From across the Gulf

And yet, the government seems to like this awkward situation where it finds itself with a country paralyzed with fear. No serious politics to face delinquency and the most incredible theories to justify the killings we see everyday.

This is a quote from The End of Venezuela as I know it.

Similarly this blog could be titled The End of Trinidad as I know it.

Twin destinies fourteen miles apart.

So now David St Clair, COP Candidate for Laventille West,

- Knows who attacked him but will not talk for fear of death threats
- Was beaten up over a non-paid gambling death

Or the official story has suffered brain damage due to the severity of the beaten.

Anyone who deludes themselves that this act of violence was not politically motivated is ... well deluded.

Like Julia 1984, people in Trinidad have been constructing some far fetched rumours about the reasons for the violence we are seeing.

Even tonight, I was asked "Do you really think that any government would really want the type of violence we have now?"

My answer is yes. Patrick Manning and Hugo Chavez are BOTH want their countries paralysed with fear.

Yet both have their supporters.

The truth is also that civil wars are rarely declared.

And there are never any winners.

I suppose I must

I have been feeling rather apathetic about the upcoming elections and am half a mind to divorce myself from the process entirely, ie not vote.

But today's headline has changed my mind.

Although Democracy is undoubtedly a very flawed process, this will be the last ditch attempt to divert our course from going further into the dark chasm of state sponsored violence.

And just like on that Thursday morning in January, I am wonder how much more Trinis will take before we take to the streets to ask where are have all these people gone.

FDAT Rally

The fact that an FDAT rally exists really typifies the Trini psyche.

A rally for a non-existent political party.

Ah still going to see.

Trini's annoy me

More specifically Trini Bloggers annoy me.

They are not making the link between what happens here and happens with our neighbours.

Venezuela - Is it a coincidence that on a per capita basis we have matched the escalation of homicides?.

Barbados - Increased militarism

Anguilla - Foreign immigrants and dubiously awarded government contracts

And these are just a few...

I see it as essentially we are pawns in a much bigger game.
Our piece (ie pawn) will not change irrespective of who forms the next government.

Would any government turn down the PSIP funds offered by the IDB?

Is it the IDB's fault that the PSIP structure has been used as a vehicle to facilitate corruption?

Well if I was a Bank I wouldn't lend more money to someone with this type of performance (See Table 16).

But let me digress. Everytime I go searching for supports on the IDB website I keep getting the Citizen Security Programme - This actually freaks me out more.

I remember standing on the pier by the Bocas in Argentina and a nice Argentinian telling me about how people used to get thrown out of helicopters during the dirty war.

The August Budget allocated the highest every spending to the Military under National Security TT$4.4 billion. It tops, Health and Work and Transport (page 44).

A wise friend (Guatemalan) told me, when I used to be gun ho for a state of emergency; Have you ever considered that they (TTDF in this case) might like those powers? May be creating a situation to warrant getting the power to act with impunity (legally) and may not give them back.

Chavez is a general, trained and breed military man.

Hablaremos español pronto!

Unreasonable Expectations

My response to Jumbie's gripes

* A slow march in implementing technology, moving ahead only when forced to.

Nothing is wrong with slow. Actually I think slow is better. Despite what "technology" can do, computers only spit out what is put into them. Humans have life stages. Can you make an eight year old into an adult in two years with special training?
No, we need the gift of time.


* A recalcitrant approach to innovation, especially in the various arms of the public service.

We will never have the resources to fund true innovation, as such we will continue to adopt.

The question we must ask ourselves is adopt from whom?

* A lazy and impolite customer care attitude.

Whilst this is true, it is also part of Trini culture to engage in banter. Did you never end up spending an entire afternoon ole talking at the shop, when you just went for a bread.

I would like to continue to live in a place where time is elastic.


* Rude and power-craven public servants (the majority, there are some who genuinely try).

Take you best novel and sit and wait or better make paper cranes for every child and put on a puppet show.

I did the latter last time I had to get my driving license renewed.

* Fellow citizens mulishly stuck in traditions and not willing to see the world as needing change.

Some people chose to live here. To return. Because we like it.

* A traffic situation on par with any in world, and regressively worse than many First World countries.

This I will give you and I walk to work and I chose jobs within walking distance of my home. Also I take taxis, even though I have a car. It will only change if we change the car culture.

I will grant living in England for five years for having changed me in this respect.

* Crime and kidnapping higher than the majority of countries in the world.

Concede Trinidad is part of Latin America. And note the direct correlation with escalation of violence in Venezuela. Will not comment further.

* Police considerably more stupid than most in the world.

The possibility is more sinister, that they are one in the same and a state of emergency is what they want- extraordinary powers which they will never give back.

We need to teach more Latin American history.

* A legal fraternity more concerned with obtaining fat contracts and briefs than to protect the society.

Most lawyers are not in the protect society business. This is not a reasonable expectation.

* A medical fraternity concerned with milking the meagre pockets of the population by ransoming healthcare.

I think this is unfair.

* A dwindling supply of intellectuals and increasing supply of intellectually challenged.

You must chose to live here. It is an individual choice.

* A parasitic oligarchy intent on self preservation.

Name me a country without this.

No more spanish

Well not at the Venezuelan Embassy at any rate.

You see I simply cannot in good conscience write anything that supports the closure of RCTV in Venezuela. I'm not overly pro integration with Latin America area ie MECROSUR and all that.

I do not want to live in Latin America.

I think the whole RCTV thing especially irks me because of what they did to Inshan Ismael and Sidewalk radio.

The current government blocked then seized sidewalk radio because they spoke out against the government initiative to build an aluminium smelter.

I do not want to live in the buffer zone for an aluminium smelter.

Trinidad is only 100km long and wide.

They used the American Anti-terrorism Law which was passed unconstitutionally with a simple majority to detain Inshan Ismael and shut down his TV programme, because he exposed the poor construction and corruption in government contracts. Government contracts which were financed by an IDB (Inter-American Development Bank) to the tune of $300 Million US dollars.

Meanwhile Gladiator - a very racist, offensive pro-government radio host is allowed to incite racially based retribution every day.

"I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend your right to say it"

Nation State Party Government

Being a State does not mean we are a Nation.

Being a public servant does not mean you are supporter of the incumbent Political Party.

I don't feel as though Trinidad is a Nation.

Moreover I do not think most Trinis know the difference.

UNC Headquarters

So today I decided to pass into headquarters to see if they happened to have any manifestos.

So the lady is like. No watch the newspapers for when they announce it nah.

Then I am like, who is the candidate for Port of Spain North and she is like, I doh know all dem candidates nah, check de papers I think they did announce it.

Now I teach at ALTA. According to ALTA's survey 33% of the population CAN NOT read the papers.

Clearly the UNC has not a clue about customer service.

Surely you would give the receptionist in your HEAD OFFICE a list of candidates.

Dese people so busy looking ahead they cannot see what is at their feet and will not pick up the SH$^&@ the DOG left.

Soldiers of Salamis

I bought Soldiers of Salamis in RIK for $19.95. I thought the book was OK, but not great. Actually I was surprised they made a movie out of it.

One of the strange things is that in the movie the protagonist changes gender from male to female, but the movie works quite nicely.

The journalist goes after the story of Sanchez Mazas, one of the PR writers for Franco. But in the end s/he comes to the conclusion that the really story is all the dead young men and women who have not been recorded in history.

Vista

I really really hate Windows.

My Choices

are (Port of Spain North/St Ann's West)

Gary Hunte

Daniel Solomon - No hits on google

Not much of a choice.

I want LGAP

Legalise

Ganga

Abortion

Prostitution

I am scared - and I really really don't want to live in Latin America.

This scares me

But I am even more afraid that there does not seem to be anyone in Trinidad, who is willing to do the type of investigative reporting and public disclosure that Barbados Free Press is doing.

We have the same water woes. The lack of information.
No one wants to say what the reservoir levels are given that there have been six weeks of no rain in the East.

We have the same dodgy companies springing out of no where.

But there is no Avatar here.

Farmers Direct

I wish someone would help farmers link directly with consumers.

$2.50 for a litre of milk from Nestle, then resold for $12.

What a crock.

On voting day

I will remember Inshan Ishmael getting arrested under the Terror Act.

I will remember Sharaz Mohammed being murdered.

I will remember Ellis Clarke saying that these are all the powers that the President of Chile.

I will not allow Manning to become Pinochet.