Now-for-now solutions for poverty

THE EDITOR: The manner in which some sectors of the public and the media are allowing the PNM and its half-baked politicos to set the pace for public debate is becoming more and more unbearable. At a juncture in our history when our country is besieged by a multitude of crises, the PNM has decided that the best interim solutions would be to fling one red herring after another out to the public. As of this moment: The minority criminal element has captured such a level of control of the state that they dictate the personal timetables for men, women and children who are afraid of becoming the next target. The business community is expressing the highest level of concern over the Government’s seeming inability to deal with crime. Many of the nation’s top executives and income generating business families have already given up the fight and left. More have already made plans to leave. In spite of being an oil and gas rich nation poverty is at a rate of approximately 35 percent and social action amounts to now for now solutions, nothing long term. The Government has refused to take a public position on anti-terrorism laws as was expressed by the US Ambassador recently.

The Jamaat-Al-Muslimeen has held a celebration to commemorate the 1990 coup while still being serviced with million dollar waste metal removal contracts at Petrotrin. Kidnapping is now a problem for even the poor in the society. Health services are in the toilet and a suspected case of Malaria has been reported (this along side reports of a new, more vicious breed of mosquito) and the Government reaction to everything it hears amounts to either UNC conspiracies, collateral damage or, as it is most of the time, they have “no knowledge of that.”
Given all of these issues, and so many more that are yet to be revealed or being swept aside, PNM commentators and most arms of the media are taking basket from the ruling party by promoting a debate on the leadership of the UNC. Whether Panday goes or stays is the business of the UNC and its members and supporters. Not to mention that Patrick Manning failed to win four elections and barely escaped an internal challenge and he is now the Prime Minister, of course thanks for the “paragon of virtue” ANR Robinson. Is this really a democratic state? When editors, writers and announcers so willingly allow the Government so much control.  

And people allow the Government to sidestep very important issues in favour of blaming a party that has been out of Government for almost two years. Now, Harvey Boris of Power 102 FM is attempting to take the issue further. He is proposing Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj for the leadership and the blind flock of PNMites are following his lead. Perhaps the narrow minority that has been speaking out is being given far more attention that the broad majority that has said in no uncertain terms that Ramesh cannot be trusted. After accepting a mandate from a support base that has opposed the PNM, some for almost four decades, he turned around and initiated negotiations with Patrick Manning. Ramesh betrayed not only the UNC, but the large part of the population that will have nothing to do with the PNM. And had he been appointed Special Prosecutor, he would have remained at the side of the PNM. All because he was not the anointed one? Meaning that service was never part of his agenda, it was power. And people expect to promote this man as a leader to turn around again to fight the PNM? However you twist it, can anyone intelligent really find value in that argument? What the PNM should do, particularly Manning, Imbert, Morean and Hinds, is try to come to terms with the fact that they are in the executive now, and the grace period in which they could not be held totally accountable for failure has expired. The UNC is not the cause of the problems of the nation, it is the PNM’s boundless incompetence. And I dare the PNM media to public this.

DAVID PHILLIP
Port-of-Spain