So, in 5 days Jack Warner has resigned as a minister of government, chairman of a political party and now as an elected member of Parliament. And if you don’t see his intention to fight for re-election in a seat he willingly gave up as a direct challenge to the UNC executive – including the political leader and prime minister, then you aren’t paying attention…

I have to admit – as much as I wanted to move away from the TV, it was like waiting for an accident to happen. I nodded off twice (give the ole man a bligh nuh) while he boringly went on about the ‘free gift’ of the Centre of Excellence. Tell me something I didn’t know… Of course it was a gift, but a corrupt one. This wasn’t some ‘favour’ granted by a rich benefactor (Havelange), but using an organisation’s funds to pay back for political support to him and his anointed successor (Blatter). And nothing is wrong in that? Wow… Lesson No.1 last night: you can fool some of the people all the time…

Paying attention to what was said (not you Felicity folks) there were inconsistencies, but this is platform talk, not a debate where he could be immediately challenged. So take win on that one, but saying you had no files to ‘buss’ at the beginning and then bad talking your PM and some cabinet colleagues getting down to the end confirms what everyone says – you are not to be trusted. Lesson No.2: maintain your relationship with your constituents and you will have a long political life. (Actually one that 40 others should take to heart).

So what about allegations in print about the $226m funding for Germany in 2006? Nothing said. What about the charges that you handle and commingle funds with your private accounts? Nothing said. What about the three different set of accounts produced by your accountant? Despite court orders? Nothing said. The list could go on and on as Camini Marajh has reached Part 7 by now, but the answer will be the same – nothing said…

In a nutshell – from a re-tweet I saw going around – Jack could sin Monday to Saturday, but once he goes to Church on Sunday all is well. Let’s see the response from the UNC executive after they pull their pants and skirts up.

 

Over the weekend two writers who I follow had excellent columns in the Guardian newspaper. If you missed it I’ve inserted the links below, but these should be a must read and spread as far as you contact list can carry it.

Attillah Springer tripped off when that waste of space Nikki Minaj said on American Idol that she empathised with a contestant because she also came from a ‘nothing’ place (how yuh like that Anil?), and I agree with the writer that we have many things to be proud of, but Ira Mathur in her column was crying bitter tears for what she saw happening her adopted land.

The mask must be removed for everyone to see the ugliness beneath. For too long we have been fed the opiate that ‘Trinidad nice. Trinidad is paradise’, and while as a land this is mostly true, we have done nothing to make it better. The common thread between the two columns are the greedy, uncaring politicians who have carried us down this path, but I still blame my people for continuing to worship and not punish them.

Another lie we’ve been hearing for ages is our literacy rate and every night on the news I see so much mis-spelling in the graphics I no longer shake my head… The functionally illiterate have arrived at the news houses and there are no old guards to keep them on track. Everything is about ‘technology’ so give those young whipper snappers the keyboard and English be damned. I blame SMS and BBM most and email a bit for bad spelling…

In other news the government launched their constitutional reform consultation this weekend so get your comments in or attend one of the sessions as advertised in the newspapers.

http://www.guardian.co.tt/columnist/2013-03-02/i%E2%80%99m-nobody-nothing-place

http://www.guardian.co.tt/columnist/2013-03-03/breaking-silence

Anyone notice that recently some people have adopted a style of not only driving on the white line, but sometimes over it on the other side? And for you or the poor guy/gal on the other side it means heading into potholed edges or clipping some unlucky pedestrian or cyclist? (In case you are wondering – no, we were stopped at this point and I wasn’t driving and taking a picture)

Apart from the above, I am also amazed at how Trinis test the boundaries of idiocy when it comes to driving. I’m an “early on the road” person when I have to be sand at this time of the year when the sun rises later than usual two things are regularly seen… On one end of the scale there are those drivers who have no lights on even though it’s dark. Very good – you can see with all the streetlights, etc., but we need to see you! Even on the highways you see them!

Others think that they’ll save their headlamps by putting on only their park lights. Now forgive me, but how fracking stupid do you have to be to not understand that “park” lights mean exactly that? And then on the other end of the scale we have the guys and gals who are totally blind and can only drive with high beams on. It is a particular nuisance from truck drivers who are too high to be affected by you replying high beans so I can only conclude that they take some perverse pleasure in it.

Last, but not least, are the red-light breakers. My light is green, but I have to wait for the average of eight people to go through the red while I wait. How hurry can you be at 6:00 in the morning? At the north to east traffic lights at the UB/CR intersection it is a whole day event. Check it out – every single light change for the people who were coming from south and turning right to Curepe – at least eight vehicles (trucks, cars, taxis, you name it) are breaking the red light.

So where’s the police? “Out in force to ensure a safe Carnival for all… we will ‘robustly’ enforce the traffic laws… blah, blah, blah…”

After a hiatus of three months (very much self-enforced) I got a re-inspiration, if you will, to return and make some noise because of a pet peeve of mine.

Now everyone who’s been here before know that the two hottest topics are about politicians and driving, so what better than having to write about both? I could have left well enough alone – like I did these last months – but I made the mistake of flipping to the Parliament Channel on Friday afternoon and saw the Minister of Works and Infrastructure, Emmanuel “Deer Caught in Headlights” George complaining about the slow pace of the Pt. Fortin Highway and you get the feeling it’s more about spending more quickly than anything else. But more on that later…

So what, pray tell, does potholes have to do with the infamous Section 34? A very simple answer really: sleeping on the job, or as the local parlance goes, “drawing money under false pretences”. I drive all over Trinidad; I also love maps so “have GPS, will travel” is not only my vacation motto, but also here at home. (You will not believe how many people – especially “tong peeple” – don’t know this island!) And driving here is a tiring, tiring experience made so not only by dangerous and discourteous drivers, but driving in some really bad roads.

So you ask yourself, who are responsible for overseeing the condition of these road and doing something about it? And who do these people report to? And who does these supervisors/managers/directors/etc., etc., etc. report to that nothing is seen and nothing is done for years yet spending TT$7.8 billion dollars to build one highway to access one part of Trinidad is the prime mission – even going so far to say that this is a promise unfulfilled for 60 years. Imagine politicians telling us about unfulfilled promises?

Every morning I cuss whoever is responsible for what passes as an approach ramp to the Guayamare river bridge on my way to work as I refuse to pass through Munroe Road traffic located in Jack Warner’s constituency (as is Warren Road that can swallow cars whole). Why? Because the same incompetent fools who do eventually get up from their slumber to get the pothole/bad road fixed hire an incompetent contractor who botches up the job but still get paid. And the cycle continues because someone signed-off on the job being ‘satisfactorily completed’ and his/her supervisor/manager was fine with and their director was fine with it and we drive on bad roads because as far as they are concerned, it was ‘fixed’..

Section 34 (before the Guardian bussed the mark) had passed through two houses and assented to by the President. It then became a huge issue, more so because the Opposition MPs, Opposition Senators, Independent Senators and the President were all, like the pothole people, asleep on the job. Nothing irks someone into a rage of self-righteousness than when being found out, and all those who masquerade as “seeking the public’s interest” were all shown to be incompetent at their jobs. The PP administration being ‘clever’ as they are ‘try ah ting’ – with no opposition from the other side – and would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for the press.

In the same vein I’ve argued before that we don’t need a President, as presently constituted, nor this chupidness called “independent” Senators, we found out that we really didn’t need an Opposition either! We all know that Opposition MPs have no power except in the House where they can keep the government on their toes, so they failed in their prime responsibility. Do we really have anyone looking out for us?

In closing, I’ll return to George’s pained contribution in the Senate last Friday about the Pt. Fortin Highway only 8.1% complete to say that it only means that the payout from the contractor is slow in coming… Less than 2 1/2 years to go and the money should be disbursing left, right and centre for kickbacks to be masked. Can’t get that money if only small thing being paid out, ent George?

I left the island on October 6th to spend the long Thanksgiving weekend in Canada with friends and relatives, spent about ten days in the US touring the states of Ohio (swing state!), Indiana and Michigan, back to Canada for a week and finally returned home October 28th. In that time not once did I enquire what’s going on in Trinidad, not once did I access an online newspaper and when I got back home skipped any news that had to do with politics and politicians.

Just this week a video went viral in the US about a toddler who was reduced to tears after getting tired hearing about ‘Bronco Bama’ and Mitt Romney. I know how four-year old Abigael Evans feel and I’ll probably cry myself one of these days. But I’m approaching that magical number in years where I couldn’t care a rat’s ass – so much that I actually dread returning home after my little trips. (The fact that I feel like I’m melting this last week didn’t help either. Did I die and ended up in hell? Seriously, 36 to 37 degrees after 10 to 12 does feel like some biblical punishment).

So while Abigael’s mom is telling her not to worry it will all be over in a week, we have to endure the rah-rah ad infinitum. It never ends. If I get peace and quiet (and some actual work done!) maybe I’ll be able to write about what we can do instead of what we shouldn’t have done.

I saw Anil Roberts on the CNC3 Early Morning Show with Hema Ramkisson today and it really hit me how much trouble we are really in… Now I don’t really look at Hema in the morning any more because she has allowed her bias as a former employee of Jack Warner to affect her objectivity, but Fazeer went to a break.

The minute I looked at had Anil trying to justify stupid statements about the ’6% of premium fuel users’ by being more stupid saying that the use of premium fuel use in a vehicle is more a ‘choice’ of the owner than anything else. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat! to paraphrase the only thing he’s known for – a big mouth that would be better shut.

The use of premium fuel in a vehicle is by choice? The manufacturers and their engineers made some very specific instructions down to placing a label at the tank lid and it’s optional? Talk about swimming or something Anil, this is way out of your league and that of your entire dumb Cabinet.

I’m typing this while keeping an eye and an ear on the first US Presidential Debate and I realise that the reason idiots like you can only talk ‘politics’ and not ‘policy’ is because your puny brain cannot comprehend issues and make critical commentary thereafter – only rah rah…

In May 2010 I held my nose and voted for the PP because the line up didn’t impress me and my instinct was right. Not much brain between you and your 30 odd cabinet colleagues, eh? You go boy – talking in a condescending manner to us certainly earned you points today, but personal opinion is that you should shut the hell up…

I am really sorry, but a few WTF expletives ran through my head when I heard about this public holiday today. Oh my lord – another one? Three already in August wasn’t enough? The sad thing about it is that many Trinidadians actually *enjoyed* this stupid call by the PM. To be in power in this s**thole you really have to know your people boy…

Not that anyone will notice, but I’ll be working tomorrow. So it’s a “work” protest instead of a “go-slow” or “sit-down” protest, but a protest nonetheless. Doesn’t my government know how they make themselves the laughing-stock of the rest of the world when they do these stupid things? I’ve been trying for months to see a potential client and I had a confirmed appointment today… That’s gone through the crapper and I’ll just have to call and beg again for another chance to be slotted in on her busy schedule.

She may not even fly into the country on Monday as it will only be a wasted day and I couldn’t help but think how many other people have been so inconvenienced. Business people flying in to look at these famous “opportunities” the government try to sell to the outside world… the people who had visa appointments at embassies… medical appointments at doctors/clinics/hospitals… People like me who had meetings… Companies that had tenders closing… The list goes on, but you get the picture – just a reinforcement of our third-world, banana republic mentality where everything is about playing to the masses. The US won over 100 medals, and while they will honour their athletes, they are already preparing for 2016.

I saw one comment on Facebook that sums it up – “In honour of men’s hard work and dedication, we got a holiday to do what we do best – nothing“. The rest, of course, were quite happy about getting the holiday. Majority rules…

Congratulations to Keshorn, Lalonde, Ade, Deon, Jarrin, Richard, Keston, Marc and Emmanuel – you’ve made our country proud. Forgive me if you think it was disrespectful that I chose not to “celebrate with a public holiday”, but it’s the principle of the matter.

 

If you are a business student and you do a cursory Google search (for those who haven’t discovered the beauty of Bing), you’d probably get over 60 million hits.

So while the ‘big news’ will be hitting the front pages later tonight that Dwayne Gibbs and Jack Ewatski tendered their resignations since last Thursday (National Security Council met on Friday so that could put some meat into the validity of the date) and expect to demit office by August 7th, remember what I am saying to understand clearly why we make things complicated. We don’t ‘manage’ complexity, we ‘create’ it.

Today the PM called a special cabinet meeting and gave an address after that I couldn’t hear on the television so I could be talking out of the other end instead of making sense, but what could she have said that would have made the situation any different? Did she not appoint a Minister of National Security who went against Gibbs from day one? Did he not side with the lazy-ass Police Association debunking the 21st Century Policing Initiative? Did he not try to embarrass the CoP in a public forum? Did he not imply that it was time to axe the CoP?

So nothing new there – the writing was on the wall, or for a more contemporary take on an old Pharoah, “so Jack says, so it be done”. But to what end? Didn’t Gibbs give Jack a “bligh” by not investigating the bribe scandal involving Bin Hamam? I have to brief for Gibbs, but let’s be clear – show me a man who can change an organisation’s culture that can’t implement disciplinary action and I’ll show you a figment of your imagination. No commissioner of police in Trinidad can successfully fight crime when he can’t whip his men into shape. We have coddled police officers in this country for too long while they hide in police stations and make the well worn excuse of “no vehicles” when you call for help.

On Friday July 27th I was walking along Sackville Street in front of the Attorney General’s office a few minutes to 1:00 and the policewoman stationed in the car at that location was fast asleep. Twenty-two years to the day when the old Police HQ was bombed by the Jamaat-al-Muslimeen and a police officer was asleep in a car at the very spot while on duty – that speaks so much of where we have reached. Did the irony even enter her mind? Or should it be called the ultimate insult to those who died that day?

So Gibbs is going/gone and another fool will be appointed with all the same old talk about “winning the war against crime” and the Police Service Commission – that archaic and colossal waste of time will be right there doing nothing but frustrating the ability of the man/woman to do the job. No complex issue – very simple. The CoP should be elected into office by the population, he should have full executive control over his troops hiring and firing as he please and he comes back to us after a fixed period asking for the opportunity to continue into office. We decide on his success or failure, not politicians…

Plenty ramajay until August 7th and I predict failure no matter who’s there. We have to get the fundamentals right – I’ve written many a post on this same topic and my position holds…

In my last post (three weeks!) I mentioned the unholy trinity in the cabinet and the more I heard Emmanuel George speaking this week, the more I questioned the “considerable thought” that went into his appointment as minister in a very powerful and influential ministry…

Let me tell you what I think and then I’ll throw in a juicy morsel that our investigative reporters never had in their crosshairs. (Okay, I don’t like to use gun terminology in a crime-ridden country, but it is the most descriptive). First off, you need to question the statements, “the PM in her wisdom”, “the PM maintains the right to choose her cabinet” and “serving at the PM’s pleasure”. It’s all bull tata because it was more like puppeteers calling the shots (oh crap, another gun reference) and telling the puppet how to configure the appointments.

Jack had to move out of Works and go to Security so he had to get someone to replace him that will keep him in the OAS/Pt. Fortin Highway Loop… George was the pick as like I said before, he seems malleable enough. And if George is moved from Public Utilities and water has the second highest potential for graft and corruption, why not bring the man in who was responsible for George as a Minister and he make him in charge of a water ministry? First time in our history, WASA doesn’t fall under public utilities so ask yourself why.

I maintain my position that unlike any state-appointed CEO, when Ganga Singh was at WASA he controlled his board and his minister, not the other way around. You think that Indar Maharaj (now appointed President at NGC) and George has more political clout and influence than Ganga Singh? You have to be naive to think so… When the original cabinet was configured in 2010, he got George on board and was “rewarded” with the CEO’s post. You think Ganga is UNC or COP? While Anil Roberts flap his gums and you know he’s more UNC than COP, Ganga is a bit more subtle. After all, he’s been around far longer and more versed at his craft than Anil…

And how close do you think Jack , George and Ganga are? Well here’s that morsel I promised you at the beginning: There’s a woman by the name of Joanne Mora who was appointed a Special Advisor to the Minister of Works and Transport and whose claim to fame (sorry, I meant the appointment) is that she is/was the Chief Administration Officer at the Warner Group of Companies… And this is public knowledge:

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/joanne-mora/5/293/26

And if you notice two other things on the profile, one says managing director of JLM Quality Services and supporter at (?) United National Congress… The reason I was pointed to this website was because of a tip from a company director who said he was approached on more than one occasion by members of this trio to “fund” activities of the UNC via a monetary contribution to JLM rather than paying directly to the UNC… Anybody remembers Basdeo Panday’s accusation of Warner channelling campaign money for his own use and how JW was eventually taken to court by one Krishna Lalla for millions he allegedly paid to Warner for use by the UNC?

Do you think Joanne is now sitting as a Special Adviser to the Minister of National Security? Do you think I should be afraid, or we should all be afraid?

Well Jacko is very much in the news since Wednesday, but I’ll stay out of that particular issue since there are much more qualified commentators already on it. I have another train of thought that has been occupying me since the PM had indicated she was doing the realignment/reconfiguration/shuffle thingy…

My choice as a ministry for Jacko would have been “Ministry of Lyrics and Ole Talk”. Not for the life of me can I understand how Jacko has gotten the reputation of an action man. Can *anyone* tell me what he has done in the last two years compared to what he said he was going to? Now I subscribe to the old saying that one doesn’t get into an argument with someone who buys printer’s ink by the barrels and also the more contemporary one of don’t argue with a guy who has a microphone in his hand, but….

Now Jacko doesn’t buy printer’s ink, but microphones are certainly stuck in his face on a regular basis. And seriously, the man have lyrics… (Trini slang for quick-witted replies usually with the intent to deprecate an opponent or laced with biting humour) and ole talk for days. If he wasn’t a politician and of questionable character, I’d lime with him – he looks like he could keep up a wake (another Trini slang for being the life of a party or any gathering).

But apart from a TT$7 point something billion dollar project that has everyone salivating a bit (no seriously – billions eh, it have enough for all…) and which commands the most attention, why couldn’t we see improvements in everyday commuting life?

1. Why can’t the bridge by Trincity Mall be extended to accommodate the three lanes of highway that approaches it and continues after it? An annoying bottleneck that looks like everyone has forgotten,

2. Why can’t Munroe Road (in Chaguanas West constituency) be paved seeing that it is a major artery between the UB highway and the Southern Main Road? When I moved back to live in Enterprise that was my route coming from PoS, but I gave up…

3. Why can’t Jerningham Junction Road (still in Chaguanas West and my new route from the highway) be upgraded from the single lane bridge to Bridel/Endeavour Road so as take some traffic away from Munroe Road and the congestion at Chin Chin Road?

4. Why didn’t you just pave some of the main thoroughfares in this country? There was a big ceremonial opening for PURE a few months back in Rio Claro but I haven’t seen a paver in central yet.

5. What happened to the Licensing Office move to the old Caroni distillery? Oh, you lost that portfolio a year ago…

6. What happened to the plans for flooding in Port of Spain that you spoke about since Christmas 2010?

7. Why didn’t you think of the small things that the best Minister of Works this country ever saw (Sadiq Baksh) concentrated on that had immediate relief to the travelling public because it was just plain common sense? Maybe because during his term oil was US$20 a barrel and he didn’t have TT$7b to spend?

8. How many MOW employees were reprimanded/suspended/fired for signing off on shoddy work that contractors did and were handsomely compensated for?

9. What did you do about the allegations of corruption against Roger Ganesh and his close relative that has expanded his business ten-fold or more since working for the MOW?

9.5 Lord, this could go on whole night!!

10. After rebuffing the CoP in public about not seeing policemen on the highways to keep the lawlessness on the road to minimum, why up to now there is no legislation for using radar guns to detect speeding? A one man job that can have an immediate impact on the dotishness that passes for driving in this country, but absolutely nothing.

Yeah, my evidence tells me what so many people can’t see… Jacko is a pseudo-populist who knows his crowd are – even if they don’t know it themselves - fascinated with what Gwynne Dyer described as “big-man” politics. The idolising of a mere man who is deemed as a “success” and one capable of moving mountains but in reality a scourge on the developing world and the reason we wallow in mediocrity while our “leaders” get rich.