Free Mas for 2011

The Minister of Arts and Multiculturalism has announced that there will be free mas for carnival 2011. As reported by the Express Newspaper the Ministry will sponsor music trucks for the People's Band, the only requirement is that masqueraders create their own costumes and not use costumes from China. The Minister is hoping that this initiative will bring back traditional mas. In addition, it would give the vendors on the street the opportunity to make money because when the bands with costumes for $3000 and $4000 pass with their premium bars the masqueraders pass the vendors straight.

This is a noble idea in theory, but in reality it sounds like total garbage. What nonsense is this? They cutting cost and fire Fazeer Mohammed former host of First Up but have money to put music trucks on the street for people to palance. Seriously though, I hope the Ministry understands that a modern carnival band must have security to control and protect the masqueraders. In addition there are carnival celebrations all over the country, would the music trucks be distributed throughout both islands? The People's Band must be represented in Port of Spain, Arima, Arouca, Tunapuna, San Fernando and Tobago.

Finally, we as Trinbagonians are great entrepreneurs we must always admit that. If there is a way to create a scheme in something we will find it. What is preventing some entrepreneur from creating costumes in bulk and selling them to John Public? Or what is preventing an entrepreneur from buying the same costumes from China that the Minister is so opposed to and selling them to John Public to play mas in the People's Band?

I would really like to see the details of this concept finalized. I would also like to see the proposed cost of this initiative and the actual cost after the fact.

Would you be playing mas in the People's Band for carnival 2011? Do you think this is a good way to spend tax payer's money?

Budget Day

Today is budget day in Trinidad and Tobago. It is an exciting day usually, however this year it is even more exciting, because today is the day that the People’s Partnership will show us what they are about and how they plan to do it. The national budget is an annual plan of how the government intends to earn money and how they plan to spend it. The budget is actually an Appropriation Bill and goes through the same process as any other Bill. As a money Bill it can only be introduced in the House of Representatives and it must be done by the Minister of Finance. Usually there is a limitation on the length of time a Member is allowed to speak, however during the presentation of the budget by speech the Minister of Finance no time limit is imposed. Simply because the budget is important business. The budget usually spans a number of areas including Tobago, Trade and Industry, Tourism, Agriculture, Energy, Housing, Infrastructure, Environment, Education, Health, Social Protection, National Security, Sport, Youth, Culture and Community Development. I am specifically interested in Health, National Security, Education, Youth Development and Trade and Industry.

So tune in my dear friends to Channel 11 at 1:30 p.m. because today is the day that the PP government is going to put their money where their mouth is. What aspects of the Budget are you looking forward to today?

Ten Things I want the People’s Partnership to Do

I was thinking about our new Government and there are a few things that I would like them to do as follows:

1. Stop campaigning. You all won, unless the new PM hires Patrick Manning as her political advisor you all will be there for five years. Get cracking.
2. Eradicate Corruption – don’t know how. Just do it.
3. Ensure that there is succession planning in the Police Service to ensure that we don’t have to hire another foreigner to be Commissioner of Police.
4. Recognize that crime is a social problem.
5. Use social media to get the message out. I love twitter.
6. Criticise in private, Praise in public. Especially in relation to public servants.
7. Elevate the content of debates in parliament. Let the younger one say something.
8. Don’t just make laws, enforce them too.
9. Do the right thing. Everybody may not like it, but its a good start.
10. Treat every citizen equally regardless of political patronage or affiliation.

What would you like the People’s Partnership to do?

How come we continue to believe in politicians and their promises, when so many fail to follow through and keep those promises?

Recently in Trinidad and Tobago we have had a change in Government. We are now being governed by a new group of people. But how new are these people? And how different are they from the people that were there before? Politicians are elected or nominated officials who are supposed to represent the interest of the people who put them in the positions they hold. Let us think about the term House of Representatives. This implies that it is filled with Representatives, that is, persons representing us. When did we get the notion that these people were better than us in any way? They are supposed to be one of us chosen by us to represent our interest. How many of us feel that our representative truly represents our interest.

Every time this representative speaks they are speaking for us. They are not speaking for the political party. This is solidified by the fact that if an elected member of the House of Representatives leaves his party he can still hold his seat in the House. Why? Because we put him there and it is based on that authority he is a Member of the House of Representatives. So then why do we allow these politicians to do to us whatever they want? Is the system of choosing persons to represent us truly representative of the people in our society? Or is it just a bunch of sawaties coming together to seek their own interest to the detriment of the rest of us? How can we get them to truly represent our interest?

During an election we are presented with a candidate chosen by the political party. How do we know that the person is truly the best representative for our constituency? What gives the political party the right to screen candidates behind closed doors? On what basis do they accept some candidates and reject others? Are there financial considerations when choosing candidates? When did party politics become more dominant that representing the people? Section 47 of the constitution of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago sets out the qualifications for election as a Member of the House of Representatives, it states that a person must be a citizen eighteen years or upwards residing in Trinidad and Tobago for a period of two years prior to his nomination for election. Where does is say that the candidate must be vetted confidentially by a political party?

It seems that I only have questions. The more I think about it, the more I question it. So I end right where I started: How come we continue to believe in politicians and their promises, when so many fail to follow through and keep those promises?

Biased TV 6 Programme on the 1990 Coup

Yesterday was the twentieth anniversary of the 1990 coup. This is an event in our history that I have always felt distant from for a number of reasons. The first is that I was out of the country at the time, and by the time I returned things had gone back to normal. The second reason was that I was very young so for me that was big people thing. As a result of this I have always enjoy coup stories from people simply because I have no story to tell. Minding my own business I realised that TV6 advertised a special feature to be broadcasted on the evening of the twentieth anniversary. The programmed was entitled News Special: 1990 Untold Stories – Cocaine, Conspiracy, Coup. This programme aired against the back drop of the Attorney General, Senator Anand Ramlogan saying that he was going to place the notice in the print media for the auction of the properties owned by the Jamaat-al-Muslimeen. As well as the announcement by the Prime Minister in the post Cabinet press conference that there would be an enquiry into the coup.

At the beginning of the programme I instantly got vex because I realised the presenter was Sasha Mohammed, so they start bad already. Then it is stated that the PNM and the UNC governments made no attempts to enquire into the events of the 1990 coup and flashed to a video clip of Mr. Manning and Mr. Panday shaking hands. You would swear they were shaking hands agreeing not to enquire into the coup. Of course mention was made of the Prime Minister’s plan to have a Commission of Enquiry. Ms. Mohammed then interviewed a number of people including Imam Yasin Abu Bakr and the Attorney General in 1990, Mr. Anthony Isidore Smart. Generally I got from the programme that the presenter who is obviously a strong supporter of the People’s Partnership was attempting to place the blame for the coup on members of the NAR, while implicating Mr. Manning and Mr. Panday. I am no fool I have no doubt that there were persons other than the Muslimeens backing the coup. However, I was expecting the programme to be unbiased, and a true record of the events of the coup. Something for me to look at to gain a true sense of the events that occurred. Rather that it being propaganda and a political advertisement for the upcoming Commission of Enquiry. I guess from the title of the programme I should have known. Even the inclusion of an interview of Dr. Tim Gopeesingh who is a gynecologist claiming that he assisted the Prime Minister ANR Robinson. Unless the Prime Minister got shot in some part of his female anatomy how Dr. Gopeesingh got involved. Like I said earlier, I was not around so perhaps the man was the Chief Medical Officer or something.

I am looking forward to this Commission of Enquiry to see what information it uncovers. I am also interested to see what this Commission of Enquiry is going to cost the tax payer. The programme also alleged that the current levels of crime and violence in the country are a direct result of the events of the coup. This tells me that the Partnership Government is already looking for something or somebody to blame for why they cannot stop the escalating rate of crime. Imam Yasin Abu Bakr made an interesting point, he said that there are a lot of guns on the street and nobody in Laventille have any boat to get any gun so they have to be getting help from somewhere. He also expressed his intention to call names in the enquiry implicating a number of top government officials, politicians, and senior law enforcement officers.

So we shall see how the story goes. How do you think things are going to unfold?