Wanted: courageous and forthright citizens

THE EDITOR: Our misfortune stems from the lack of courageous forthright people, with the gumption to “step up and speak up” — they tell it like it is type of people. Blind loyalty and downright stupidity are different kettles of fish.

I am alluding to Basdeo Panday’s hold and control of his loyal supporters (UNC). His defiance of the present Government is no secret to anyone. Dissension is the pillar of a democracy, as a consequence, it is everyone’s prerogative in such a society to come out in favour of or against the government. However, Basdeo Panday’s glib utterances against the government should be taken very seriously and remarks like the government being responsible for the spate of kidnapping and crime in TT, followed up with accusations of the government’s liaison with well-known criminals and gang-members should not be overlooked. This type of talk, buttressed with the call for civil disobedience, can only lead to civil unrest which is synonymous with anarchy, the likes of which we can do without.

We should be loath changing places with Guyana, Haiti and even Jamaica in the region and beleaguered Iraq, all the way in the Middle East; being mindful that what is presently taking place in Iraq, can well occur here within a moment’s notice. Complacency has no place in modern day living and should not be allowed to flourish. Just to highlight some of Basdeo Panday’s meanderings which should not be ignored. He withdrew his support for the Police Service Reform Bill that he once favoured. The government was forced to enact a watered-down kidnapping Bill, because of the lack of support for the passage of a stringent kidnapping Bill, which required a two-thirds majority for passage in Parliament. Living up to his reputation as an astute politician, he has intimated his desire to meet with the Government to address the prevalence of crime in TT. (Something he could not do during his stint as Minister of National Security.) Not to be undone, he is now a strong advocate of constitutional reform, which he is claiming is the answer to all the woes that beset us in TT.

To my knowledge, the enactment of any reform requires a two-thirds majority for passage in Parliament. Where will the support, to pass such a Bill derive from? Certainly not the UNC. This is just another of Panday’s ploys, to filibuster another Bill destined to set the country forward. In my pursuit of being impartial, it should be noted that Basdeo Panday is not the only politician who treats the public with utter contempt and disdain. Minister of Health, Colm Imbert made a spectacle of himself, during the Presidential election, with his echoing of every vote cast during the entire event, much to the annoyance of the TV viewing public and authorised invitees to the ceremony. Sessions in our Parliament are usually in disarray. On both sides of government, the behaviour of legislators borders on reprehensible conduct, unbefitting of those in such high office. Our Parliament is now a “free for all”. This exhibited irreverence for the august seats of our government and display of total disregard for the citizenry of TT, are deserving of some form of admonition.

We should desist from the devil may care attitude that has become a way of life in TT and demand that our politicians do like wise. We lack the courage to confront our politicians with a mandate for accountability and integrity while we remain ambivalent to the power of the masses to affect change in our society. It is time we say no more to the ramblings of Basdeo Panday and his hollow rhetoric, no more filibustering or grand standing: What we need at present is something tangible that will benefit all the people of TT.

ULRIC GUY
Point Fortin