Vagrant removal failed miserably

Civil wrongs committed against the State are actionable in the same way as between individuals, etc; so they may not be detained by Police, arrested, jailed, subjected to psychological evaluation and housed involuntarily. The same thing applies to squatters. Once civil proceedings are concluded the Courts would decide the damages they must pay and how that would be made up in default of payment. Not even those guilty of bankruptcy are jailed anymore and even they may not be removed to Piparo by the Government. The alternative is a legislated solution and therefore the Ministry that said it had been working on a plan for some months before the rounding up "exercise" was carried out, failed miserably, acted beyond its powers and involved the Police in false arrests.

On another issue, for more than half a decade already fishermen have been complaining about the trawling and seine fishing going on in the Gulf of Paria. These activities deplete resources of fish that cannot replenish at the rate, waste the unwanted fish that are caught and thereby also pollute, destroy habitat and scenery and long-term ecologies and rob the economy and its participants of rightful shares, surpluses and enjoyments. This has been taking place in conjunction with mass exploitation and exportation of fisheries elsewhere. Frustration has been the net return — if you will; and you do have really to be Trinidadian to appreciate the full effect maturely, without my telling you.

Six ports and the first of perhaps more than one metal refineries, are proposed to be built on the west coast and these are bound to make degradation of the environment happen as rapidly as could be designed! All of this is in the service of the transient interests of other countries and a number of intellectually gifted nationals for whom satisfying work is possible anywhere. Many more than those Trinidadians, just cannot and will not cope very well or at all, along that way. Later, when it is all over, what will have remained in the Gulf? This scale of destruction has "worked" only in continental areas. It is common opinion that it will take six months for the Gulf to recover as things are and, that the mass fishing should be banned. Imposing the ban should be done without study or any further delays. Then, the fisheries should be studied while they are left to recover; and then, they should be consigned to the small local fishermen and their generations, with allowances made for sharing with their counterparts in Venezuela, Guyana, St Vincent and especially and preferentially, Grenada. The blimp can be redeemed with service in the Coast Guard, including a rescue format. Israelis and other expats employed to spy on "crime", society, politics, ideas and opinions, should have their contracts terminated and be sent home, so that the separation of powers and integrity of public and national life and behaviour, are real and are respected.

ELIAS GALY

Port-of-Spain