San Juan business group slams Cro Cro

THE San Juan Business Associa-tion yesterday condemned the lyrics of calypsonian Cro Cro’s 2004 social commentary “Face Reality,” as  “irresponsible” and jeopardising “legitimate economic activity by placing aspersions on the business community.”

Cro Cro, at the opening of the Revue tent on Friday night, performed the song for the first time and left many eyebrows raised. However, Weston Rawlins yesterday insisted that he wrote his song and if anyone had information they should take it to the police. The song deals with the issue of kidnapping, and it attacks politicians and the business community. President of the association, Gail Merhair, yesterday said it was unfortunate that calypso and soca, which is the true form of expression in Trinidad and Tobago, has been reduced to “this level.” She said the implications of Cro Cro’s “social commentary should be deemed irresponsible, and clearly sends a negative message to our society.”

She added that in “the cloak of art, Cro Cro has targetted and jeopardised legitimate economic activity by placing aspersions on the business community.” She also denied that the majority of persons kidnapped in San Juan and environs were involved in drugs or criminal activity. She said there was no reason for Cro Cro to incite one sector, the criminal element, to attack businesspeople to serve his own self interest in the name of controversy. She added that in the association’s views, no legitimate business can and should support such statements that put the entire business sector at risk. Merhair contended that Cro Cro’s lyrics seem to imply that we should adopt Middle Eastern laws. She questioned, “If it is accepted for criminals to attack ‘illegal business individuals’ then is it right for law-abiding citizens to take the law into their own hands? Are we to say if someone rapes we should castrate him or if one catches a thief, should we cut his right hand off, are we breathing a society of lawlessness?”

Merhair said the laws of TT must be obeyed, especially in this “critical time of re-building.” “Do we need further exodus of the business sector? Do we need the international community to further view TT as unsafe and unstable? Does the Police Service need a further strain on its already limited human and financial resources to fight crime?” she asked. National Security Minister Martin Joseph on Sunday said he couldn’t comment on the issue since he hadn’t heard the song. He promised to comment after he has heard the calypso, adding, that he could not agitate anything that could go against law and order.