Youths run country for the day

Forty-four students from various schools across Trinidad and Tobago participated in the Fourth Sitting of the National Youth Parliament, where a motion to establish and implement a national policy governing the general operation of media practitioners and agencies in Trinidad and Tobago was debated.

The chair of the Speaker of the House was occupied by Christopher Chase of Holy Cross College, while House Speaker Barry Sinanan sat in the area reserved for guests of the Parliament, flanked by Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday, and Senate President Dr Linda Baboolal.

Dayne-Marc Chin Slick, of Fatima College, assumed the role of Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, while Carla Tonya Payne, of Corinth Sixth Form College, occupied the chair of the Opposition Leader.

Prime Minister Patrick Manning arrived shortly after the motion had been piloted by Kieron Samaroo, of Queen’s Royal College, and left less that an hour later. Samaroo assumed the role of Minister of Public Administration.

The parliamentarians, who came out in their numbers to support the youths, were subjected to a replication of what they (the parliamentarians) subjected those in the Chamber to every time the House sat. There was no shortage of cross-talk and points of order, as each speaker was allowed ten minutes to make his contribution. It was apparent that a lot of research had gone into the preparation of these contributions, which did not lack some humour.

This was reflected in the several outbursts of chuckles from all present, and the smile plastered on the face of the real Opposition Leader throughout the proceedings.

The media, which was the subject of the debate, was accused by the government’s side of being inaccurate, irresponsible, unfair, insensitive and detrimental to the development of the country. The media, the government’s side accused, gave conflicting reports, and its reporting was not balanced. Member for Caroni East, Chantelle Edwards, of South East Port-of-Spain, even revised the famous words of Karl Marx — that "religion is the opium of the masses," to "the media has become the opium of the masses."

The proposal was for the establishing of a Media Directive Body through which the public and journalists could get redress.

However, the Opposition saw this move as Government’s attempt to restrict freedom of the press, arguing that the media was obligated to report both the good and bad in the country.

Opposition member for Pointe-a-Pierre, Shivanna Samlal, of ASJA Girls College, San Fernando, argued that it was a waste to introduce new laws to govern the media.