Delivering the opening remarks, Minister Gopee-Scoon indicated that the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) is the most comprehensive agreement negotiated by the CARIFORUM countries and creates the best opportunity for export expansion and economic development to aid the region’s trade and investment thrust with the European Union.

building the relationship with the EU, new partnerships will be developed which would allow the private sector to better understand the process in entering the European Union Market.” Minister Gopee-Scoon stressed that “a more aggressive approach is required in the utilisation of the EPA.” She encouraged the private sector to use the opportunities negotiated under the Agreement to discover new customers, form new partnerships and constantly pursue new growth prospects to diversify exports and build competitiveness.

Arend Biesebroek, Head of Delegation of the European Union to TT, stated that “we must reinforce the public private dialogue and the private-private dialogue to promote a more effective enabling business environment for Caribbean countries.” The EU Ambassador underscored the importance of creating a business link with Europe. He expressed the willingness of the EU Delegation to assist the private sector in getting their products into Europe.

Robertha Reid, Senior Adviser at CEDA, indicated that the intention of the workshop was to help the private sector understand the opportunities under the EPA and increase the number of companies exporting to the EU. She explained the initiatives being undertaken by Caribbean Export to provide trade and business intelligence and build capacity to conduct market research to optimize the EPA.

The workshop consisted of two very informative presentations.

The first presentation delivered by Mr. Adam Wisniewski from the European Union provided participants with a comprehensive overview of the details of the EPA.

This was followed by Dr. Noel Watson’s presentation on the ways in which exporters can utilize the EPA to increase their market presence in the European Union.

You do your research and look through social media posts to find a nail professional. And let’s face it, any nail tech worth their weight in builder gel, posts nail work on social media. So, you make the “how much for” call and promise to call them back to set up an appointment. “So much fuh nails?” What are you actually paying for? Remember the old adage, you get what you pay for.

Generally, the cheaper the service, the least you can expect. Since there is no government stipulated standard (yet), to hold your technician to, anybody can open a shop and “do nails”. In those cases, what you may end up with may mean more problems for you, the customer. You may save a few dollars but the damage to your skin and nails could be costlier.

According to NAILS Magazine the top ten worse things a nail tech can do are:

1 Incorrectly curing the product,

2 Blatantly disregarding product directions

3 Ignoring client symptoms

4 Blaming the client or the products

5 Misusing callus remover

6 Diagnosing and prescribing issues that may need medical advice

7 Using too much force

8 Letting clients go too long between services

9 Ignoring ventilation

10 Not continuing education

Almost all these “sins” can be prevented with proper and continued professional education.

Thankfully, most local nail techs see the need to invest in proper education to start their career as well as take full advantage of opportunities to keep themselves continually updated on new trends and methods in the industry. These techs also invest in professional tools and equipment and make sure to offer their clients only the best, when it comes the products that they use.

Remember, these techs don’t just “do nails”.

Their career is to make you feel better about being beautiful. A nail tech is quite often an inspirer, listener, therapist all wrapped up into one amazing package. Sometimes a pedi and polish change are just what the doctor ordered.

She said the IRO, formed in 1970, never had a female president before .

“You feel happy in your soul .

Various barriers have been moved,” she said .

“Like (former US presidential candidate) Hillary Clinton that glass ceiling (we ) mash it up. Now other women can aspire to reach the top.” She said for years Shouters had been marginalised and debarred from many things up to the time when they received the Shouter Baptist Liberation Day holiday in 1996 by prime minister Basdeo Panday. She recalled Panday had asked Archbishop Anthony Pantin if he would accept the Baptists into the IRO but it did not materialise initially. The Baptist community would eventually join around 1997/1998 together with the Church of Latter Day Saints .

Gray-Burke recalled the first position she held was trustee. She said her members continued to support her in that position because they saw the results she achieved including the acquisition of land, schools and a holiday for the faith .

“They ent moving me for thy kingdom come,” she quipped .

She said out of the 19 students at St Barbara’s Spiritual Shouter Baptist Primary School, there were only three repeaters in this year’s Secondary Entrance Assessment examination. She said she will be asking government for a secondary school as well .

Asked what her areas of focus will be as IRO president, Gray- Burke said she will be meeting with the officers tomorrow and she would be laying out her plans then .

She revealed, however, she told the outgoing president she wants the IRO to have a home and she would like to have land secured before the end of her tenure .

She said while she planned to have them continue traveling around the country and visiting with different faiths, she wants a building with an office from which they can function .

MARRIAGE BILL AND GAY MARRIAGE Gray-Burke’s predecessor Bro Harrypersad Maharaj stirred up controversy on the so-called child marriage bill when, in 2016, he announced the IRO members unanimously agreed that no law should interfere with their custom. RC Archbishop Joseph Harris had shot back that there was no consensus and described forcing children into wedlock as “legalised rape.” The Marriage Bill would eventually be passed making the legal age of marriage 18 much to the ire of some leaders in the Hindu and Muslim communities .

Gray-Burke described the issue as a red herring. She said in the Hindu faith the 13 to 15 year-olds who would get married would remain with their parents until a time they would be “put together in a house.” She said she attended one such marriage out of curiosity. She said, conversely among the African community, some of their daughters were going to “shack up.” “We had to fix our house first before we fix other people business.” She said she decided to stay out of the issue and “let them fight” .

Moving away from child marriage, she said we have to train people and give them more access to religious bodies from preschool “right up.” “Then we will be able to transform the society. If we don’t do that we will have crime, incest.” She said we are a country of copy cats and we want to follow America .

“Sooner or later we will give consent to gay marriages.” Gray-Burke is not in support of it and said as a Justice of the Peace, she will not do any registration for gay marriages .

“Put me in jail,” she declared .

THE IRO AND CRIME On crime she said the IRO does its work behind the scenes and recalled when crime was at its peak in Enterprise, Chaguanas, the then president organised a march. And for “one month straight” there was not one murder. She said they are often invited by organisations to have prayers including for the opening of the law term, for the police and at Petrotrin .

She stressed the IRO is not static but they are very occupied and if they are not careful they would not be able to officiate at their own churches. She said, however, that it is exciting to be working with the different faiths .

Asked about the high murder rate despite a number of churches, mosques, temples and other places of worship Gray-Burke responded, “The police have to do their job .

The IRO is not to do the police job.” She said the IRO would gather in communities and pray for the country as they did in Enterprise .

She said many churches were having prayer services for the country and it was “not that we are not praying.” She added, however, that parents need to pray too for their children and, if they were not taught how to pray before, they should find a church. She lamented while churches would be putting on crusades, people would be passing in their cars with their “hard pong” music .

“They have no room for God.” She added some people did not learn about loving God because no one taught them and this also happens when you have “children making children” .

On religion in the schools she said denominational schools were doing a “fantastic job” but she would like to see religious instruction in all government schools .

Asked if she planned to work with the State, Gray-Burke said, “If the State needs us, sure I will work with them. But if the State does not need us you cannot force the State to work with you. Our country have politics and as you all are aware I am a UNC to the bone. The other people didn’t look at us. So they build our school, they did everything for us.” Gray-Burke, who has criticised the PNM over the years for neglecting the Baptist community said, “I don’t know where our Prime Minister (Dr Keith Rowley) head is now.” She recalled she wrote and congratulated him when he became prime minister and requested an interview but did not get it .

She said she accepted the invitation to be a part of the tripartite committee with government and the unions but rejected an invitation to a Shouter Baptist dinner because she was only allowed to carry one guest when she has a number of different churches under her .

“I don’t know if they want to work with me (as IRO President).” Asked about people who are concerned that her support for the UNC, including serving as a UNC senator on a number of occasions starting back in 1995, would affect her decisions as

The qualifier featured 175 children between the ages of seven and 12 competing for 20 spots.

The competition was so fierce that the last four participants selected for the final on July 29 finished with the same number of points, forcing the judges to select 21 instead. Critchlow and Connell both advanced to the final after topping the charts with 160 points each. The 21 youngsters will now move on to the final in three weeks time at the Larry Gomes Stadium in Arima.

Ten children from the second pre-qualification tournament at Mt Pleasant Grounds in Tobago on Saturday will advance to the final. Also, 20 children will progress to the final from the third pre-qualification tournament on July 22 at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva. In the final, three youngsters will win a trip to Spain to take part in a two-day training camp with FC Barcelona coaches in early August.

Yesterday, the participants were assessed by their short passing, dribbling and control. One of the coaches scrutinising the youngsters, Terry Fenwick, said all the clubs across Europe teach young footballers skill sets and it is great that the local youngsters got that experience. Fenwick, who previously coached San Juan Jabloteh and Central FC in the TT Pro League, said, “I was impressed with the talent that we saw, recognising that most of these kids would not have done skill sets like this before.

This is something that is all over Europe at the moment. All the top clubs in the world are going through skill sets at this age group.” Fenwick was grateful the programme was held at the Hasely Crawford Stadium as it allowed participants the highest quality stage to display their skills. “For us here in Trinidad it is wonderful that we get to use the National Stadium. The set-up is something completely different to what we are used to in Trinidad, it is much more professional than we ever had it. I will like to thank Nestle and Milo for that.” Fenwick said it will be a tremendous opportunity for the three footballers selected to attend the camp in Barcelona. “It is a chance of a lifetime to go and see not just the best players in the world, but to see one of the top clubs in the world. How they operate, a big crowd, watching a game, watching them train and to see the purpose behind all their training sessions.”

TOURNAMENT ONE QUALIFIERS:

Jaydon Critchlow (160 points), Josiah Connell (160), Joshua Miguel (150), Anton Joseph (150), Kade Collier (145), Josiah Bain (145), Aidon Adams (135), Kerry Baptiste (135), Jose Attong (135), Thomas Decle (135), Michael John (130), Jaheim Faustin (125), Daquan Thomas (125), Marco Mayers (125), Jalani Outley (120), Kanye Eastman (120), Jasai Theopholus (115), Jahmarley Caleb (115), Kalif Sylvester (115), Kymani Holder (115).

This is a man who has never learned the basic social skill of agreeing with people, making them feel good about themselves.

He is first and foremost a businessman and there’s an old saying in that game: you don’t go into business to be popular. Maybe not, but surely not many of us actually enjoy being disliked. Donald Trump doesn’t seem to care – in fact it sometimes seems he feels that he isn’t doing his job unless he’s upsetting, disappointing, alienating or offending someone.

It’s like a one-man siege mentality: nobody likes me, so I must be doing something right. Sir Alec Ferguson instilled that attitude into his wildly successful Manchester United teams, and Jose Mourinho went down the same route at Chelsea until he lost focus and alienated his own team and his support staff too, whereupon he was quickly removed from his previously impregnable position.

Whether the same will happen to Trump remains to be seen, but if it were to happen you can bet he would make it very damaging and highly unpleasant.

Some people have a simple knack of being popular, and whether this is due to natural charisma and an innate ability to do and say the right thing or the very different and less admirable implementation of public relations strategies in all aspects of their dealings with people, they tend to rise to prominence ahead of perhaps more deserving candidates who just don’t smile as much.

Politics is the most obvious field where popularity is a make-orbreak quality. It is clearly apparent in the result of the recent UK general election, which showed that Theresa May didn’t realize how disliked she was, nor how many people would rather be governed by the limp hand of Jeremy Corbyn and his bumbling sidekick Diane Abbott. Corbyn is popular with the public, but he’s not so highly regarded by his fellow MPs.

May apparently saw herself as the heir to Margaret Thatcher’s crown as the sort of woman who could sweep the crowds along with her through sheer force of personality, even if deep down they wouldn’t want to be married to her.

Well, now she knows, and the country is in a parlous state largely because of her.

As for Trinidad and Tobago, which currently comes down to Rowley versus Kamla – it’s a classic case of the opposition always shouting loudest. With the political parties here substantially split on a racial as well as a political basis, Persad-Bissessar’s lot are the aggrieved ones right now, and as popular as Dr Rowley might be within his own circles, he is suffering the fate of all successful politicians: being vilified by the competition.

If you ask around for the most unpopular person in TT , the name Peter Crouch comes up, because of the lanky former England footballer’s goal against the Soca Warriors in the 2006 World Cup, which was achieved by climbing all over defender and now Minister for Sport Brent Sancho. But sporting bad guys are like pantomime villains, and anyone who gets excessively worked up about such things obviously has never had anything really terrible happen in their life.

Top of the international “hate lists”, as the unpopularity polls are known because hate is a more powerful word, is usually someone like Adolf Hitler, with other notorious murderous leaders such as Stalin, Mussolini and Pol Pot thrown in.

And then, depending on who did the poll (or made it up off the top of their head) and where they live, you’ll get the facetious nominations of Justin Timberlake and assorted American celebrities you’ve never heard of.

Kanye West is probably the most unpopular global character who is, paradoxically, also one of the most adored and a high achiever in a field where the only measurement is the amount of money the public spends on someone’s work. And guess who West supported in the US presidential election. Yes, the man with the quiff and the surly demeanour.

Why would a spectacularly wealthy rapper whose music sells by the megaton hitch his wagon to the most controversial American politician there has ever been? Could it be that he sees something of himself in Trump? The subsequent climbdown in which he sought to distance himself from the Republican figurehead was surely at the insistence of his publicist and perhaps his lawyers.

Don’t rule out the possibility of Kanye West as a presidential candidate eventually — and that would mean (as things stand, anyway), a First Lady called Kardashian, who would sell the filming rights for the inauguration ceremony to Hello! magazine.

Crosby was among a group of shoppers who were held up and robbed at gunpoint at Artie’s Meats, Four Road, Diego Martin, shortly after midday. Reports are at about 2.30 pm, Crosby was at the shop when two men with guns approached shoppers and announced a hold-up. The robbers stole cellular phones, jewelry and other personal items, she said.

Saying she felt traumatised and violated after the incident, Crosby recounted the ordeal.

“Thank God for life. Gerry (her husband) and I were shopping at Artie’s and gunmen ran in and put everyone on the floor,” she said.

Crosby said the men then robbed her and the other shoppers.

“They feel me and another woman up,” she said. The actress said Western Division and Four Roads Police chased the men after they left the shop. They were later caught in the La Puerta area with most of the stolen items. A gun was also seized.

Crosby said she was grateful for the quick action by police.

“They gave chase and the Western Task Force got involved. They were all over the La Puerta area looking for them. So, I really want to give them kudos because in about a half an hour they got the guys.” Crosby said one can never really prepare for a robbery.

“We always imagined what would happen if you ever experienced this and I went dumb for a moment,” she said.

And just as our country’s head of state ironically coined the phrase on the back of his own rum-shop logic, so too did the head of the government as he attempted to justify his decision to return Marlene McDonald to our parliament.

According to PM Dr Keith Rowley, his decision was based on his assumption that the Integrity Commission — a body in which he has openly declared his vote of no confidence — is playing politics with an ongoing investigation into the dealings of Marlene McDonald.

Dr Rowley “came to a conclusion” because McDonald had already been “exonerated” for her alleged roles in facilitating some alleged wrongdoing regarding the Calabar Foundation, approving an unusually high salary payment to a worker at her constituency office, whom we also discovered received a house from the Housing Development Corporation under curious circumstances.

In a nutshell, Dr Rowley’s logic is that if the Integrity Commission agrees that McDonald is not guilty of any of the charges, she deserves to be reinstated, but it is not that simple for someone in public life.

The fact is that whether or not McDonald is deemed to be innocent at the Integrity Commission, the outcome is probably very different in the court of public opinion, which does not operate on the same high standard of proof.

The analogy of the OJ Simpson trial is quite apt: anyone who watches the OJ Simpson documentary would know that the innocent verdict was questionable, but the glove didn’t fit, right? Evidence or not, in the eyes of the public, when something walks like a duck, talks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is most likely not a chicken.

Even if McDonald is innocent of all allegations, it is all about the perception of corruption and anyone who is accused of not one, but three commingling allegations of corruption should not be in the public sphere.

Clearly, Dr Rowley was more concerned with personal loyalty (McDonald was one of his fiercest defenders when Pennelope Beckles- Robinson challenged him for the leadership of the PNM ) than the public’s perception of a tainted minister.

By accepting the return of Mc- Donald, no supporter of the People’s National Movement could dare open their mouths to complain about the impending return of Anil Roberts to our Parliament.

I dread the day that Roberts is unleashed by the United National Congress because whilst both reinstatements are an insult to the public, his is even more of a disgrace because of the allegations that he was the male figure in the debauchery of the ‘Room 201 video,’ in addition to the fact that he was at the helm of the Ministry of Sport when LifeSporTT corruption was in full swing, even if he was not complicit. The PM chose loyalty over country and he ended up with egg on his face, but of course his hasty decision was the Integrity Commission’s fault; did anyone expect him to accept blame or take responsibility? My views on the integrity of the Integrity Commission have already been explicitly stated (see my column: “Culture of compromised integrity” June 21, 2015), but for the prime minister to publicly launch into a tirade on the integrity, and by extension, the legitimacy of such an important statutory body based on nothing but his personal experience, speaks volumes of his temperament.

With behaviour like this, it is difficult to believe that Dr Rowley and American president, Donald Trump aren’t kindred souls, the way they both fly off the handle with wanton ease.

Despite all the antics of these politicians taking the public for idiots, the most hilarious part of this political pappy-show came when former PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar highlighted what she believes to be Dr Rowley’s “incompetence,” “questionable judgement,” “unfitness,” and “poor leadership.” And whilst I agree with these adjectives being used to describe Dr Rowley, the irony of this accusation coming from Persad-Bissessar who could just as easily be referring to herself, is comedy gold.

We couldn’t make this up even if we tried. Sometimes I feel like this this cannot be real life… it really is a comical pappy-show with some of the world’s best actors and the public as an unwilling audience. I love being entertained, especi a l ly when it’s free, but this is one show that needs to come to an abrupt end.

And, with fears that flooding could re-occur if heavy rainfall persists, one wonders if measures can be put in place to minimise concerns about the impact of such natural phenomena on the lives of many citizens.

Last month, Government announced the establishment of a $25 million relief fund to help families adversely affected by the effects of Bret.

And while some may argue that a price tag can never be placed on the huge losses many residents have suffered as a result of this perennial occurrence, the absence of a workable solution, it appears, remains elusive.

Some theorists suggest that flooding is a man-made phenomenon while others blame a lack of political will for the absence of a meaningful, long-term strategy to combat the problem.

Urban planner Dr James Armstrong believes the problem is multi-faceted and studies undertaken on ways to curb the problem over the years have yielded little fruit.

In a recent Sunday Newsday interview, Armstrong said the country’s existing drainage infrastructure is inadequate to accommodate the volume of flood water which has ravaged many communities after consistent rainfall.

This problem, he said, was identified in the Caroni River Basin Study of 1975/76 and the1984 National Physical Development Plan which also highlighted the floodprone areas in the country at that time.

Saying there have been other more recent studies awaiting consideration, Armstrong said if one were to do an overlay of the development that has taken place since the surveys, it would be realised that while there has been significant progress in some of the floodprone areas, much of the development was unauthorised.

“At the time, the various developments recommended restrictions in the areas where development did not as yet take place. This was not done,” he said.

Armstrong recalled the situation raised debate about the inadequacy of land for development at that time.

He said land degradation and development also contributed to the problem of flooding as there was a significant increase in the volume of water.

“Coupled with unregulated quarrying, this water drains into the flood plains where a significant amount of debris is carried along, thereby often clogging the already limited carrying capacity of the rivers.

Similarly, the volume of water run-off along the urban corridors is now in excess of the capacity of the aging infrastructure.” Armstrong, who holds a first degree in environmental design and a doctorate in developmental planning from the University of Nairobi, said the State must take a serious stance on haphazard developments including the problem of squatting. He said since it is quite unlikely that much could be done to scale back the spread of “development,” further hydrological analyses will be required to contain upstream backwater, while also instituting a regular programme of maintenance of the drainage system, including significant investments in improved infrastructure that is informed by proper technical analysis.

Asked what measures could be undertaken by the authorities in dealing comprehensively with flooding as it relates to Government housing and private developers, Armstrong observed this country has a very high level of non-compliance in dealing with development regulations in the Caribbean.

He said the Town and Country Planning Division needs to be strengthened to enforce measures for proper development.

“It is anticipated that the strengthening of the local authorities and the devolution of some planning and development control measures to that level will assist in this connection,” Armstrong said, adding there was need for an integrated development plan to address the peculiarities of the country’s physical space.

Noting than an updated spatial development strategy was required, Armstrong said it might be prudent to consider some form of land-for-shelter swaps so that the density of shelter is increased and land is preserved and used effectively.

He made it clear that no further consideration should be given to any “land for landless policy.” “Squatting must be curtailed and rolled back in some areas,” he said.

Armstrong, a former independent senator, said some related infrastructure such as roadways also impede the run-off of water.

He said water “harvesting” could also assist in slowing the incidence of flooding “but this will require careful

This is a man who has never learned the basic social skill of agreeing with people, making them feel good about themselves.

He is first and foremost a businessman and there’s an old saying in that game: you don’t go into business to be popular. Maybe not, but surely not many of us actually enjoy being disliked. Donald Trump doesn’t seem to care – in fact it sometimes seems he feels that he isn’t doing his job unless he’s upsetting, disappointing, alienating or offending someone.

It’s like a one-man siege mentality: nobody likes me, so I must be doing something right. Sir Alec Ferguson instilled that attitude into his wildly successful Manchester United teams, and Jose Mourinho went down the same route at Chelsea until he lost focus and alienated his own team and his support staff too, whereupon he was quickly removed from his previously impregnable position.

Whether the same will happen to Trump remains to be seen, but if it were to happen you can bet he would make it very damaging and highly unpleasant.

Some people have a simple knack of being popular, and whether this is due to natural charisma and an innate ability to do and say the right thing or the very different and less admirable implementation of public relations strategies in all aspects of their dealings with people, they tend to rise to prominence ahead of perhaps more deserving candidates who just don’t smile as much.

Politics is the most obvious field where popularity is a make-orbreak quality. It is clearly apparent in the result of the recent UK general election, which showed that Theresa May didn’t realize how disliked she was, nor how many people would rather be governed by the limp hand of Jeremy Corbyn and his bumbling sidekick Diane Abbott. Corbyn is popular with the public, but he’s not so highly regarded by his fellow MPs.

May apparently saw herself as the heir to Margaret Thatcher’s crown as the sort of woman who could sweep the crowds along with her through sheer force of personality, even if deep down they wouldn’t want to be married to her.

Well, now she knows, and the country is in a parlous state largely because of her.

As for Trinidad and Tobago, which currently comes down to Rowley versus Kamla – it’s a classic case of the opposition always shouting loudest. With the political parties here substantially split on a racial as well as a political basis, Persad-Bissessar’s lot are the aggrieved ones right now, and as popular as Dr Rowley might be within his own circles, he is suffering the fate of all successful politicians: being vilified by the competition.

If you ask around for the most unpopular person in TT , the name Peter Crouch comes up, because of the lanky former England footballer’s goal against the Soca Warriors in the 2006 World Cup, which was achieved by climbing all over defender and now Minister for Sport Brent Sancho. But sporting bad guys are like pantomime villains, and anyone who gets excessively worked up about such things obviously has never had anything really terrible happen in their life.

Top of the international “hate lists”, as the unpopularity polls are known because hate is a more powerful word, is usually someone like Adolf Hitler, with other notorious murderous leaders such as Stalin, Mussolini and Pol Pot thrown in.

And then, depending on who did the poll (or made it up off the top of their head) and where they live, you’ll get the facetious nominations of Justin Timberlake and assorted American celebrities you’ve never heard of.

Kanye West is probably the most unpopular global character who is, paradoxically, also one of the most adored and a high achiever in a field where the only measurement is the amount of money the public spends on someone’s work. And guess who West supported in the US presidential election. Yes, the man with the quiff and the surly demeanour.

Why would a spectacularly wealthy rapper whose music sells by the megaton hitch his wagon to the most controversial American politician there has ever been? Could it be that he sees something of himself in Trump? The subsequent climbdown in which he sought to distance himself from the Republican figurehead was surely at the insistence of his publicist and perhaps his lawyers.

Don’t rule out the possibility of Kanye West as a presidential candidate eventually — and that would mean (as things stand, anyway), a First Lady called Kardashian, who would sell the filming rights for the inauguration ceremony to Hello! magazine.

We had been spinning tops as an idle pastime all along. And the ability to have an idle pastime and survive economically is a particularly Trini trait.

Our little sister family, Tobago, is nowhere near as adroit as Trinis in “getting by” by scheme and style. But let me not digress before I start.

The rains of Brett and then last weekend created mires across the country, into which every politician and other fraud tossed their spinning tops—more to be critical of their political opponents than to provide genuine relief—only to see the tops lose their spin.

Here is a memo to the PNM and the UNC: The people are not buying your spin any more. Yes, I know that you see and hear a small group of sycophants at your rallies: wining and waving, paid to attend and perform, but they and you are no longer fooling us.

All this useless ritual of Prime Ministers and Opposition Leaders “visiting the stricken”, or not, and handing out Pampers and flour must be condemned and attention directed instead towards preventing the flooding from happening at all. And it can be done. But maybe the will is lacking in a society — from Penal to Cascade—which is always more prone to feeling sorry for itself than feeling proud of itself.

Since the beginning of this year, and especially towards the end of the long dry season, I have been calling upon government to ensure that the drains, canals, streams and rivers are cleaned and cleared.

Everywhere I looked while I drove during the dry season, I saw ditches, drains, streams, dry watercourses and rivers clogged with sediment, six-foot tall grass and trees and garbage. Proper, effective drain and river clearing is never done. And you could have seen this in the news clippings, from Penal and Barrackpore to Cascade and Maraval, and of course in our capital city.

The city and EW Corridor had blamed the “stupid country people” for building their homes in ravines.

The country people then had their laughter, even as they were still submerged, at the “nasty, ‘dutty’ city people” for bringing their own grief upon themselves. So here we were as a people — inundated by flooding everywhere, cursing each other while we waited for the waters to recede, so that relief might be delivered! And yes, while it is the government that must clear and clean the drains, it is also we who must stop clogging those drains. But the bulk of the blockage is sediment washing down from bulldozed hillsides and the grasses and trees that grow in that sediment. So, until government can get a grip on controlling deforestation and bulldozing, they will have to clear and de-silt all watercourses every dry season.

And it can be done! And it was done in the dry season of 1987, when NAR became the government.

And there was no serious flooding anywhere for the next two dry seasons. But that clean-up was a typical Trini “one and done”, and the drains and rivers were allowed to silt up again, and we tossed more and more garbage into them. Now we continue to almost encourage the population to clog all watercourses, apparently so that our two pathetic political parties can blame each other? If you think this suggestion is farfetched, then you explain to me why our politicians continue to allow this appalling state of affairs to continue indefinitely? It is important to the politicians to have flooding. This provides photo-opportunities, blaming the other side, and trips in helicopters.

They say that the waters must recede before they can see what to do (and this is arrant nonsense, because they should have equipment clearing, from the outfalls, moving upstream to hasten the flow-off). So, the wandering around in brand new tall boots is just another pappyshow: “look at me, I left my office to come down here and pretend that I care!” And let us not forget that these rains bring some political blessings.

The rains and mud drown out the horrendous murders, the fact that “known criminals” can stroll into official functions at President’s House, welcomed as “stormers” by Cabinet Ministers.

That our Prime Minister and his cabinet continue to be clueless about everything they should be managing. That a service contract cannot be finalized to utilise the scanners needed to examine containers of goods which also bring in a $100,000,000 supply of guns for bandits.

And on and on and on, we keep spinning top in deeper and deeper mud, until it turns to quicksand from which there will be no escape.

This time, this year, can we truly clean mud and filth from our lives?