THE EDITOR: I must confess that my heart never fails to pain me when I witness on television or read in the press the injustice which so many parents, teachers as indeed adults in general inflict on our minors in their quest to press demands for the improvement or provision of amenities and facilities in our communities. It is not the first time that I have tried to enlist the understanding of adults that they are doing serious damage to the minds and souls of minors when they engage them to become involved in protest action of any kind. The latest has been the protest action taken by the residents of Bamboo Settlement highlighting their resentment to the manner in which the authorities implemented the adjustments in traffic flow which adversely affected their traditional lifestyle.

This involvement of minors in protest action is a practice which began in the late seventies/early eighties when every effort was being made to dethrone the government of the day. The perpetrators of this type of injustice to our minors know themselves very well. Some of them are now projecting themselves as paragons of virtue and laying themselves blameless before God and man after having contributed so alarmingly to laying the foundation for the incontrollable spate of crime and lawlessness which have now become a way of life among so many of the young people of our country. Many of the young criminals and bandits of the day are the very minors who were groomed by these self seeking politicians. Now having learnt from their elders, some of these same minors, now further advanced in age have now turned their guns against society.

They are now resenting being disciplined; they show their protest by satisfying their cravings through the barrel of a gun. They are the ones who were given on-the-job training on how to defy authority in protesting the lack of school crossings, inadequate water supply in their villages, poor road conditions, poor electricity supply, disciplinary action taken by teachers, lack of school supplies etc, etc. Let me hasten to say that by no stretch of the imagination am I passing judgement on the integrity and/or legitimacy of the demands or grievances. What I am saying is that, whatever the classification, these demands and grievances are best addressed by adults, not by innocent, immature and unsuspecting minors. Yes, we are guilty. We have contaminated the minds and souls of our minors and we are paying the price today. But alas! We continue the folly. We have not learnt our lesson. We are still bringing out our minors with the placards and exposing them to the obscenities and lawlessness which characterise many of these protest demonstrations.

Should the Government not take steps to curtail this? To protect our minors from this unfair, unkind and unpalatable injustice which we are inflicting on our children? Children whose minds are not yet developed enough to understand and appreciate all the ramifications and implications of the protest actions which they are being coerced to participate in. Some of them look so bewildered, some confused. Others are there because they consider it fun. And yet others because they have simply been instructed to do so by their elders. Have we ever stopped to think what is going through their innocent minds as they stand bewildered before the cameras, before the police and before the nation? Please parents, please teachers, please adults let us put a halt to this injustice and save our children from themselves. Perhaps if we start now, it would add some value in decreasing the crime rate in the not too distant future and eventually help us to reclaim our communities.

ROY MITCHELL
Port-of-Spain

THE EDITOR: Every year on the anniversary of our Independence, many of our citizens receive national awards for their service to country and for their accomplishments and achievements bestowing honour upon Trinidad and Tobago. Let us not forget the men and women of our protective services who serve us, the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, everyday. I was involved in a vehicular accident in the Port-of-Spain area on the afternoon of August 31, 2003. The driver of the other vehicle ignored my attempts to get him to pull over. When he finally stopped, he refused to accompany me to a nearby Police Station to report the accident. He also refused to show his driver’s permit and insurance certificate.

From our exchange and his erratic driving, it was obvious that he was intoxicated and a danger not only to himself, but also to others on the road as he continued driving along the highway. Eventually, some off-duty police officers stopped and offered assistance when they realised that there was a ’situation’. These officers were returning to their southern division after a long day of Independence activities. I personally commend these officers, especially PC Ayoung and PC Griffith for their dedication and commitment to service, and for their compassion showed while handling this situation. To all such officers, I honour you.

LINDA GARCIA
Maraval

THE EDITOR: I want to congratulate His worship the Mayor of Port-of-Spain for finally realising that the streets of Port-of-Spain will never work for anything other than walking on the sidewalk and driving on the road. Every time you try to help these people they take advantage of the situation and show no concern for anyone but themselves. In the end everyone suffers, us and them. Imagine two weeks ago I tried to park my car on Charlotte Street and a vendor approached and informed me that I could not park because that spot was reserved for him to put his table later in the day. Thank you Mr Mayor and please keep up the good work.

GILLIAN C WARREN
Diego Martin

THE EDITOR: Last Sunday August 31, I had reason to leave my home in west Trinidad to travel to deep south on an errand. To keep my company, I turned on the radio and to the extent that I preferred to listen to something intellectually stimulating (hopefully) I chose talk instead of music. 95.5 was my only choice at that time. It was the Umbala and Jerome Lewis show. I’m familiar with these two talk show hosts and if I want comic relief, I can listen. What I have found over time is that these two radio hosts take themselves seriously. The elder of the two is an unapologetic narcissist. Worse than Dr Job (and you could hardly get worse than that). He mispronounces words, speaks bad grammar while speaking in a phony Victorian accent and uses big words in an inappropriate context.

The younger of the two is still searching for a niche whether as a serious commentator or a comedian but is overwhelmed by his older “king of talk” and slavishly follows, even mimicking him. All this is by way of introduction. I listened to what was called “Letter to my Grandchildren” by Umbala. It was a 40-minute diatribe of self hate, self praise, riddled with contradictions and boorishness. It was talk radio at its worst, offensive to an educated ear. Radio is a powerful tool, it has the capability to do many things to a listening public including but not limited to educating and/or miseducating them.

One wonders why the management of that outfit would want to unleash on the populace, especially the African people, the likes of Umbala, Jerome and Morgan Job. Those three do more harm to the African psyche than most of the neo-colonial institutions that abound. It also baffles me why Pastor Kwame would wish to devalue his annual Kwanza awards by giving awards to Umbala and Jerome. One would not be surprised if Morgan Job receives his Kwanza award in 2004. After all, it seems that once you’re African with name recognition, even with notoriety is all that matters. In listening to Umbala and Jerome, I’m reminded of the late Ronnie William’s famous line, “This country has many freedoms, not the least of which is the freedom to make an ass of oneself.”

LLOYD ST LOUIS
Glencoe

THE EDITOR: On August 15 you reported that “… Cabinet yesterday agreed to ‘beef up’ the powers of the Integrity Commission in order to ‘transform’ it into the ‘State institution’ charged with the responsibility of leading the national strategy against corruption.” We understand that the “beefing up” measures being considered are those that have been recommended by the anti-corruption consultant, Mr Bertrand de Speville, who was here in February on a UNDP assisted visit to advise the Government on its anti-corruption programme. Mr de Speville was a founder and for a time head of Hong Kong’s very successful Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). During his stay he shared with various groups some of the secrets of that institution’s success.

He pointed out that, at the time of the Commission’s founding, Hong Kong was considered to be one of the most corrupt places in Asia. People remarked cynically that “ICAC” stood for “Interference with Chinese Ancient Customs.” Some years later, however, when the new international airport was built, there was no suspicion of corruption in any of the thousand or so contracts awarded. De Speville noted that, to be successful, any anti-corruption plan must first take into account the culture and social structure of the country where it is implemented. And the Hong Kong experience taught that there must above all, be the political will to establish a really effective plan. He stressed that any anti-corruption agency must be given the legal framework and resources enabling it to draft appropriate legislation, conduct thorough investigations and monitor compliance. There must be prompt action taken in the cases which it refers to the DPP. It must also develop and help implement effective corruption prevention measures.

Further, he emphasized the importance of community participation. The anti-corruption agency must involve the private sector and ordinary citizens in its work at various levels, using for example, citizens’ advisory committees. It must also undertake public education that, among other things, helps people to understand clearly that corruption deprives them of a better quality of social services. In Hong Kong this has fostered zero tolerance of corruption at all levels. There is no doubt that we need something like an ICAC here. But we will not have a successful new Integrity Commission if recent history is repeated and the Commission finds itself once again lacking for the human and material resources it needs to do its work. Much more than asset declaration forms will be needed if it is to carry out its expanded role.

Therefore we need, which so far seems to have been sadly lacking, an unambiguous commitment on the part of the government of the day to give it full and on-going support. Another requirement for success is that the all interested groups play a real part in the “beefing up” process. The consultant’s recommendations and the Government’s proposals must be studied and debated widely before any legislation is enacted. And it is hoped that public opinion in favour of the reforms will be strong enough to ensure enough co-operation in Parliament to get the necessary special majority.

BOYD REID
Chairman, TT Transparency Institute

THE EDITOR: This letter is in response to a commentary in Newsday on August 24, by David Abdulah with the caption: “Haiti such an incredible country.” In it he mentioned our great debt to the Haitian people, for being the first country to win its Independence in the Caribbean. This accomplishment to my mind, served posterity better than it did progress for the people of Haiti. After well over 200 years, Haiti has not risen from the ashes, after gaining its Independence from France. At this writing, Haiti still remains in obscurity as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. No one should be made to believe that 150 million francs paid to France by Haiti as compensation for its cessation is responsible for the poverty and degradation that exists today with no end in sight.

Haiti’s acceptance to Caricom, because of it being in the region, could well be an error in judgment and further talk of CSME consideration and full integration of Haiti in the region is cause for concern. Haiti should not be allowed to come to the table with only its appetite, it should also be made to bring something to the feast. Bearing in mind that certain standards must be met by all the islands in the Caribbean including Haiti, we must put controls in place in the region (Caricom) to ensure that quality products are disseminated throughout the region. The absence of an FDA or a related agency leaves the region open to the infiltration of shoddy products. The European Union’s (EU) stand against fish trans-shipped through TT is a case in point.

Although TT is the biggest supplier of yellow tuna fish to the US, the EU banned fish transshipped through TT because TT fish port facilities, to use its words, “were not adequately hygienic.” The EU requires that steel work table tops be used, not wooden tops in the trans-shipment of fish. TT has only wooden tops. This is the type of restraint and quality controls that are essential to ensure that Caricom and CSME products are of a high quality. And it behoves us to put every member of Caricom, especially Haiti, to the test despite David Abdulah’s carte blanche, open-door policy extended to Haiti regarding Caricom and CSME. In conclusion, I am against the region having to be beholden for the past and present indiscretions of Haiti, for its unconventional way of doing things. Haiti after waging a successful war against France, freeing itself from France’s domination and colonialism in 1791, is still up to today, without the wherewithal to steer the country out of its abject poverty, into a democracy.

The US government took it upon itself and freed Haiti from the yolks of dictatorship by sending the Haitian dictator Duvalier into exile. Simultaneously, Aristide, a well-respected Haitian priest was being groomed as the leader in the transformation of Haiti from dictatorship to a democracy, which to date remains an exercise in futility. There are still opposing forces in Haiti engaged in a relentless fight to maintain the status quo. What chance does the region have in its endeavour to bring into the 21st century, a country with such a track record, hell-bent on doing lip-service to the conventional way of modern day living.

ULRIC GUY
Point Fortin

THE EDITOR: WASA has the outstanding record of decades of public misadministration and degrading mismanagement at the country’s expense. CEO after CEO, Chairman after Chairman and Board after Board have lapped up million dollar-salaries and benefits without setting any reasonable deadline or any particular policy or regulation to monitor itself and the renegade and runaway orphaned sewage facilities. While billions of dollars are given away in gas and oil, TT continues to be exposed to cholera, hemorrhagic dengue and a variety of deadly diseases.

And why? Because TT is bankrupt of integrity.
FFOS calls on our Right Honourable Prime Minister to:
(1) Establish a $2,000 million ($2 billion) as a start for a Heritage Fund from the $19,000 million ($19 billion) that Atlantic LNG exports tax free.
(2) Report to our nation within three months with a comprehensive technical assessment and Action Plan for cleaning up the faecal filth of our country.
(3) Bring legislation to Parliament within three months for the appointment of a Director of Public Appointments who would be responsible for ensuring the technical qualifications and integrity of all political appointees while eliminating appointees with known conflicts of interest.
(4) Bring water pollution rules to Parliament immediately for negative resolution to allow the EMA to charge WASA and ultimately serve to arrest WASA officials for endangering public interest and contributing to our already highly polluted seas.
Unless our Prime Minister and Cabinet adheres to the policies of our National Environmental Policy and conduct environmental public affairs of Government in a transparent and accountable manner, Trinidad and Tobago will continue to be one of the most polluted Caribbean destinations.

GARY ABOUD
Secretary, FFOS

THE EDITOR: I want to salute all three newspapers for keeping the Akiel Chambers issue on the front burner of national consciousness. Today, I begin with Newsday because you ran the piece this morning. Having three major newspapers in a country with less than 1.5 million people is an important aspect of democracy that people in TT take for granted. In the town where I mainly reside, we have 3 million people being served by one major paper. That paper decided what is news in print. I am glad something will come of this, it may be a little too late, but if appeals were made on radio, TV and in print, for other children so abused to come forward, in language that the children can understand, even within the families of those implicated, would speak out.

In the 1980s when the video Shattered Lives was made, initial discussions had included the possibility of creating a hotline that abused children could call for help, and putting the number on milk cartons and cereal boxes as well as candy wrappers. Perhaps, such a hotline, established jointly by all three newspapers, with a database available to all, would allow children to provide information that could be kept confidential until the source is checked out and investigated. Children may not tell their parents, but they may tell teachers, a family friend or a “best friend,” another child. Such people must be encouraged to report the information in an atmosphere free from fear and reprisal. Perhaps crime stoppers could help with this also, minus the reward. (Children should not start selling info about their own abuse).

We could turn this child’s sad tale into a national inquest on the sexual abuse of children, and do something about that. In times of crisis, an inter-agency task force can tackle problems that no one group can do alone. This is such a time. Shattered Lives Version Two cries out to be made. With a little urging from the media, with a hotline for abused boys to call, with daily keeping of the magistracy’s feet before the fire of justice for a silenced victim, we could, quite possibly, expose and run the child predators out of business. I am not for targeting people where they live, but in US cities, one can go online and check if child molesters who have been convicted, live in your neighbourhood. In fact it can be done for all sexual predators. (Very helpful for late evening women and joggers and walkers, and families with children.) We need something akin to that level of awareness, to protect the innocence of a TT childhood. Many of our children are raised by caregivers other than two parents living together. That fact should not expose them to victimhood as if they were throw away children. The newspapers have been the voice of a silenced child. Keep it up. Make something happen. Continue to be the voice for justice for Akiel and who knows how many others.

LINDA EDWARDS

THE EDITOR: We are oftentimes guilty of putting old wine in new bottles and packaging it as if it were a new product. I remember my deceased stepfather putting blended whisky in De Luxe bottles to improve his status among his friends. The true connoisseur will undoubtedly recognise the deception while the “ink” drinkers will salivate at the thought of the finest. Why this metaphor on drinking? Hopefully it will need no explanation. At the recent launch of the National Drama Association’s Theatre Month, the Minister of Community Development and Gender Affairs Senator Joan Yuille-Williams described the efforts as “a visionary concept.”

I need to say at this point that I have the utmost respect for the senator who taught me at Teachers Training College in 1979-80. With respect to NDATT’s Theatre Month however, she may have unknowingly been putting old wine in new bottles with no help from the executive to derail the deception. The Theatre Month concept is as old as NDATT itself. In fact a cabinet minute attests to the fact. The headline of note EC (80)204 reads “Request by the National Cultural Council to present a non-competitive Festival of Drama in Trinidad and Tobago during the period July to September, 1981. The objectives of the proposed festival of drama, 1981, were as follows:
• Improving standards in all aspects of theatrical productions.
• Developing audiences for the theatre.
• Stimulating groups to produce by providing assistance.
• Encouraging the formation of an association of dramatic artists.

The NDATT may not have been in possession of the cabinet note but are definitely in possession of the 22 point plan proposed by the organising committee which was chaired by Mr James Lee Wah. Point eleven of the plan speaks to “Promotion of Theatre Festivals.” The present executive must be aware of the past occasions when June and July were the scheduled months for theatre activities in Trinidad and Tobago. It is unfortunate that since 1990, under several new executives, no new festival was done. In 1995, a plea was made at a symposium organised by the Secondary Schools Drama Association by actor David Sammy for the reintroduction of the National Drama Festival since it encouraged the wider participation of groups in the National Festival and created greater public awareness of theatre activities in the country. This plea fell on deaf ears since NDATT appeared to have had another agenda.

Three years ago NDATT organised a playwriting competition that was to culminate in a mini festival consisting of the four top plays. In spite of the effort made and money spent to dramaturge the plays, the festival never materialised. NDATT should not take this commentary as negative since as an avid observer of its actions, I am tremendously pleased that a greater effort is being made by its members to fulfill the stated objectives of the founders of the association. It is unfortunate that the Minister was not appraised of the place of the festival in NDATT’s history and was allowed to commit this faux pas. The accolade of “visionary concept” rightfully belongs to the founders. The present executive of NDATT deserves to be rapped on their knuckles for allowing this to occur.

VICTOR EDWARDS