Yes we have problems, but . . .

THE EDITOR: This year is rushing to its end in a flood of blood and a rising tide of kidnappings. Some of our cold-blooded politicians will crawl all over these traumatic incidents to have a political feast. They will lose no time in singing the praises of the so-called halcyon of their regime and decry what they will call the bloodstained incompetence of their successors. In this Kafka-like scene they extend to all their Yuletide and New Year felicitations. We have grown accustomed to the absurdities of those politicians, those political incompetents whose comprehension of their role in the Opposition is limited to a literal definition of the expression.

The prophetic words of the Prime Minister concerning their responsibility for the rising murder statistics would have burdened the conscience of those who still had one. However there is a stream of sly suggestions of violence in the desperate diatribes of the leader of the opposing rabble. Thus we have the year closing with unenviable homicide figures and an alarming kidnapping outbreak with a gloating leader of the other side sneering at the citizenry with a cruel “I told you so!” It is easy in these circumstances to lose faith in human nature and succumb to the reactionary impulse of fear. It takes courage to keep on the path of faith in the inherent virtue of humanity and to appeal to that spark of divinity which is in all mankind.

This is the unspoken message Mr Manning transmits by his calm demeanour and humanitarian responses to the needs of others. He does not deny the existence of social problems but he seeks solutions with unrelenting determination. There is no suggestion of frenetic fuming that so frequently foams in the mouth of our other leader of late. It is this calmness and frankness that inspires the public confidence in the Prime Minister. His speeches may deliberately lack the raging fire of some other leaders but the sober wit and methodical assurances of his public addresses inspire his audiences with the confidence we need to address our social problems with calm deliberation and solve them. The observation of one of our calypsonians, those unacknowledged legislators of our nation comes to mind — “Yes we have we problems to face Just like any other place, but the things they does say ‘bout here Is really too much for me to bear.” May the promise of peace and love that Christmas heralds be always realised in us all.

GEORGE DAMIEN
Arima