Miss Intelligent Trinidad and Tobago Crowned

Ashanna Arthur would be representing Trinidad and Tobago in the Miss World Pageant which is to be held in South Africa in December. Frankly I am not impressed. While I admit that it takes a certain amount of bravery to run in a competition such as this, I am not impressed. She is not going for the Miss Intelligent competition it is a beauty pageant. The theme of the pageant is Beauty with a Purpose, not Intelligence with a Purpose. Take a look for yourself at the other contestants from around the world determine whether or not she is in the running. Mexico, Namibia, India, Aruba, South Africa all have some stunners. Then look at pictures of Ashanna in the Express, Guardian and on Global Beauties. Maybe the new pageant franchise holder Michael Raghunanan has too much money and Giselle La Ronde West has too much time on her hands. But what do I know about beauty pageants? The franchise holder probably knows more about being a beautiful woman than I do. The fact is that we all know very intelligent people who are not so good looking and we all know very good looking people who are not so intelligent. The tricky part is to have the combination of beauty and brains. We will just have to give Miss Ashanna Arthur our full support and hope for the best.

No more Cane equals more Crime

I did not realise that people from Laventille and Beetham were former cane cutters. According to the Express online our Prime Minister told the United Nations General assembly that the rising crime in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean was as a result of the loss of preferential markets for the export of banana and sugar. Although this may have been a general statement to include all the Caricom countries, I don’t like it. This statement implies that the former farmers of the now defunct Caroni (1975) Limited are responsible for the upsurge in crime in Trinidad and Tobago. We all know that is utter nonsense. Unless the cane workers formed some kind of gang that we don’t know about and are currently wreaking havoc on the nation. I know of one farmer who was a known criminal and that was Dole Chadee and who knows if he was really a farmer, that story could have been urban legend. This is probably why the crime is also getting out of control because law enforcement raiding Beetham and locking down Laventille all the time and they leaving the former cane workers to run amok.

The other problem I have with the statement is that it sounds like we are blaming our former colonial rulers for the rate of crime in our country. When as a people we would learn to start accepting responsibility of our own action or inaction as the case may be. We have been independent for forty-seven years, it is time that we move away from trying to be dependent on our former masters for anything. It also seems like we are trying to guilt them into give us back some sort of preferential markets again. Why we so? Why do we need preferential markets? Preferential markets don’t provide incentives to develop competitive production, it limits diversification, and it promotes a focus on primary products as opposed to refined or processed products. So essentially what we in the Caribbean should have done was instead of stopping the production of banana and sugar we should have continued and found something to do with the produce, maybe candied bananas. That way we could have told those people to hull their skin with their preferential markets. While there were obvious benefits to preferential markets, if it is no longer available to us then don’t cry over spilt milk. Make something else work for us. We should be looking forward not backwards. I expected more from Prime Minister Manning.

Why is Martin Joseph still Minister of National Security?

November 2009 would make it six years that Martin Joseph has been Minister of National Security. Why? Isn’t there someone else in the PNM administration that could take up this portfolio? Upon closer inspection the options are limited. The job of Minister of National Security is a difficult one. The Ministry of National Security includes Police, Fire, Regiment, Coast Guard, Air Guard, Immigration, ODPM, National Drug Council, Citizen’s Security Programme, Forensic Science Centre, Prison, Cadets, SAUTT and a few other intelligence agencies. So the Minister has to oversee all these agencies, divisions and departments. The Ministry of National Security currently has a Minister of State, Donna Cox. She is responsible for the Fire Service, Prison Service, ODPM, and Youth programmes. While this may be noble, if anything goes wrong with any of the units under her purview the media and citizens still hold Martin Joseph accountable for the mishap, therefore ultimately he is responsible.

In terms of the options for Minister of National Security within the PNM administration I think there are two. Colm Imbert and Conrad Enil. My rationale is simple, the other Ministers are just too new to the PNM. The portfolio of Minister of National Security is a powerful one that requires a certain amount of political maturity. The Minister would also be privy to pertinent information that could make or break the PNM. Of the two available options Conrad Enil is my pick simply because I personally don’t like Colm. Not to mention Enil is a member of the National Security Council and a handover to him would be smooth as he would have been aware of a number of the issues being faced by the Ministry.

That being said, I am predicting, praying, hoping and wishing for a Cabinet reshuffle after the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in November. I think this would be an appropriate time because of the ongoing security arrangements for the event should not be disrupted by a ministerial change. I do not expect this change to lead to a significant reduction in crime and violence in the country. But just to give somebody else in the PNM administration some pressure. Let’s give uncle Martin a rest, because it is not easy to wake up every morning knowing you doing your best and ignorant Trinis talking a pile.

In the lineup of Government Ministers, who is your pick for the next Minister of National Security?

Hard working Police Officers Raid Beetham Gardens

This morning the traffic was moving slower than usual approaching the Beetham on the highway. As I got closer I realized the cause of the traffic. Apparently police and other law enforcement agencies were conducting a raid on the Beetham. But oh gosh boy. Trinis fas!! Because people slowing down to watch the scene. Because there were a lot of police vehicles both marked and unmarked more than fifteen including one of those twenty-five seater busses. Being the true Trini that I am I was also slowing down to watch, of course only because the cars in front of me were slowing down.

This is what I like to see police in large numbers working to fight crime. I also saw quite a few of the police officers that I like the big gunta ones that look like they breast feed on dasheen. I don’t like nashy police at all, the hungry looking ones. I find they should put the hungry looking ones to protect the President, Prime Minister, Attorney General and the like.

We must admit however that police work is hard work that many of us are not willing to do ourselves or even allow our children to do. How many of us are willing to go into the Beetham to look for criminals. I don’t even like driving past the Beetham. I commend the hard working officers who this morning left their families early or maybe were not even with their families for the Republic day holiday to show up knocking on doors before the crack of dawn. Hopefully some significant arrests were made. The sad thing though is that after the officers work hard in this raid some Magistrate would give these bastards bail to go back on the street. But at least the gremlins would be off the street for the weekend. I will definitely be on the lookout for stories of this raid in the news.

Police and their hidden Guns

Sometime ago a story broke in the local media that a cache with arms, ammunition and narcotics was found the ceiling of the St. Joseph Station. Like most people I was appalled at this find and wondered what the officers were thinking. I also wondered what they were going to do with the items. Why were the items being stored, and of all places in the station. Following the daily updates on this interesting story I remembered that there had been a raid in Bangladesh (which is the settlement between Curepe Secondary and WASA on the Priority Bus Route) a few months ago. It was reported in the news that a raid was carried out in Bangladesh and it was apparent to law enforcement officials that the residents and targets of the raid were aware that the raid was going to take place. Upon investigation it was found that a call was placed from the St. Joseph Police Station to someone in the area and it was believed to be the tip off.

If an investigation was conducted and it determined that the tip off call came from the St. Joseph Police Station it means that somebody watching and monitoring the Station. Therefore it would only be a matter of time before there was a raid on the station. If I had things hidden in a cache in the ceiling I would get rid of it and go on leave, get swine flu or something to absent myself from that whole scenario. But I guess common sense not so common and thank God for that. Now it could have been that the officers thought that someone would have afforded them the same courtesy and give them a tip off. Or they just thought that nothing would be done to investigate the station further.

As to what the items were being stored for I am not sure but there are several options. The civilian view is that the police officers stored the items with the intention of passing it on to criminal elements in society. This is frightening to say the least. Imagine that they taking away guns from one set of criminals and passing it out to a different set of criminals. The second set being their friends so even more invincible than the first set. Frightening to say the least.

The Police perspective is different. There are some who believe that the Police when seizing arms, ammunition and narcotics do not report the full amount seized. This is because many times the person found with the items is not the actual owner but simply a petty transporter. However when searches are carried out on the known “big men in the business” nothing is ever found. The Police officers frustrated by this have to find crafty ways to hold the known perpetrators. So they use the unreported guns, ammunitions and narcotics found in previous raids to pin on “known” criminals to charge them. This would explain why they did not remove the items when they realized that the station was being monitored. While noble, this sort of vigilante justice is scary, because we have all heard the story of somebody son who was held with a small amount of weed, probably for personal use and when he get charge the amount mysteriously increased. So, where does the vigilante just stop? While I admire the fact that the police try their best to work with the system that they have but this leave the window open for abuse of power. Additionally it is hard for a police officer to charge a criminal and then to go before a magistrate to be released shortly thereafter.

The police service gossip behind the items found in the station was that a member of the Criminal Investigation Department which was the unit in the St. Joseph police station that was raided sold out the unit to the Anti Corruption Bureau. So it makes me wonder if that man had not gotten bad feeling about his co-workers this thing would not have been investigated because it seems to be the norm. Who knows if this gossip is true? But it does offer an alternative theory.

Is your belly Carnival 2010 ready?

I realized today that carnival 2010 is four months and twenty one days away. Then I looked at my belly and wondered if I was four months and twenty one days pregnant. Now people love to say that there must be someone in the band who is fatter. My response to that is this, if a man tief one million dollars and you tief ten thousand does that make you less of a tief. So whether there is someone in the band fatter than me I would still be fat. So like a true Trini I am about to embark on a last minute healthy eating/exercise regime that would hopefully help to minimize the waistline in time for Carnival 2K10. I love Carnival, which is why I go to work, to have money to spend for carnival. So the excitement starts from today and Shurwayne Winchester’s new song Murder is not helping with my excitement at all.

www.trinidadlover.com

I try a thing and registered www.trinidadlover.com so I big in the dance now. I just have to work out what to post on this blog every day. so that I nor my readers would get bored. I also have to figure out how to pretty up the page a bit so bear with me. Feel free to provide tips or suggestions for the enhancement of the blog by posting a comment or sending an email to trinidadloverblog@gmail.com

Should the Government “tap” the phones of Citizens?

This is being raised in light of what was said by the Minister of National Security, Martin Joseph in his budget speech in the Senate on Tuesday. He indicated that this initiative was based on the recommendations made by Major General Cameron Ross, which included the Omnibus Security Bill that encompasses a few pieces of legislation that are anticipated to be a major boost in the fight against crime. The bill of concern to me is the one that would allow for the “lawful” intercept of communication, the Interception of Communications Bill. Now something about this announcement tells me that they have been listening to our conversations for some time now but they are now making an attempt to do so legally. Small thing, I could live with that because I can tell you this, the intercept of communication is not concerned with whether you horning your woman, or whether you telling your best friend how often you go to the toilet. This is an attempt by law enforcement to use a tool that they may or may not have been using in the past to gather information that could be used legally in court against criminals. There are two problems with this that I foresee.

The first problem is the stupid criminal who was previously unaware that Trinidad and Tobago law enforcement held this capability is now aware. So what these criminals are going to do is evolve and find some other means of communication or develop some code to communicate. That is what criminals do, they always try to stay one step ahead of the law. But that is nothing I have faith in T&T law enforcement that they would handle this situation well.

The second problem is the alleged use of this tool by the Government to “spy” on their political enemies. This in the wrong hands could make or break an election. It could be used by the ruling party to gain inside information in order to gain an advantage in an election. If this indeed happens and we may never know if it does, it raises the question of how democratic is the election process.

Overall I think this is a good move on the part of the Government and somewhat of a feather in the worn and tattered hat of the Minister of National Security. Because something has to be done to combat this minority of people that are wreaking havoc on the rest of the nation. So they could tap my phone any day anytime whatever it takes to deal with this crime. What do you think about the proposed “lawful” intercept of communication?

Who is you pick for the Miss World Trinidad and Tobago Pageant?

I had previously expressed my views of the Miss World T&T hopefuls. But apparently I have to eat my words. The young ladies were put through some sort of pageant boot camp and they came out looking good. Now of course some of them just cannot be helped but for the most part there was some general improvement in their appearance. Now I must comment on the look of Michael Raghunanan, the Miss World Trinidad and Tobago Franchise Holder, because with those nicely shaped eyebrows he could be in the running too. Check out the Newsday article with a picture.

So my picks in no particular order are Sunita Dairam, Chinaka Nelson, Meagan Monsegue and Arveyann Thomas. Arveyann was the chick that modeled the Island People’s 2008 Zebra costume which I loved. Meagan was my previous pick, my concern however is that she looks a bit short but that is nothing some heels can't fix. Anyone of my picks if chosen would make me proud to be a Trini. I just hope the franchise holders are teaching the ladies to speak the Queen’s English properly. So what do you think of the ladies vying for the title of Miss World Trinidad and Tobago?

More Money More Problems

Yesterday the Newsday carried a story of a boat crashing off Monos Island. This is quite tragic as one person died in the accident. I did not even realize that a boat accident could be so fatal. But I guess when not securely fastened to a seat the body could be pitched whichever way on impact causing injury.


This is why when you see people living a certain type of life or with certain possessions don’t be jealous. Just think about it as one less way for you to die. The more money you have is the more things you acquire and the greater chance of something going wrong, whether it is a flat tire, or your fancy automatic gate malfunctioning. So I am taking this opportunity to thank God for what he has given me because he knows why he has not given me more than what I have.

Trinidad Lover Blog to be or not to be?

I have been missing in action for some time now. This is because after the T&T Budget was read I had to be heavily sedated by my psychologist. I was also advised to stay away from all Members of Parliament just in case I had some sort of break which would have resulted in me bitch slapping one of those Government Ministers. So I took some time to relax gather my thoughts on what is going on in Trinidad and Tobago. Also to figure out what I want to do with this blog of mine. I will admit though that when I started this blog I just thought of it as something to do in my spare time but I quickly came to realize that it is quite time consuming. But it is exciting all the same. Because if forces me to read, think formulate ideas, and it also gives me an opportunity to discuss things with people. For instance I found myself discussing with every police officer that I came into contact with the issues surrounding the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service. So here I go again with this blog thing. Feel free to let me know what you think.

What's up with the Miss World T&T Pageant Auditions?

I saw a picture of some of the young ladies vying for the Miss World T&T Pageant. If these ladies are the best, we are in a hot mess and can no longer pride ourselves as having some of the most beautiful women in the Caribbean. Or it could just be that these women are a bit too ambitious and over confident. The thing is that if I can see your weave in a photograph then things really bad. Then three of them in the photograph their bra strap is showing. How can they represent this country with their underwear showing? There could be a cleanup exercise on one of these ladies and she could be transformed which has been done in the past. I am sure even megatron's creator would find this task to be difficult. But there was one young lady who caught my attention Meagan Monsegue. She stood out nicely her smile, pose, posture all lovely, not to mention she actually looks good because it is a beauty contest after all. I would be looking out for her in the future.

What do you think about the ladies vying to represent Trinidad and Tobago in the Miss World Pageant to be held in December 2009?

The 2010 Budget

The Minister of Finance announced that September 7, 2009 would be budget day in Trinidad and Tobago. First things first as far as I remember she and her family got out their money before all the drama in Clico so she has no reason to look like she seeing the world of trouble in the Trinidad Express online article. Secondly I have zero confidence in that woman as a Minister of Finance. After the Clico debacle she should have been removed from government or made Minister of Tourism or Minister of Sewage removal because that is exactly what she is full of. Finally I anxiously await this budget to see what it is doing for me. Forgive my selfish ways. But I want to know what me the man in the middle getting, the group of people who are making too much money to qualify for a government house but not enough to purchase one on our own. Time will tell.