Attacking the Rot

Coming mid-term and some seven months after we have seen the Minister of National Security replaced, as well as a completely new arm of the law formed, Mr Manning’s statement that the Government “is doing its best” to contain crime is an admission by his own lips of their failure. How much longer are we going to permit this trial and error learning process to continue?  I was at first going to refer to it as a probationary period, but we are, unfortunately, not that fortunate. Would that we were.  A probationary period has set limits and can be terminated at any point, if necessary.  Perhaps a cogent argument for including a mid-term referendum in any potential discussions on constitutional reform.

Mr Manning has proven altogether too keen to interfere or lend voice in the wrong instances, such as donation of State lands to insurrectionists on the eve of an election (hastily aborted at the insistence of his own Party even), donation of illegal structures as “community centres” and cosy relationships with “community leaders” of questionable repute, amongst others.  When one of these “community leaders,” who had been photographed on the campaign trail in close attendance with Mr Manning on a walk-about was murdered, Mr Manning was “taken aback” by the news. However, upon learning of the fate of the kidnapped son of one of  his fellow Parliamentarians, albeit from the Opposition bench, he found it necessary to await all the facts to make an appropriate statement.  Surely an appropriate statement would have been to express outrage at such an occurrence to any member of our society, be they gangster, on either side of the political divide or JQ Public?  We expect no less from  “caring” equitable governance.

Another factor which reflects on the level of  caring of our PM, is his reason for not attending the funeral of his co-Parliamentarian’s son that he did not know when the funeral would be held and was attending a meeting. This is made the more odious when compared to the recent occasion trek when he cancelled a foreign trip to Mexico on Government business (for all the people of TT) in favour of a trek up Laventille to override a legal NHA decision to demolish an illegal structure constructed by a Muslimeen contractor. Further, all Trinidadians (except our born again PM perhaps)  know that Muslims bury their dead with the greatest of despatch and his lack of awareness reflects sorely on the liaison and efficiency of his office.  How abreast of current affairs is our PM? His deflection of any responsibility to the populace in the matter, calling on the UNC to support Police reform as the solution to tackling the ever worsening crime scenario is both ludicrous and futile. 

Without attacking the chancre there can be no cure.  It is like dismantling a termite infested house and rebuilding with the same materials on the same site without attacking the underlying rot and the result is a foregone conclusion, of which he is as well aware as any one else, believe me.   Temporary patches, as if the nation were a virus infected computer, and panaceas are the order of the day. Vision 2020?  It is time that the nation wake up and clear the cobwebs from their own vision and realise that we are further down the ladder of achieving “developed status” than ever before — we are on the way to becoming fourth rate, not third rate, and unless each and every citizen protests and demands their right to “freedom” and progress it will continue, along with murder and mayhem. The rot is escalating and things can only get worse.

Complying with the PNM advertisement exhorting citizens to take the ME out of crime leaves one phonetically with CRY.  Many are already crying.  We must all now cry with one voice for a return to equitable and honest governance. Under so called “corrupt” governance we were not crying and ducking bandits and bullets as we are under this integrity laden (since they carry the burden of unfiled Integrity forms) “caring” Government. The answer, fellow citizens lies in our own hands, not those of a demonstrably incapable administration.  Democracy is maintained by the people for the people — not just a few in either instance — and we must each be prepared to shoulder our individual share of the burden in demanding a return to  a “safe” democratic unit.  Silence is taken as acquiescence with any situation, and this goes for poor governance too.

VIRGINIA VERITY
PoS