Watch it Petes!

So our good editors intervened, to keep me — and themselves — out of prison. It was not, mind you, that they considered my comments to be untrue or libellous — rather, the reason was that my more explicit statements concerned matters already before the Courts. And this was the third time in recent weeks I have been rapped on my writing wrist for getting too close to contempt of court — and I have not even seriously visited the Chief Justice matter!

Some weeks ago I wrote about the Sean Luke murder (remember that — it was before Amy Annamunthodo’s brutality) and I received a call, saying that based upon the AG’s warning, Newsday would not run my column, could I do another? So I scrambled to do a piece for that Sunday in May. Then, for another Sunday in May, I submitted a column and headed off to Grande Riviere — where Newsday could not find me. That article was also too close to court matters, so Newsday dropped it, and substituted my new Sunday Sports Section column in its place.

And this is a good time to tell you all that I now have an article in the sports section each Sunday — mostly football at this time, naturally, but touching on other sports as well. Check it out if you find this column becoming too “serious.” Check it out anyway; you will get a different perspective of TT in Germany over the next few weeks.

“Watch yourself, Petes” has not only come from my editors. I am hearing this from others — not as a threat, but as a warning that threats, or worse, may not be far away. I am, of course, aware that some of my columns may well cause me to become a target for intimidation, or worse. However, up to now I have never received a threat — other than the “contempt of court” censorship of my editors.

I have been writing this column for four years now — and how time flies when you are having fun! I am sure that there must be people who disagree with me — but I have never heard from them — even when I argued for the legalisation of marijuana a couple of years ago. My attempts to stir argument from politicians have been futile (well, except Colm Imbert — but he is hardly a challenge).

When I started to write this column, I promised to try to write on a variety of topics — to avoid the monotony of dealing with the same subject, week in and week out. I also said that I wanted to try to make us recognise the fact that we — as Trinidadians and Tobagonians — have “value.” We have our own music, literature, architecture, natural beauty — in people, places and things — which ought to inspire our own development processes. However, we carry a sense of shame about what is ours, and who we are, and seek to mimic external trends far too often.

I honestly do not think that I have achieved any success in getting people to recognise our (and their!) self worth and value as independent, creative people. However, I also knew that we would not suddenly wake up one morning, and start taking decisions and developing ideas which reflected who and what we are — rather than mimicking Miami. Our presence at the World Cup in Germany can help us here, but neither Government nor the business community is aware of this opportunity.

I have also — over the past few weeks — tended to write on one topic: the corruption and incompetence of our governments and politicians. This has become a bit of a mission with me — for I honestly feel that we all have come to accept that this is how it’s going to be, and we refuse — through complicity, complacence or cowardice — to stand up and say: Stop! Enough!

Our greatest problems are not the crime and corruption, nor the collapsing infrastructure (there is still no water in Cascade). Our greatest problem is our impotence in dealing with these issues, and this I find so difficult to accept. All of our institutions have become complainers and acceptors of the current state of affairs — abandoning the rescue of our country to small, ad-hoc community groups. Given this situation — along with elections looming — I must continue to try to rally at least one — if not more — of our formal estates to find conscience, voice and strength to join and support these community groups. Just look at two examples of our flailing incompetence and acceptance of it.

Our Minister of National Security, has re-appeared with voice. We have a new crime initiative — it’s called 555. It is a poor parallel to TIPS, and I will bet a lot less “secure” in terms of your confidentiality and safety. What Elmer should tell us is the whereabouts of the Scotland Yard/Metropolitan Police who are allegedly in TT. Can the media search this out? Is this new “initiative” just more plagiarism?

Then we had the disgrace of the Government pledging a paltry one million dollars to the nation’s Indian Arrival Day celebrations. How insulting and blatantly politically biased can a government become? We are celebrating an anniversary — unique in the world — and government, teeming with wealth, can, on the basis of pure political bias, engage in the most insulting tokenism possible? Better the government had displayed the same discourtesy as the Prime Minister (and where is he, ladies and gentlemen?) and ignored Indian Arrival Day altogether. Unfortunately, up to now, the media has left comment on this insult to the UNC (a Party which become an embarrassment to much of our Indian community) and this slight has become lost in the political whining of Kamla and her cohorts. But, watch it, Petes —don’t start on that now!