heard in record time. I hereby waive my right to a pre-action protocol letter. File your writ now. I will not apologize and will continue to say what I have said here all over the world. And if your lawyers decide to apply for an ex parte injunction to prevent me from repeating what I have said here, please show this article to the honourable Judge and tell him (or her) that I would like to be heard at the ex parte hearing. {For your information (although I shouldn't be giving you legal advice)  if you do not comply with my request I can go ex parte before the same Judge and have the injuction thrown out.} 

But I don't want to waste time. Let's get this show on the road. I challenge you. Sue me, if you dare.

P.S. I hope you don't use Government monies to fund this litigation.

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF TRUST

It is clear to any unbiased observer that the real reason for postponing the Local Government elections which were due shortly, is because given the present state of disaffection in the country the ruling PNM has figured that they will lose. So, the PNM is gambling that things might turn around in 12 months time and if not they cacan always kick this particular can down the road again.

The problem with this strategy is that it starts to push the local elections that much closer to the general elections, and a massive loss in the local could create a kind of tsunami that would be impossible to hold back resulting in a potential major defeat for the ruling Party.

While I understand the reasoning in favour of delay, history has shown that the closer local elections are to a general election that the results of the local election can be mirrored in the general. Remember the massive defeat of the PNM in the local elections a year or two before the general election in the mid nineteen eighties? My own view is that the PNM might be better off in taking the licking now, rather than later. Because, the truth is that most voters are fed-up. People perceptions are that they are worse off today than when Rowley & Co. took power. And they feel that there has been more than enough time to fix things. Unless, of course, the Government is privy to certain information that it hasn't shared with us as yetwhich would or could change the picture completely.

Added to this perception is that a lot of people simply do not believe anything that the Prime Minister or his minions do not tell the truth. Most people, for example, do not believe that Dr. Rowley has contracted Covid for a seemingly unprecedented fifth time. While this may (or may not) be true, what is so sad is that people generally do not believe that their Prime Minister is telling the truth about this. And a photo of the Prime Minister  in social media allegedly taken just last Saturday doesn't help. The trust is simply not there for most people, and except for the diehard supporters, who would vote for a crapaud in a balisier tie, they simply don't believe anything that the Government says.

You have, for example, the ruling by what is probably the worst Speaker this country has ever had, who decided that the burgeoning crime rate is not urgent nor is it of public importance. According to her it is certainly not definite! And so, in the highest court in the land the ruling Speaker has effectively prevented the country from hearing what the Opposition has to say nor how they would fix it! It's not of sufficient public importance to be discussed in the Parliament! Unbelievable!! What in the name of heaven does she think Parliament is for?

Of course, the ever growing list of victims of crime might disagree with her, but their opinions won't count until election time when (she might hope) other matters can take prominence and this rather "piffling" matter of crime will be forgotten (or at least moved far enough away so that enough people might forget her idiocy).

But the mistakes and the missteps keep piling up. That the Opposition has so far failed to convince the majority of the voting population speaks also to their incompetence. and inability to get their message across. It is as if the politicians on both sides believe that running a negative campaign will pull more votes (' vote for us because the other side will do worse and you will be worse off') is better than admitting that there are problems and presenting positive solutions as to dealing with them. But at the end of the day, it is our fault, because we put up with the lies and half truths, not to mention the incompetence. And this is on both sides!

SOME REASONS WHY PNM HAS MANAGED TO STAY IN POWER

 I'm certain that many of my (few?) readers have wondered at one time or the other  as to why the PNM has managed to hold power for about 60 years. The Party retains considerable latent support, resilience and mobilization ability, even if the present regime is inept at capitalizing on those issues. There is a reason the PNM factors so prominently in the country's political history over the last 60 years: the Party frequently uses, misuses and eventually restores hard ground support. 

On top of that, the Party's founder, Dr. Eric Williams, laid down a blueprint  for a decision making system that is more of a pyramid, with all lines of authority flowing  or descending from the Political Leader's office. This means that all major issues are ultimately settled at the top. 

Of course, Dr. Rowley doesn't decide everything himself. He often kicks matters down to a level where elite factions bargain - or fight-them out. But on high priority matters- or when the bosses can't agree - Dr. Rowley steps in to impose "manual control", often with the television cameras rolling to show his decisiveness.

An overcentralized system can work tolerably well in quiet times. The clear lines of authority can help in solving minor problems. But the need for the Political Leader to weigh in personally becomes a serious issue when the more complex problems are fast developing. The centre is quickly overwhelmed, which can lead to cascading mistakes. The Prime Minister has  had to simultaneously deal with a pandemic, elite conflicts, economic failures, shrinking budget resources, unrest and unhappiness over crime as well as other issues.

Then of course, like all authoritarian rulers, Dr. Rowley's second area of vulnerability is the need for him to project strength. He tends to rely on an elaborate game - most of his supporters  are motivated by corruption rather than conviction, but they act out of faith that the system will survive, meltdown is certainly not inevitable. But if meltdown happens , how would it play out? As problems intensify they would likely tend to exacerbate each other.

What is happening right now in the country is that there is a general draining of confidence. Dr. Rowley has hinted that he might be prepared to throw in the towel and quit. But he would want to control not only who his successor might be, but also to control his successor. Of course events might just overtake him and he might find himself so hated by the electorate as being the person who brought the various disasters (crime, the economy, etc.) that he finds no way out.  On the other hand, he might just be able to hold on. Certainly, the whole situation is most unpredictable at the moment as the opposition UNC has been unable (for whatever reason) to capitalize on Dr. Rowley's many mistakes.

VOTING FOR THE NEXT PNM LEADER

 Striving for neutrality in a country as polarized as this one (T&T) is an almost impossible task. You are bound to offend one side or the other or could even end up offending everybody. There is an old saying about wise men fearing to tread where fools seldom differ. But I have always looked with scorn upon those persons who are unwilling for whatever reason to give their opinion and not back it up with facts, just as I look with the same amount of scorn upon those persons who try to argue a point without frontally dealing with the matters raised by "the other side". Frequently they tend to revert to insults and avoid the particular point or points raised in the particular argument.

But I had promised to say whom amongst the three contenders for the PNM leadership that I would prefer.  As I see it,  the race for the leadership, the PNM, being one of the two main political parties in this country, ought to be approached by every single citizen, whether he or she is a member of the PNM, as recognizing that whatever happens in that political party affects us all, whether we are PNM supporters or not. In other words, which of the three do you think, Rowley, Teishera or Boynes, is the best pick for the country? Your opinion matters. 

In deciding on my choice I took a very hard look at all three candidates. Let's deal with Dr. Rowley first , probably because he is the easiest one to deal with. Frankly, I think that of the three he is the worst possible choice for the country. I honestly don't trust him and I believe that he doesn't tell the truth, or, put another way, tells the truth only when it suits him. He hasn't got the brightest "sparks" around him (with one or two exceptions) and the economy has gotten worse and not better over the last seven years. Indeed, most people will say positively that they were better off seven years ago than they are today. The buck must stop with the leader and he has to take responsibility not only for the good, but for the bad as well.  But he is notoriously ever unwilling to confess his mistakes. 

Then let's take a quick look at Karen Teishera. Her claim to fame is that she was a Minister in the Ministry of Finance under Patrick Manning. But her stint there was unremarkable and she has no real feats, whether good or bad, that she can point to as claiming solely that she was the one responsible. She wasn't even THE Minister, for crying out loud. Further, she seems to have adopted a "top down" approach in her campaign. What I mean is that she seems to be placing more emphasis on talking to the establishment media than in talking directly to the people. Put another way, she does not appear to be connected to the people at all and does not appear to really understand and empathize with them or their problems. While this may or may not be true, in politics perception is reality, and that is the perception.

And finally, we turn to Ronald Boynes. Boynes is a self-made man from very humble origins (his father was a policeman) growing up in the East and has a track record of putting the country first. He has built a rather successful law practice and has "dipped his toes" quite successfully in business, although, to be fair, he has made some mistakes along the way. But (and it is a big "but") he has always learned from his mistakes and has worked hard to correct them.

Trinidad & Tobago needs a political leader who is not afraid to admit that he is human and, more importantly, who genuinely cares about making the country a better place for all and not just for a few. We need a leader who can inspire us and hold out hope for a better tomorrow. Without that hope we are all :spinning top in mud". My money is on the person who gives me that hope. I think that he is Ronald Boynes.

HOW TO WIN (OR LOSE) THE NEXT ELECTIONS

 Perhaps we should start with how to win the next elections. Answer: change the leader! Whether you are talking about the PNM or the UNC the answer would be the same for both parties. Let's start with the PNM first (because they are in power):

For better or worse Keith Rowley is probably the most discredited leader that the PNM has ever had. This 'Nelsongate' business is  a scandal of epic proportions. How in the name of Heaven could an Attorney General purport to give a free pass - a 'bligh', as we say in Trinidad - to a man who is a self confessed crook? And he did so without the knowledge or agreement of the Director of Public Prosecutions!? And the law in this country is very clear that the DPP is the only person in the country who has the conduct of criminal proceedings! And the Attorney General is a lawyer? And he says that the infamous indemnity agreement was approved by two senior counsel?

And the Prime Minister then says in essence that he didn't know anything about this matter!? But wait a minute! Isn't the Prime Minister the Head of the National Security Council? And doesn't the Attorney general report to him? And isn't the former Attorney General still in the Cabinet and drawing down a minister's salary and all the 'perks' that go with that high office? It is either that the Prime Minister is incompetent, or he's so lazy that he doesn't read a thing, OR (most likely) he's lying through his teeth when he says that he knew nothing about it.

In the meantime, (and I'm leaving aside the rather obvious question as to whether or not a criminal case against Messrs. Ramlogan and Ramdeen could have proven BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT on the 'say-so' of a whistleblower who has obviously benefitted from several million dollars of taxpayers' money) there are other questions to which we have never been given a satisfactory answer, e.g., the Petrotrin debacle, the visit of Maburro's Vice President ostensibly to discuss COVID, the visit of Dr. Rowley and Mr. Young to meet with energy executives in Switzerland who were  based in Trinidad, and much more.

No. The country really doesn't believe a word that falls from Rowley and his gang and in the meantime it is watching helplessly as its fortunes are going to Hell in a handbasket!

So, clearly, there is urgent need for a change at the top of the PNM. There are three contenders for that particular throne - Keith Rowley himself, Karen Nunes- Tesheira, a former Minister in the Ministry of Finance when Patrick Manning was there, and Ronald Boynes. I prefer not to comment right now as to which of those three that I would prefer (although it is admittedly kind of obvious that it would not be Rowley). But I promise that I will say before the internal PNM elections who I think will be better and why I think so.

Then we have the UNC. Unfortunately, the UNC's leader has a track record of losing too many times. Whether this is because the PNM has thrown so much mud at her that some of it seems to have stuck or whether there is another reason. But whatever the cause is, she has signally failed  to present herself to the country as somebody with ideas or the team necessary to turn this country around. Very unfortunately, the PNM has rather successfully thrown so much mud at her (by far and away) most able lieutenant, Roodal Moonilal, that the country will never 'buy' or accept him as its leader. Which is a great pity, because, if you listen to him you will find that he makes a lot of sense.

But Kamla's team, especially in the Parliament is very weak. None of her Parliamentary team inspires hope in the populace that they really can turn things around. And a successful politician is one who can make you believe that you will be better off if you vote for him/her. And except for those who are "UNC till ah dead" there are very few people who believe that the country will be better off with that crowd in charge. Put another way, the country ain't buying them ... at least not right now. And it is true that weak leaders gather weak people around them. Strong leaders gather strong people around them; and the country desperately needs both strong and competent leadership.

Perhaps that is why a lot of people believe that it really is time for  the latest new political party: the Free Democratic Action Trinidad & Tobago party, or F.D.A.T.T. for short!!!!

DONKEYS, MORONS AND CROOKERY

 Where exactly do we as a country want to go? this is a very serious question that requires everybody and anybody who professes to believe in democracy needs to answer. I ask this because when I look at what has happened in neighbouring Venezuela some rather serious questions arise in my mind that we are not so slowly heading down the same path that our unfortunate neighbours have gone down much to their collective chagrin. Somewhere in the vicinity of more than six million people (out of some thirty million) have fled Venezuela, most for economic reasons, but a sizable proportion of them fleeing political persecution.

That beautiful country has been ruined by Maburro (and yes, I know; the misspelling is deliberate. The man is a jackass of the highest order) and his good friends, the Cuban thugs who have ruined their own country as well. 

But here in good old T&T our Government plays 'palsy-walsy' with the Donkey on the rather specious ground of 'noninterference'. Don't you remember the visit by the Venezuelan Vice President some 18 months ago to discuss "a joint response to Covid?" And if you believe that our Prime Minister and the Venezuelan V.P. really did discuss that then I have a bridge in Brooklyn that I'd like to sell to you.

But the Donkey went and destroyed the Venezuela equivalent of Petrotrin, causing a mass migration of highly qualified oil personnel, which in turn resulted in a catastrophic drop in oil production, which in turn resulted in an equally catastrophic drop in the standard of living for the average Venezuelan, which in turn resulted in a mass migration of persons to (amongst other places) sweet T&T. Can you imagine what it must be like to be so desperate that you believe that it is better to go to another country where they don't want you and where you can't even speak the language leaving every thing (family friends, etc.) behind?

 And you think it can't happen here? Have we ever got the real reasons, for example, why Petrotrin was shut down and 10,000 people lost their jobs? Have we ever got the truth about why it was better for us to close down the refinery rather than to upgrade it? What the heck! Can anybody explain in simple terms how we are better off with the closure of Petrotrin? Do you think that we have been told the truth about anything?

And in the meantime guns and drugs are pouring into the country. This, of course, is hardly surprising as the Donkey and his cohorts are making a lot - and I mean A LOT - of money from this trade. But do you think that there is anybody here in T&T benefitting from this terrible trade? If so, who? Do you think that these persons are in positions of any kind of authority ? If so, do you think that the reason why "Mr. Big" has never been caught is because of connections that go all the way up? Don't you think it a little odd that no drug lord, no "Mr. Big", has ever been even arrested and made to stand trial? Or is it because our security services are so very incompetent?  

Frankly, I don't believe that our security services are incompetent. My (admittedly very limited) experience with them has led me to believe otherwise. But the alternative is too terrible to even contemplate. Maybe there is another reason? In the meantime, take care of yourselves. The crime in this country is out of control - completely- and is likely to stay that way for some time yet!

A MORONIC BUDGET

Those who still believe in Dr. Rowley and his Finance Minister, Colm Imbert, were in for a rude shock on Monday last when Mr. Imbert presented his rather moronic budget.  For example, Mr. Imbert and Dr. Rowley shut down in September, 2015 when they came to power an Aviation school that the previous UNC Government had established a few short moths earlier. Please forgive me that the impression that i have is that Mr. Imbert, desperate for ideas, has been reduced to thrashing around looking for something that he can boast about and all the while hoping that nobody will remember that he and his boss discarded this particular idea seven years ago! And yes, the Prime Minister has to take responsibility for his Finance Minister's actions. I mean, that's how the thing is supposed to work. How many other ideas have these two scuttled? And what has been the cost to productivity? Remember the laptops?

But what is becoming increasingly clear is that this economy is being run by morons and the fact is that an economy run by morons carries with it a price tag that is usually hidden under all the hoopla and political rhetoric. This latest budget falling from Mr. Imbert's pen is nothing short of stupid. It will leave everyone - except the very rich - scrambling to make ends meet. Living will become harder and more and more people will find it harder to feed themselves as prices on everything goes through the roof.

But it seems that Messrs. Rowley and Imbert aren't too worried as (to use Mr. Imbert's words) "they ain't riot yet"! Certainly nobody on the Government side seems either to understand or appreciate the very real hardships that the average person is facing. Can you imagine that the Prime Minister's solution to not spending money on  gas, to cut down the gas consumption, is to avoid going to work on time and to leave work early thus avoiding being in a traffic jam! If that isn't a moronic statement then what is? 

THE DEATH PENALTY

 Let's face it, there is only one good reason for the death penalty and that is revenge. It certainly is not a deterrent. The best deterrence for murder (or any other crime for that matter) is the fear of getting caught. And if the odds are something well over 90 percent that you will never be caught, what the heck? You'll get away with it. 

Let's be honest with ourselves: everybody who has a driver's licence has committed and will continue to commit the crime of exceeding the speed limit while driving his/her car. And we all do it because we know that our chances of getting caught are so small that we are hardly taking a chance. It's the same with murder. The people who are murdering people so brazenly by shooting them in bars and other open places are fairly certain that they will never be caught. If they thought for a moment that they would be caught you would see the murder rate plummet overnight. 

But they aren't being caught, and those few "unlucky" ones who are, know that their risk of being actually convicted because of lack of evidence is so small that it is almost not worth mentioning.

But back to the arguments for and against abolishing the death penalty. I understand all the reasoning that proponents of the death penalty put forward, but the truth is that the only valid reason is revenge (or "justice" as some might say).

Look, almost twenty-six years ago a cousin whom I loved like a brother was brutally murdered. The person who gave the order to kidnap and kill him is still walking the streets today as is the policeman who had been hired to do the job as are the 'jefes' in the police force who helped hide the evidence after the crime had been committed. (The evidence that I have is like saying to you prove that I was at your house at midnight last night. You know I was there. I know I was there, but I am going to lie and say that I wasn't, And nobody saw me there except you! So, prove that I was there!) But I would cheerfully hang all of them if I could and then go home and have a big, hearty dinner. But the truth is that although I will very readily concede that there are other very heartless monsters out there, the truth is that no matter what their actual crimes were I could not be the one to pull the lever to hang them even though I would probably agree that they didn't deserve to live.

So does that make me a hypocrite? Probably. But I do recognize that (a) I personally cannot deliberately kill another person and (b) I could easily kill somebody who killed a loved one. In other words, I would want revenge. And I do readily admit to the two very conflicting feelings that are inside me. I suspect that most people think like me too.

So? What do we do? The death penalty is a cruel , harsh and unusual punishment. It can't be justified with any reasoned argument ... except revenge. And revenge is a very powerful argument.

 Maybe the answer to the question of whether or not to abolish the death penalty is that if someone is found guilty of murder that person should have his/her freedom taken away for life. But we should be honest with ourselves and recognize that the ONLY effective deterrent against crime is the fear of getting caught. But sadly, in T&T today your chances of getting caught for any crime is less than your chances of getting a speeding ticket.

DOING BUSINESS WITH CHINA

 

What exactly are the terms and conditions that we have entered into with our loans from China? Why exactly was the recent loan of more than US$200 billion more advantageous to T&T than the terms offered by the IMF? The government has said that the IMF terms dictated (inter alia) that there would have to be significant reductions in the work forces in state enterprises such as WASA. Was this the only reason or the deciding factor? If it was the deciding factor does this mean that there will be NO reductions in the work forces of the various state enterprises? What happens if it is later found that unpleasant as it is that there has to be various reductions across the board? Does this mean that the rate of interest payable to the Chinese will be lowered to match that of the IMF? What guarantees (if any) are there that China will not seize any of our assets, like the port for example?

I am trying to understand the logic of our taking this rather large loan from China and not from the IMF.  No clear or logical explanation has ever been given and we seem to be going merrily along with simply the word of the Government that all is well and we don't have a thing to worry about. But the lack of information on or in our dealings with the Chinese gives rise to very ugly and most unnecessary suspicions that range from total incompetence and being outsmarted by the clever Chines to bribery and corruption and everything in between.

Just recently Sri Lanka lost ownership of its ports because it defaulted on a loan from China. Is that possible here? And if not, why not? Because we will never default so there is no danger to us from something like that happening?

Think about all the rights that have been stripped from us over the years: the right to feel safe, the right to know what is happening in the country, the right not to be spied upon by the authorities without some sort of oversight, the right to know the identities of our diverse population, the right to proper and timely information as to our exact financial situation, the right to proper working conditions and the list continues.

We have been compliant in this mistreatment. We vote for people whose policies and politics are not in the best interests of the people but in themselves; and when there is a conflict, guess who wins?

The fact is that the zero sum discourse between the PNM and the UNC of the past several decades has served more as a poison than a fertilizer.

Which comes back to China; why is it in our best interests to do business with China and not know ALL the details?

GIVING UP?

 There is a palpable sense that many Trinidadians and Tobagonians have given up on their country. Those who can afford it are voting right now with their feet and leaving. Those who can't leave for one reason or another ranging from no money  to no visa and everything in between, are throwing up their hands in despair. 'Please somebody, just fix it' they beg. 

The problem really is that nobody who is in charge has any idea of how to fix whatever it is that they are in charge of ranging from the out of control crime situation to the health care system and onto the education system, not to mention the million and one other things that need fixing in between. 

Some people, like Phillip Alexander who quite blatantly says that he wants to be Prime Minister, focus on the "little things" (and yes, the inverted commas are deliberate) and either point out with observable delight how bad things are or they provide "solutions" which may or may not work, or they do both.

What is crystal clear is that the centre is certainly falling apart. There is an old saying that if you have a problem you should lead, follow or get out of the way. The present leaders in the Government are (or seem to be) ignoring this advice and falling into that other old truism that if you are not part of the solution then you are part of the problem.

Every government's policies and survival depend upon support from key pillars such as the business community, business elites, political elites, the media, security firms, cultural and religious institutions, athletes, civil servants and the like.

It is impossible to predict where and when these loyalties will begin to shift. People living under dictatorships often hide their views of the government until they see sufficient safety in numbers to publicly resist. This is basically what happened in 1986 when the country voted overwhelmingly against the African based PNM in favour of what they hoped could put an end to the country's racially divisive politics. The problem then was that the victorious NAR had over-promised and the cost of fixing things was greater than what people had expected.

It's clear that the country needs fixing - and badly. What is not at all clear is whether or not the electorate is prepared to pay the price of fixing the country. But, if we don't pay the price now it will just be that much harder for all of us down the road. Haiti has already shown that there is no "bottom" for a failed state. 

A LAND OF RUMOURS

 All the signs are there pointing to a snap early election. Certainly, the Opposition is smacking its licks at the prospect, but is this a good thing for T&T? Why do a lot of people think that there will be an early election?

Starting with the second question first, the biggest hint is the fact that the budget is being held early - a month before it is due in fact. The argument is that calling a snap election for, say, December, would give the Government  a chance to proclaim a "sweetheart" budget with lots and lots of "goodies" so people will be distracted by how bad things really are.

The second hint is in the statements of the Prime Minister, where, for example, as was announced in today's papers, he is being reported as announcing a gratuitous payment to health care workers for their work during the Covid pandemic. The Prime Minister is obviously speaking to his base and is hoping to "bribe" it with some "goodies" so that during an election campaign he can say 'look at what we have done for you'.

The third hint is that the Prime Minister is scheduled to leave the country on the same afternoon after the budget speech is read to go to Switzerland (of all places)! Ostensibly the purpose of the visit to Switzerland has to do with oil and gas and the PM will be meeting some bigwigs there from those industries which have investments in the country. Some unkind souls have suggested quite openly that his visit to Switzerland has more to do with his personal business than with the country's. After all, they argue, to get to Switzerland from T&T one has to go through London and the people that he is supposedly meeting are based in London. So why go to Switzerland? Certainly, that is a good question that ought to be answered. Failure to answer gives rise to all sorts of rumours and unprintable speculations some or all of which might be true.

On the other hand, things really aren't very good in T&T right now. The roads are full of potholes, the crime rate is soaring and a lot of people simply don't have their jobs anymore. It certainly is not the best time to call an election. But if Rowley and Co. (who have access to information that the rest of us don't have) believe that things are going to get worse rather than better, now would be a good time to go to the polls. Crime is getting worse by the day and Dr. Rowley's acting Commissioner of Police is increasingly appearing to be an incompetent buffoon. And, assuming that Dr. Rowley was right to say that Gary Griffith was just about the worst decision that he ever made, one can't help but wonder how he feels about Mr. Jacob? At least under Mr. Griffith the statistics suggest that crime was falling!

Then there is the question of Dr. Rowley's health - which is shrouded in mystery. Another rumour is that he is planning to step down as prime minister and 'step up' to the Presidency (a la ANR Robinson) when the term of the current President expires. That would, of course, mean no early election.

There are too many rumours going around with not enough information being shared by the powers that be in order for anybody to make a guess. Any one or all of the rumours might be true as well as they might all be false. What is vital is that we listen carefully to each one, discard those that are obviously untrue (e.g. Dr. Rowley is a Martian) and store away the rest for future retrieval. Some rumours are based on things that somebody who ought to know has told somebody else and therefore are based on facts. But which ones are fact based and which are not is almost impossible to tell at this time.

But, we can look at straws in the wind. And the current straws floating around do suggest that something is going on behind the scenes. What that "something" is, is of course, another story altogether. Would an early election be good for the country? Hard to say at this time.

 What a pity that the media in this country is incompetent! If they were not, a lot of these questions would be answered. But then (as Sparrow once sang) 'we like it so'.

'YOU'LL DIE OF OLD AGE, WE'LL DIE OF CLIMATE CHANGE'

 I got the title for this post from a photograph in a news article online of a young climate activist carrying a placard. It got me to thinking: she was right! Most of the readers of this blog are well over thirty and most of us here in Trinidad pay minimal lip service to the matter of climate change. In fact, a lot of us tend to think that we can't do very much, if anything at all, that might affect the climate so there is no real urgency on any of us to do anything that might help to lessen our climate footprint. Our collective attitude is that this is the responsibility of the big polluters, the United States, China et al, and there isn't a heck of a lot that we as individuals can do.

You've only got to look at that statement to see how wrong it is. Climate change is everybody's business and whatever little contribution that we as individuals can make is important. Of course, this doesn't mean letting our own big polluters or the Government off the hook. It just means that we all have to bear some responsibility.

My children are now all grown (my youngest is 20) but I do have a few grandchildren whose future, thanks to climate change, is definitely not clear. We have to do something. Perhaps we can start with a drive for conservation in the schools and let the ideas of the young people percolate slowly through the society. Perhaps we can do things like making people separate their garbage so that waste food goes in one bin and plastics in another and so forth. I certainly don't have the answers, but I do think that we all need to be more aware.

On a recent trip to Montreal I noticed that at almost every corner downtown there was a garbage bin so that you could safely dispose of your litter (waste food paper, plastic bottles, etc.). Perhaps we can do something like that.

The climate is definitely changing. We've all seen and heard on the television news the devastating heatwaves in North America and Europe. And back down here in Trinidad we seem to be getting more rain than usual which is resulting in more flooding. Of course, the entity best placed to help make people more aware is the Government. Unfortunately, whatever efforts they are trying to make just ain't cutting it. Look, I don't want to criticize the Government, certainly not on this issue. But the problem is bigger than politics; it goes to our very survival on the planet. And in any case, as I've said before: there is only one reason for politics - only one reason for government; TO MAKE LIFE BETTER FOR THE PEOPLE! Full Stop! There is no other reason.

Of course, we can squander whatever time there is left and worry about other things like who 'horn' who and who t'ief more. And we can kick the proverbial can down the proverbial road and let our children and grandchildren deal with the problem that we are creating for them.

WAS HE "HORNED"?

 Poor Dr. Rowley, the man can't get a break. With the country collapsing all around him and monies running out, his credibility is now in complete shreds. Of course, it can be argued that he brought all this down on himself. He has signally failed to face the country and give a frank account of where exactly we are financially as a nation and things that he used to criticize the former UNC Government for are now coming back to bite him in his "nether regions". For example, we still haven't had a proper explanation of why those four divers were allowed to drown back in February and we still haven't seen any prosecutions, much less suspensions, of anybody associated with children's homes following the Judith Jones report on abuses in those homes. (The answer from some of his surrogates seems to be that because the UNC did nothing about the Robert Sabga report he doesn't have to deal with the Jones report. But, wait a minute, didn't he criticize Mrs. Persad-Bissessar for basically not fixing things that ought to be fixed?) 

Then he gets Covid for a THIRD time! While this is obviously possible, I haven't heard of anybody having Covid more than twice and nobody that I have spoken to has heard of that as well! With his luck he'll probably catch it a few more times! But it says something about his lack of credibility when so many believe that this is not true that he has got Covid three times!

Then  before he gets Covid again, he gets sick in the United States and doesn't come home for three weeks while allegedly getting 'tested'. The rumour mill went wild with all sorts of speculations ranging from he was simply taking a holiday or was more ill than has been let on, to being arrested by the US authorities for bank accounts with millions of dollars unaccounted for and everything in between. Of course, he didn't help his case by refusing to release any of his medical details. Not releasing details of one's medical condition is , of course, the right of every person, but there is a strong argument against that when the affected person is a Prime Minister or a President. One can only imagine what he might have said if Mrs. Persad-Bissessar was missing in action for three weeks and absolutely no information was forthcoming other than she was "doing medical tests"! He would probably have at the very least made some pretty scathing remarks!

Then, as a final blow to his manhood and personal self esteem, the country is awash with an unsubstantiated rumour concerning his wife and her fidelity. It is unsurprising, to say the least, that his political opponents have seized on this rumour to mock him: "the horner man get a horn" is the refrain. (Translation: in the Trinidadian dialect a person gets a 'horn' when his/her boyfriend/husband/wife/girlfriend cheats on him/her with another).

One of the worst things that can happen to a politician is that he is ridiculed; that the ridiculing can backfire and create sympathy for him is a given, but is usually unlikely when people believe that whatever he is being ridiculed about is probably true. Hypocrisy is a big "no-no" in politics and in this particular case, too many people believe (as opposed to know) that Dr. Rowley has been unfaithful to his wife on multiple occasions and therefore deserves to wear the horns of a cuckold; and in politics, perception is reality. In other words, the perception is that he got well and truly horned. Perhaps now that he is on the receiving end of the type of rumours and allegations swirling around him he might consider it wise just to keep quiet and say nothing, and now knowing how it feels may just stop his own unsubstantiated attacks. On the other hand, his history suggests that he won't. We will all see what happens in the fulness of time.