“The problems associated with the late release of results, those problems do not reside with the Minister of Education. It is not the fault of the Ministry of Education.

The fault rests directly on the shoulders of CXC.” The results were released online yesterday though some students were still having difficulty accessing their results. Garcia said he was informed yesterday by Chief Education Officer Harrilal Seecharan that the CXC internet portal had been opened–no specific time was given–and the students could access their results.

“However while I am in my constituency office in Arima I am still getting calls and concerns from students and parents that they not seeing results online,” he added.

He said he would have to deal with those specific issues from his office tomorrow.

Sunday Newsday saw posts by students and parents who had accessed their results but there were also calls to the media by parents complaining about the results still not being available.

Garcia said the results were scheduled to have been made available on August 9 and he was unhappy over the delay which had caused students “unnecessary stress.” After the initial delay the results were supposed to have been made available online on Friday from 10 pm but this deadline was also missed.

“Today (yesterday) is 19th August and some students still having difficulty.” Garcia said he was dissatisfied with the late release which was unfair to students and many were anxious with respect to acceptance to colleges and universities.

The minister pointed out that the deadline date for some foreign universities was Friday and students not being able to access results “put them in a quandary.” He said he and his ministry were being blamed for the delay on social media but reiterated that it was the fault of CXC. He said there was still no information from CXC on the cause of the delay.

He also said a number of principals contacted him expressing their dissatisfaction with the way CXC has been operating, both in this case and on previous occasions.

Garcia said he scheduled a meeting with secondary school principals this week to discuss some of the concerns the schools had been having with CXC.

“In many instances it is unsatisfactory,” he added.

He said following that meeting he would decide the next step.

He also said he wanted to ensure the integrity of the examination was kept and the confidence the population had in CXC was maintained. “I respect CXC as a regional institution administering a regional examination.” CXC Assistant Registrar Cleveland Sam asked that queries be sent via email and told Sunday Newsday yesterday in a telephone interview they would be forwarded to the CXC director of operations.

Principals at secondary schools in San Fernando said they had to depend on students to inform them about the outcome of the results.

Naparima Girls High School principal Carolyn Bally Gosine told Sunday Newsday she had been trying to access the CXC results since Wednesday. “I am sitting behind the computer still awaiting the results to download and it simply wouldn’t,” she said.

Bally Gosine said several students contacted her to report their outstanding performance but she could not do an assessment until she received all the results.

It was a similar situation at Naparima Boys College where principal Dr Michael Dowlath also said he was unable to access the results online and received reports from students about their results.

(reporting by Denisha Simeon Nylo Intern)

Haleema, who suffers from a blood condition, had been rejected by the administrators of the Children’s Life Fund. The officials questioned the basis for the diagnosis of the child as well as her eligibility, stating beta thalassemia major was not life-threatening.

In this space a few days ago, we called for better systems to be put in place to screen applications for assistance from the Children’s Life Fund. In Haleema’s case, the matter went all the way to the board of management of the fund where it was given careful consideration.

If it was clear the child could not qualify under the law because of the nature of her condition, the issue should never have taken so long to be resolved.

The case also raised disturbing claims – reportedly made by a High Court judge presiding over a lawsuit filed on behalf of Haleema’s family – who accused the fund administrators’ of acting callously.

They have not responded.

Be that as it may, the question that arises from this case relates to matters beyond the remit of the board of management.

As a matter of policy, the State should determine whether only the most critical cases should merit assistance.

The aim of the Children’s Life Fund is to provide funding in cases where a child faces death, where treatment is not available locally and where affected families are unable to pursue the necessary treatment abroad due to financial limitations.

Often, serious conditions require treatment in order to preserve the patient’s quality or life or prevent more serious conditions from developing. Why should children suffering from these diseases be denied simply because they are not yet at death’s door? It is for Parliament to determine the scope of the State aid provided in these cases. Cases like Haleema’s demonstrate the need for a review of the Children Life Fund law.

There is also a need to bolster medical expertise locally. If the State has trouble doing the latter, then it definitely must do the former.

And what of the Couva Children’s Hospital? Could this facility play a role in handling cases, whether serious or life-threatening? It is wonderful to see how many private entities have come forward to donate funds to Haleema’s family to facilitate her treatment.

It is not often appreciated how much big business contributes to society. This ranges from large multi-national firms such as BP to small, family businesses that operate within local communities.

There are also countless NGOs to which citizens, daily, turn in the face of appalling gaps within the public sector.

At a time when the State is strapped for resources, it is particularly heartening to know that the private sector can be counted on to offer help when help is needed.

This does not absolve the State of its duty to fulfill the social contract.

Rather, it is complementary to it. Civil society has a role to play in helping our State achieve its fullest goals.

The various companies that have come together to assist Haleema show us the potential for something more long-term.

Pending any review by Parliament of the current arrangements, perhaps the time has come for a charitable organisation to be formed to cover cases that do not fall under the Children’s Life Fund? For now, we congratulate those who have lent a helping hand to Haleema and wish her all the best.

Citizens deserve an explanation, he said, adding he is also awaiting the results of the investigation. Earlier this week, the Prime Minister appointed businessman Christian Mouttet as the sole investigator of the procurement process of the Ocean Flower II and Cabo Star leased from Canada-based Bridgeman’s Service Group. The Port Authority, Integrity Commission and a Joint Select Committee of Parliament are also carrying out their own probes.

Interviewed after a tour of Point Fortin and La Brea yesterday, Sinanan said the investigation centres on the procurement process used by the Port Authority which he said his ministry had no part in.

“This has to do with the Port Authority,” he said. “I am also awaiting the results of this investigation and I don’t see the need to step down at this point.” Sinanan said trade union leader, NATUC president Michael Annisette is calling for his resignation claiming that as minister he did not sign the charter party agreement to stop the Super Fast Galicia from leaving .

“Mr Annisette needs to go back in history and he will realise that the charter party agreement for the Superfast Galicia vessel ended in April of 2016,” Sinanan said pointing out he became Works and Transport Minister in November.

Sinanan said any negotiations to keep the Galicia would have been before April.

When he became to the line minister, the problem with the sea bridge already existed and it was then he started to put things into place. He first had to provide a cargo vessel and had asked for three months to solve this issue. At the time two vessels needed to be fixed and one was sent to dry-dock, but there were more problems than was anticipated.

“This is why we had to bring in a vessel to solve an interim problem,” he said.

Earlier Sinanan toured the constituencies accompanied by La Brea MP Nicole Olivierre, along with councillors Arlene Ramdeo, Christine Neptune, Maurice Alexander and Shankar Teelucksingh. The minister was taken through the major roads to get a first hand look at the deteriorating road conditions.

The tour began along the S S Erin Road where members of the Siparia Erin Road taxi drivers got the opportunity to highlight their concerns about the poor conditions..

Particular attention was paid to the roads from Quarry Junction to Santa Flora, and from St Cyprian’s Anglican Church to the end of the Los Bajos stretch. The team drove into Palo Seco Beach Road to view the collapsed access road.

The team stopped at Palo Seco Government Primary School to look at the state of drainage in this area. He also visited Erin Beach to examine the coastline.

Sinanan then toured the site of the collapsed road in Coromandel and other areas before going to Point Fortin where he toured Salazar Trace, Parrylands and Vance River. The tour ended at La Brea where the minister again looked at deplorable road conditions.

He promised to schedule repairs to the most critical areas in the earliest possible time.

(See page 10)

He was speaking to the media yesterday during a tree planting exercise as part of the Citizens for Conservation Queen’s Park Savannah Bicentennial Celebration held opposite the entrance to President’s House. The trees were donated by the horticultural services division of the Agriculture Ministry.

He said the rock slide in Maracas was due to trees planted a long time ago and over a period of time the roots destabilised the rock structure and with the weight triggered some of the land slides. He said an exercise with the Works Ministry on the North Coast and through Maracas up to Blanchisseuse is aimed at removing some of the trees and also replanting.

“My philosophy is every time you remove a tree you must plant more than one tree somewhere else in the country.” He said an area selected for tree planting is the area between the zoo and the Botanical Gardens up to Chancellor. They selected fruit trees to attract the wild life in the city.

On the tree planting exercise, he said the ministry would be distributing and planting 200 plants for the anniversary.

He said 50 were being planted in the Savannah to replace trees that were removed or had fallen and distributing 150 more.

Rambharat said the height of the hurricane season was beginning and “we don’t know what to expect later on.” He said the ministry has had a very active season and the strongest weather system was Tropical Storm Bret. He said before, during and after Bret the effects of rainfall and wind on trees were visible. He reported that at the savannah they lost some trees and parts of others.

He said he is concerned about the health of the trees.

“Some of these trees are over a hundred years old. He said over a period of time you would have had rotting at the base and rotting underground which is difficult to see.” He said there was training this year for municipal corporations, the Tobago House of Assembly and ministries using a Trinidad- born US expert.

They also trained members of the public on managing and maintaining trees. He said they are also acquiring equipment which will allow them to monitor and determine the health of the trees.

He also complained of people using their vehicles in the savannah and leaving deep tyre tracks and leaving trash like bottles following their events.

“You come to the savannah to enjoy it.

This is 200 years ago it was given as a gift to the people. Taxpayers’ resources are used to maintain it and keep it in a condition that everybody could enjoy.” He said they were speaking with the Canadian government on a project for the savannah.

Port of Spain Mayor Joel Martinez supported planting more trees in the heart of the capital.

“We are looking at a programme of restoration of areas where we have earmarked for trees over the years and we are trying to include the private citizens and the business community to get involved in replanting the trees and maintaining them.” The bicentennial celebrations end this evening with a savannah stroll and educational tour from 4 pm and a live bandstand music and family picnic from 5 pm.

And they are hoping that Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s 2 pm meeting tomorrow with key stakeholders in Tobago at the Magdalena Grand Hotel, will bear fruit.

Ray Thomas, owner of the Mt Grace Feed Depot, is maintaining a wait-and-see approach to the meeting and is willing to keep an open mind.

“Yesterday was yesterday. It has passed and gone,” Thomas told Sunday Newsday.

“Life must go on. We have to think about tomorrow. We can’t worry no more about the past. So, it is really interesting that we got a meeting and I will really like to hear what the Prime Minister has to say about the present situation and where do we go from here.” He said, however, the problems on the sea bridge reflected the fact that the relationship between the two islands has never been truly complementary.

Thomas added greater attempts should have been made years ago to implement a State-owned inter- island ferry service.

“Over the years, I see Tobago not being recognised as an arm of Trinidad and vice versa because as much as we need Trinidad, there are businesses in Trinidad that sell to Tobago and we will represent some part of their sales,” he said.

“As much as we need the goods, Trinidad’s suppliers need to sell to Tobago and I think more emphasis should have been paid years ago in terms of (implementing) a proper inter-island ferry service for Tobago, having the regular routine maintenance and bearing in mind as the ship and boats get older, they need to put things in place to repair, so that we don’t ever end up in a crisis situation,” Thomas was alluding to the TT Spirit, which is currently off the run.

“Too many times we have one boat and it is working well until it is not working at all,” he said.

“We started off working well, when we had the two fast ferries, the Warrior Spirit and the (Super Fast) Galicia, everything was fine.

But we also knew the two fast ferries were ailing and had a life span of about 15 years.” Thomas lamented that Tobagonians often had to “take what we get.” “As much as it’s a backward step in having a barge (Trinity Transporter), people were forced to put goods and services on a barge because it boils down to this is the only option until better can be done.

“But better should have been negotiated before it reached to this crisis situation. In years gone by, it has been the trend, it continues to be the trend where we operate in crisis mode and this is what we have and this is what we have to accept.” Forced to intervene in the sea bridge imbroglio, the Prime Minister is expected to meet with Works Minister Rohan Sinanan, Tobago MPs Shamfa Cudjoe and Ayanna Webster-Roy and representatives from the Tobago Chamber of Commerce, Tobago Hoteliers and Tourism Association, Tobago Truckers Association, Tobago Unique Bed Breakfast, Self-Catering Association, among other groups.

The meeting follows Sinanan’s announcement, two weeks ago, that the contract for the Ocean Flower 11, procured from the Canada-based Bridgeman’s Service Group, was terminated after the company failed to deliver the vessel by an extended August 1 deadline.

It was subsequently revealed that the vessel had been plagued by technical problems after a sea trial in Panama.

The sea bridge is currently being served by the T&T Express, water taxi and the Cabo Star cargo vessel, the latter which was leased from Bridgeman’s on a one-year contract at a daily rate of $US22,500.

There has been mixed views about the Cabo Star’s suitability to service the sea bridge.

The Government has come under fire for its handling of the debacle with calls from several stakeholders, including retired head of the public service Reginald Dumas, for Sinanan and members of the board of the Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (PATT) to resign over the situation, which has created dire straits for Tobago businessmen and average travellers.

Rowley, who apologised for the dilemma, has since appointed an independent investigator, businessman Christian Mouttet, to probe the circumstances surrounding the procurement of the Ocean Flower 11 and Cabo Star.

The PATT, Integrity Commission and Parliament’s Joint Select Committee, also have launched investigations into the procurement of the vessels.

Mouttet’s appointment has sparked controversy in several quarters with some questioning his suitability to lead the investigation given his alleged ties to several high-ranking members of the People’s National Movement.

Mouttet, a former president of the TT Chamber of Commerce, has reportedly begun his investigation and is expected to present a report to the Prime Minister in 30 days.

Some observers are viewing Mouttet’s appointment as a sign that Rowley has lost confidence in Sinanan and the PATT board.

The issue remains in abeyance pending the outcome of Mouttet’s investigation and that of the other bodies.

In the interim, though, Thomas said his agricultural feed business, in existence for the past 20 years, has been affected tremendously by the problems on the sea bridge.

“The only place one wants to be is in their business and you only want to leave when you have to,” he said.

“When you are forced to leave because of the situation, lack of planning or foresight, then it affects you grossly because you are away from your business and it is an additional cost to be away from your business.

“If when I leave, I bring more, then I am growing. But when I leave to try to salvage to stay alive, the expense goes up and everything is lost during this period of crisis.” The Signal Hill resident said Tobago entrepreneurs, within the past few months, have been under “serious, serious pressure” in trying to keep their businesses afloat. “Many of us are fighting to keep our heads just above water.

People have loans to pay.

“People have commitment to meet and it is very, very challenging now for the people who are still in business. I know they are actually in a backward position in terms of goods and service and to supply to meet the demand of the average Tobagonian.” Thomas said the Cabo Star, whilst facilitating a need, has impacted the earning power of many Tobago businessmen.

He said while the Galicia had the capability to move 80 to 100 trucks, the Cabo Star can only manage onethird of that capacity.

“Because of that situation, stock would have been depleted fast and you are never able to restock because you have a situation where, when you go to the port no sailing is guaranteed because you now can only have 30 trucks, one third of what you have as normal traffic from Trinidad to Tobago and vice versa,” he said.

“People actually started to lose because you don’t have stock to maintain and to supply the market and keep your staff employed.” Cancelled sailings, he said, also have led to higher storage costs for people who rent trucks to transport their merchandise “because when they load today, they have no guarantee they will come today.” Thomas added: “So, when they get their forms, it will remain on the port to try again tomorrow. The driver will then want to charge more because he is inconvenienced.

His truck is then tied up, he cannot do anything in Trinidad unless he choose to offload the truck and load it back, which does not make sense.” To compound matters, Thomas said people could not take the chance to transport perishable goods such as oil, cheese and butter via the trucks “because there is no guarantee you are sailing and you stand to lose.’ “So, people were just bringing a few perishable items that can stay on the truck in case they did not get on the vessel for the next day.” Thomas said the situation led to a lack of certain items in supermarkets and other businesses.

“So, now your cost has gone up, your expense to operate has gone up and still there is no guarantee in terms of going to get as much goods as you want because we still have the fact that the boat can only carry 30 to 40 vehicles, trucks or trailers depending on the size.

Thomas also said the absence of another fast passenger ferry will continue to affect tourism in Tobago.

“You will not have much tourists coming to the island because a boat carries 840 passengers, one trip to the port.

A plane only carries 68 people. So the flights for the day will only carry 680 persons while one trip with the boat carries more than all these plane flights. That is just to say how important these fast ferries are to us in terms of moving traffic or persons to and from Tobago.” Thomas said Tobago needed two fast ferries with the capacity to carry 1,000 to 1,200 passengers as well as a carrier that can transport both passengers, trucks and containers “so, when one goes on drydock, which they should do (for) their regular routine maintenance, we are not heavily affected.” Anson Beckles, who operates his small business from a panel van on the streets, said Tobago was in dire need of another fast passenger ferry. He said the void left by the absence of another ferry had led to uncertainty at the port.

“Anytime we approach the port for tickets we get scared one time because we don’t know how we coming back up from Trinidad.

And sometimes we go twice a week,” Beckles said.

“Sometimes, when we go by the port for tickets they tell we that we have to go on stand-by and we not sure of coming back up. I don’t know when this thing will stop.” Beckles, who sells a variety of women and men’s merchandise, said his earnings had dropped considerably because of the situation.

“Sometimes, the turnover is okay and sometimes it is very slow.

Some of the things you have to sell it back for the price you pay for it because you have to get back your money.

When I look at the money I have invested, I realised that I am not making it back,” he said, adding the problem was compounded by the economic downturn and fewer tourist arrivals on the island.

Ferry facts

The procurement process for the Ocean Flower II and Cabo Star, acquired from Canada- based Bridgeman’s Service Group, is under probe by prime ministerial appointed investigator businessman Christian Mouttet. There are also investigations by the Port Authority, Integrity Commission and a joint select committee of Parliament.

* Ocean Flower II: Basically a fast-ferry passenger vessel. It could also accommodate threetonne trucks, cars, panel vans, light cargo.

* Cabo Star: Basically a cargo vessel that can accommodate close to 100 passengers.
The T&T Express and TT Spirit are currently operated by Inter-Island Transportation Co Ltd.

The Spirit is currently on dry dock.

* T&T Express: A fast-ferry passenger vessel which also can accommodate small vehicles and light cargo.

* TT Spirit: A fast ferry passenger vessel which can also accommodate small vehicles and light cargo.

Dead is Stephen Nero, a father of one from Denny Road, Valencia.

At about 8 pm on Friday, residents of Hamilton Road, Wallerfield heard a commotion and called the police.

Officers arrived to find the body of Nero near his car with multiple stab wounds to the upper back. Police said it appears Nero put up struggle and after he was stabbed he ran and collapsed.

Sunday Newsday was told by family members they believe Nero was lured to his death.

His sister Christine Granderson said Nero normally finished working at about 5.30 pm on Fridays, because he is a Seventh-day Adventist.

“He always stop working around 5 pm or so. He was seen all day yesterday (Friday) with a female friend of his (that) he was dating and it didn’t seem as though he worked yesterday (Friday) because my other siblings said they saw him around Arima with the same individual during the course of the day,” said Granderson.

“My brother is a humble and kind hearted person and always willing to help those in need. He was not known to the police and was not involved in drugs or criminal activities.

I don’t know why someone would want to take his life. They took him from us. He was such a joyful being.” Sharon Nero, another sister, recalled a time when she was getting her daughter’s school supplies in Arima and her brother called out to her. She said she would never forget the smile on his face.

“I love my brother so much. He is with God now and will be surely missed. Those who have committed this gruesome act will have to answer soon.” Investigations are continuing.

I didn’t ask which grass they were talking about.

I’ve heard that he wasn’t built for sprinting but he defied his genes and did it anyway. I heard that he comes from a parish where the dasheen is different and that’s responsible for his athletic prowess.

Someone who lives in the same parish swears by that. I heard that he can’t run long distance. He’s not trained for that but he’s still the fastest human alive.

I heard that he had no discipline.

Eventually success turned him into something resembling disciplined.

I heard he ate junk food. I heard that he hid in the trunk of a car to avoid training.

He’s a practical joker they said. I heard that his sense of fun added to his popularity. I heard people say he is a show off. He said he was simply having fun. I heard he never left Jamaica to train elsewhere.

I’ve heard about his records. I’ve heard him declare his greatness.

I’ve heard the many things the media reports. I’ve heard the things the man on the road says.

I’ve heard from here, there and everywhere that the man was great. I’ve watched him walk onto the tracks to receive his gold. I’ve watched him compete. I have seen his ease, I’ve seen his confidence.

I’ve seen and I’ve heard. But, there are silences.

I’ve never heard much about Bolt’s training regimen. I’ve never heard anyone talk about his sacrifices.

I’ve never heard anyone talk about his parents’ support. They seem invisible. I’ve never heard anything about his daily living. I’ve never heard about his joys and sorrows.

I’ve never heard about days that he wished he didn’t have to train. I heard that he has a physical disability, but I didn’t hear how he overcame it. We see, we hear, we silence the parts that we don’t want to be a part of our reality. We live in worlds of make believe. We live in worlds of hush hush too.

We hear things that are convenient for us. In parts. Rarely in wholes. And I wonder whether wholes can ever be achieved.

We celebrate the greatness in men. It’s all well and good. They inspire us to push harder. But what about moments of failure? How do we push past those? I wish those stories could be told. I wish the kids could know what to do when adversity hits them; how to cope, how to deal with it.

Not many of us have coaches to monitor us, not a great many have people who absolutely believe in us.

How do we navigate the turf? How do we know when to run barefooted? How do we know which training ground is best suited for us? How do we know what constitutes balance? How do we know which opportunity is best missed, which one is best taken? I saw him struggle through those last races of his career last week, saw him fall to the floor when that hamstring gave up, heard the accusations against the IAAF, read about how London didn’t deserve him. I heard that everyone else was to blame.

But this was Bolt. He had nothing else to prove. He is retired now to a string of medals and honours. His greatness will live after him.

But what happens when another athlete falls? What happens when another person doesn’t achieve her personal best? What happens when an injury sets you back and you aren’t the fastest human alive? I heard that the Government is now thinking against diversification.

I heard about Trinidad and Tobago’s gold, saw the race run and felt proud of the island.

The music died down fast in the oppressive humidity of the island.

I never heard much about the grass in TT . I now hear that we should support local. Ground provisions were on the Prime Minister’s list. I hear the air is polluted with Saharan dust. But the season passes and the wind will blow it further out for the time of pilferers and plunderers caulking cracks with our natural resources has passed.

The time has come now when we celebrate our own grass and dasheen.

About time that we guard our own gold.

(Note: I admit to loving Eliot Weinberger’s What I Heard About Iraq, Vol 27 No.3 · 3 February 2005).

The child is warded at the Intensive Care Unit of the Wendy Fitzwilliam Paediatric Hospital, Mt Hope. On Friday, she underwent emergency surgery however due to complications she did not respond well. Yesterday, relatives kept vigil at her bedside hoping for a miracle.

Police probing the incident said they are yet to interview a woman about how the girl suffered the extensive injuries. The woman, a nurse, had asked police to give her time to seek legal counsel before making herself available for the interview.

Several people have already been questioned including the girl’s parents. The girl lives with her father.

Two Saturdays ago, the girl’s father left her in the care of the woman.

When he returned he noticed bruising on his daughter’s head and the woman told him the child fell down.

However, by early Sunday morning, the girl became gravely ill and she was taken to the hospital. On examination, doctors believed the girl sustained injuries from a beating and this prompted a police investigation.

The Children’s Authority in a statement yesterday reported they are working with the police in the investigation.

The authority said the matter was brought to their attention when the child was admitted to hospital.

“The authority is horrified and strongly condemns the actions of those responsible for the brutal abuse of the child. The organisation is once again reminding the public that preventing child abuse is everyone’s responsibility.

“In fact, if you see, hear or are suspicious about the treatment of a child in your family or neighbourhood you should immediately make a report to the police or the Children’s Authority,” is said in the release.

The authority is calling on anyone with information about this incident to make a report to the Police at 999 or to the Children’s Authority Hotline at 996 or 800-2014.

For decades, we have failed to realise and understand that nothing can be done to progress our country if we refuse to work together and across party lines. This ideology of partisanship that our first prime minister, Dr Eric Williams established and entrenched needs to be abolished, along with the falsehood that he was a patriotic statesman.

And when I say work together, I don’t mean the recent publicity stunt qua meeting between a Prime Minister with no ideas, and an Opposition Leader with no shame. What I mean is that there must be meaningful dialogue and genuineness from all sides; all stakeholders; every single citizen; otherwise our country would remain completely and totally paralysed by politics.

Bi-partisanship is only impossible without sincerity. What the country needs is a sincere leader whose loyalty is to the holders of our passports, and not holders of party-cards. Every time I reveal my destiny of becoming the first prime minister to lead a bipartisan cabinet, the immediate response is always derision and scepticism because no one believes in that kind of “utopian” rhetoric. Trinbagonians believe that there is nothing more corrupt than politics and no one more dishonest than politicians; therefore anyone who follows a path of politics will eventually become corrupted.

I, however, strongly disagree and firmly believe that politics does not change anybody; it merely reveals who those people have been all along. Frankly, integrity constructed on solid foundation cannot easily be shaken because of power and/or wealth.

Too many of my compatriots believe that nothing can be done about the incompetence we have parading as governance for the past several decades. And too many people believe that the democratic dictatorship of the UNC -PNM system is incorrigible and that it is impossible to destroy because no one votes on issues– only party. I, however, have faith in the electorate. I have faith that a viable non-partisan option presented with the right leadership will transcend all biases that have, for far too long, corrupted our politics and our people.

The recent success of president Emmanuel Macron in France, and even that of American independent senator, Bernie Sanders, during the 2016 democratic primary elections has solidified my belief that this corrupt system can be collectively torn down by an enlightened electorate.

There is so much to get done and we are running out of time.

As mentioned before, the solutions are out there but the folks in our parliament aren’t interested in implementing anything that isn’t politically beneficial.

For dealing with crime and reforming the entire criminal justice system, we have endless research and personal knowledge from criminologists like Renee Cummings and Prof Ramesh Deosaran. For the economy and helping us diversify, there is no dearth of intelligent economists but we could start with Dr Roger Hosein for his views on what to do next. And for the other issues like corruption, infrastructure and public transportation, there is an endless supply of knowledge and opinions to use as a starting reference.

So even though the ideas are all there, it boils down to political will and the need for votes; who dares interrupt the corruption that runs rampant in the Police Service, Coast Guard, Army, Licensing, PTSC, Customs, Immigration and every government ministry? With a registered electorate of just over one million people, the potential votes from corrupt people and their families is a huge chunk of prospective voters, and there is nothing more important to any of our politicians than that figure.

Moving the Beetham landfill from being a welcome sign to our capital city and building new prisons are also necessary issues requiring urgency but both continue to receive resistance from residents in earmarked areas; however, making unpopular decisions is part of being in government.

Additionally, no government wants to implement contemporary legislation on employment and labour to replace the existing unconstitutional mess we call a labour justice system because who wants to lose the votes of the labour movement, which is estimated to be somewhere between 5,000 people and “the balance.” How long are we going to allow corruption, trade unions and criminals to run our country because of political paralysis? I think 2020 is a good time to turn over a new leaf. Remember, the paralysis of Trinidad and Tobago due to politics is still temporary but if we do not attempt to rehabilitate the system now, permanent paralysis is inevitable.

That often seems to be the story of race relations, or more precisely, of racial perceptions in this rather small, multi-racial country. When you think we improving, we slide back.

From food connoisseur Anthony Bourdain’s interview with Mario Aboud-Sabga’s “one per cent” boast and his apology; the battling crosstalk by Israel Rajah-Khan SC, Lloyd Ragoo, Karan Mahabirsingh, Prof Theodore Lewis, Dr Kamal Persad, Capil Bissoon and Trevor Sudama; Gary and Gregory Aboud, with fiery reaction by unionists Ancel Roget and Vincent Cabrera and Steve Smith; with Prof Selwyn Cudjoe and Dr Winford James “defending” Roget; then the “seeking to calm” comments by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

And quite familiar with the “greasy-pole effect,” the inevitable newspaper editorials calling for peace. Regular contributors, Steve Alvarez and Dr Errol Benjamin, made touch-and-go comments.

Perhaps frustrated by now, my friend Reginald Dumas, like other notables, stayed out the greasy-pole phenomenon this time.

This panoramic name-calling is respectfully used to show how important and widespread this subject of race relations is to this society in its up-and-down struggle to achieve just one inch of its national anthem.

Opposing Roget’s one per cent boycott, Lloyd Ragoo, self-described “dougla,” stated: “It’s almost laughable when you say we (workers) must be prepared to take control.

We (workers) are already in control of all the wine and jam chutney/ soca bacchanal, already in control of all the river and beach limes that are saturated with alcohol, already in control of all CEPEP and other government ‘wuk.’ The Syrian/Lebanese community has been one of the major suppliers/contributors of our Christmas traditional needs,” (Express, August 17).

Citing several supporting texts, Prof Cudjoe sought to clarify: “The 23 unions that marched through Port of Spain on August 4 want to play a significant role in solving our economic problems.” In two commentaries, Dr James, too, examined the contributions by labour in the face of self-serving capitalism. He wrote: “Neither man (Ragoo and Gary Aboud) can see workers in a productive light. It is as if the mass of workers are on welfare doled out by the Syrian/Lebanese businesses.”( Express, August 17).

To which J Hadeed, giving a pro-business response, said: “Mr Roget should spend his time urging his membership to be hard working, productive, earn an honest day‘s pay, report environmental risks, and emulate the Syrian community for its family unity, its thrift, sacrifice and investment. My father came to this country when he was 17 years old without a cent in his pocket and worked 12 hours a day until he was 70.” The far distance between perceptions defies attempts to prove who is right or wrong. Steve Alvarez gave a more “easy to say than achieve” view: “In this land of wonderful people of many races, different faces and a callaloo of cultures, we have no choice to work together if we wish to overcome the global economic, social and political challenges that confront us.” (Newsday, August 17). But alas, every time you think there is improved harmony between the ambiguously defined races here, everything slides back – the greasy-pole effect. July and early August have been very hot with race relations here. But this is not the first time. Neither will it be the last – too much psychological resistance.

I recall sociologist Philip Mason’s early words: “As the Caribbean eased out of colonialism, Trinidad and Tobago remained muddled by tensions over colour, class and race and the hypocrisies that inevitably help to smoothen relationships and decorate the tourist brochures.” In his 1972 book, Aftermath of Sovereignty, David Lowenthal added: “The rosy image of multi-racial harmony, however, grossly distorts both the actual facts and the way they are locally seen.” Perhaps, Mr Bourdain’s interview–45 years later– confirms that.

The greasy-pole effect will be soon illustrated with “all ah we is one” speeches at Independence Day celebrations. In any pluralistic democracy, you expect contestations over space and opportunity.

But I ask two questions: (1) Do we go too far? (2) When will race relations and equity improve so as to achieve effective national mobilisation for social and e c o n o m i c progress of all? Or do we remain stuck with the greasy-pole effect?