THE EDITOR: Please allow us a little space in your popular column to register the Citizens for a Better Trinidad and Tobago’s agreement with the Prime Minister that the business of crime eradication is everybody’s business; and by this is meant the individual, the family, the neighbourhood, the church, the school, the protective services, the justice system, the health fraternity, the government and the law making institutions of the country. This fact was pungently elucidated in the recently concluded crime eradication seminar workshop hosted by the Ad Hoc Committee For The Eradication Of Crime In Laventille over a four-day stretch. Indeed, this gesture demonstrated that there is a lucid understanding that each one has a responsibility to address the problem in his or her respective sphere of life, occupation or disposition. Indeed too, this applies to the resolution of any social issue. No one can deny that crime, and the associated insecurity and anxiety, is the most pressing social issue engaging the attention of our beautiful twin island state today. We too were disappointed with the non-appearance of the parliamentary representatives for the constituencies which would be the major beneficiaries of the magnificently organised and executed exercise over the four days held at the Hilton Trinidad, the Hotel Normandie, the Despers facility in Laventille and at the Crowne Plaza on the final day. This event will long be remembered by the participants and I’m sure all of Laventille.

No doubt the parliamentary members must have had important things to do that prevented them from attending. However, the presence of Harvey Borris and former Senator Mo-hammed Shabbaz more than compensated as they made their lively and informative presentations on the last day of the seminar. I am certain that there will be plenty of time for the MPs to make their contribution since the process is a long term one. The excuse made by Mr Fitzgerald Hinds is however a very disturbing one. For he claims his absence was due to the presence of miscreants. But wasn’t that what the exercise was all about? To get the participation of all — miscreants, recidivists, the good, the bad and the indifferent? Mr Hinds’ utterance is without doubt ill-advised, counter productive and does not advance the cause of the collective effort in the fight against crime. The Honourable Prime Minister understood the importance of ‘all’ and he demonstrated this by meeting with even the perceived miscreants. So why not you Mr Hinds? You certainly do in your capacity as a criminal lawyer. Our advice to you sir is to get off that high horse and join the community in this great battle against the forces of crime that threaten to take over our communities.

VALARIE SANSAVOUIR
President
Citizens For A Better Trinidad and Tobago

THE EDITOR: There are serious discussions being bandied about in TT, as to whether children are receiving adequate punishment in our schools. The problems regarding discipline should not be placed on the shoulders of those persons managing our schools. The responsibility for the proper disciplining of our children is the sole responsibility of the parents. All the school gets is the finished product, after all; at the age of five, the child’s personality is already formed. One should also take genealogy into account, such as the (XX) chromosome factor; which is synonymous with aggressive behaviour. Just to illustrate my point, I witnessed a grandmother mistreating her granddaughter, who could not be more than five years old, to the dismay of everyone in the TSTT office where the incident occurred, but everyone including myself, remained tight-lipped, no one said anything. The bemused child in the confusion, said to her grandmother: “you cuffing me.” All the persons present, had that gaunt look on their faces and remained as though nothing bizarre was taking place. I ventured to intervene but held my ground, for fear of being told by the belligerent grandmother to mind my own business.

Unlike in the past, no one raised any cross-talk relating to the incident. We have now become what is known as a “Nation of Strangers.” Our overt detachment from what is going on around us is what has “boomeranged” and has now taken over the country much to the detriment of all of us in the form of acute social problems, such as senseless murders and kidnappings. It takes a village to rear a child. Now if someone had spoken up, which I had the inclination to do, but at the last moment decided not to by doing so I became a victim of “group think,” what would it have mattered if the grandmother had slapped my face and told me to mind my own business? My concern should have been for the child, who would have certainly felt at least someone had shown some empathy for her in her plight. Instead of having her believe that she was surrounded by people who were all like her grandmother, who thought it was alright to be cruel to children. It is one thing to be firm and fair with children, but it is unconscionable to be excessively harsh and brutal when disciplining them.
My grandmother was very firm regarding discipline, but above all things she was always fair and considerate.

In a situation such as this she would have reprimanded me with a well tempered scolding, instead of punching me around like a rag-doll. I am not advocating that we allow children to have their way, being rude, disrespectful and indisciplined; far from it. Dr Spock the famous US paediatrician, a self-proclaimed authority on the rearing of children, wrote a book exalting the importance of permissiveness, when dealing with children, only to come back sometime later with another book refuting all that he said in his previous book; calling it a great error and disservice on his part. His change of heart favoured discipline for children and he recommended that a good spanking, tempered with restraint and consideration for the child’s feelings to be most desirable. The most influential and controversial psychologist of our time B F Skinner in his book, Beyond Freedom and Dignity, quoted as follows: “More punishment than is necessary, may suppress desirable behaviour; while too little is wasteful if it has no effect at all.” One must understand the dilemma of the grandmother in question. Having been embarrassed by the child in the presence of strangers she was at a loss to determine how much punishment was necessary and to what degree. To put it bluntly; how much is too much?

In conclusion: It is my contention that if a child comes from a well-disciplined home, where the actions of the parents are “firm but fair,” it is not likely —I use the word “likely,” because human nature cannot be legislated, with any degree of certainty as to the outcome. As such, there is no guarantee. Consequently, we can only empathise with the grandmother in question, but the young, innocent, impressionable child should be our foremost concern bearing in mind that the intolerable behaviour of the child did not originate in the TSTT office on the day that the incident occurred. Prolonged, acceptable bad-behaviour is extremely difficult to change overnight if at all. Discipline cannot be administered; it can only be instilled. We must be disciplined in order to discipline our children, also bearing in mind that the way we live affects children for good or bad. Children are not influenced by what we say, but by what we do.

ULRIC GUY
Point Fortin

THE EDITOR: When I gave birth to the concept of CEPEP in 1999 (so named by the PNM) and was given for adoption by Mr Manning should the PNM win the 2000 General Election, it was not just about painting stones for the exterior beautification of the country, but it was about community enhancement in its entirety. The concept was about refurbishing the hundreds of community centres throughout the country and the re-introduction of programmes and after school classes and activities that will help shape and re-direct the youths of the nation away from a life of crime and drugs to a life of which they can be proud of their creativity and their abilities that will give them great earning potential from the sale of their handiwork. There are thousands of young people who are not so academically inclined in our nation who are being left out and left behind. They need to know that they are not just cared about, but cared for by the government, not in unfulfilled election promises to solicit their votes at age 18 and over, but by the implementation of programmes that will assist them in developing the talent they possess.

Not to forget the parents, the centres would be used for non-working parents who wish to work, the opportunity to earn a salary while assisting working parents with government subsidised affordable child care and giving the child a head start for their education with pre-k classes. I pray that Mr Manning will get back to the basics of CEPEP that will make the $400 million or more spent every year to be worth spending — on programmes that are really rooted and grounded in community enhancement, for it is not just about stones and trees, but it is about the people who make up the communities. I end with a question that needs to be pondered by every member of the government and the opposition; As the trunk of the nation’s tree, what good is a painted stone, when the branches (the parents) are breaking, and the leaves (the children) falling by the wayside only to be blown away into an early grave caused by a life of crime? Keeping in mind that the children of today are our leaders of tomorrow, it’s time to stop saying how much you care on a campaign platform, and start showing it by allowing your actions to speak louder than your words.

ANGELA
NELSON
North Carolina
USA

THE EDITOR: You may want to publish this letter written to The Hon Patrick Manning, Prime Minister, Trinidad and Tobago. Dear Prime Minister Manning: I respectfully request for your positive and immediate response to the demand by your (and our) brothers and sisters with disabilities in your country. They are human beings. Your citizens with disabilities have a great potential to be happy, productive members of your country. When President George Bush, Sr signed the ADA — the Americans with Disabi-lities Act — in the South Lawn of the White House in front of 3,000 plus people with disabilities and members of the US Senate and House of Representatives on July 26, 1990, my late husband, Justin Dart Jr was sitting right next to the President in his wheelchair. We all rejoiced in the new Declaration of Independence for people with disabilities in USA. The world watched it.

Justin was the Chairman of the US President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. He also was a proud member of ADAPT a quite active and effective group of many severely disabled people who do street demonstrations, marches and rallies demanding “equal access to the American dream.” He supported and participated in non-violent civil disobedience in order to get the job done for justice for all. I, too am a proud ADAPT member myself.  Mr Prime Minister, you have the power.  I pray that you will act swiftly on your principles with love and truth for the human dream. I love you! Lead on.

YOSHIKO DART
Port-of-Spain

THE EDITOR: Once again, TT has reason to believe that the performances of George Bovell III in the recent past will catapult this twin island into the swimming big league. All that is necessary now is for Superstar George to come back home, swim at the newest and best facility that is to be built before Christmas and everything will be all right. This country needs facilities if we are to go anywhere in swimming. Finally, we will have it before Christmas 2003. There are just a few things that a simple soul like me would still question such as why is there a need to locate a 50-metre pool just a stone’s throw away from the only Olympic-sized pool in TT.  The planners or maybe the power brokers are deliberately trying to hoodwink the nation into believing that this modern facility is necessary in Powder Magazine. It will not be great in Sangre Grande since there is not a dual highway to take the swimming supporters safely to that part of the country. Furthermore, if those people want to swim, then there is always Manzanilla, Balandra or Toco.

Even though there is a dual highway through Chaguanas to San Fernando and soon to be even past Sando, there is no real reason for locating the major hope for this country’s swimming over the next twenty years (at least) in these parts since the majority of the present swimmers come from town. The same argument holds firm when we look at Tobago. Tobagonians can swim from Milford Bay or Store Bay all the way to Toco for starters since maybe there is no space next to the Dwight Yorke Stadium or even Shaw Park for a fifty-metre or a 25- metre pool that Tobago people can utilise. I believe that planners, power brokers, sponsors, ASATT and supporters of swimming in TT must look towards the holistic future development of the sport in this country. In other words, country comes before self. It will be great to name a swim facility after George Bovell III as he has taken TT to the top echelons of the sport; a position that we are privileged to enjoy. We do not have to build one to achieve this. George Bovell III is a Trinidad and Tobago hero not the hero of a few. After all, he was representing all of TT in Barcelona and Santo Domingo. At least I thought so! When a swim facility is built in the name of a Trinidad and Tobago hero it should be better that as many of us Trinbagonians benefit rather than those from just one corner of the country and hence the George Bovell III swim facility should be more ideally located. 

GANESH NARINE
Tunapuna

THE EDITOR: Why is it always so difficult for Government to complete projects, particularly when it requires the approval of Cabinet to release the money when the original budget was inadequate. My specific reference is to the unfinished renovation of Queen’s Hall. In November 2002 when work stopped and the Hall was re-opened, there remained unfinished: a) An Administrative Office — (now housed in the Old Bar Lounge) b) a Box Office c) Paving of the grounds in front and back of the Hall.

Due to the production of Carnival Messiah construction was hastily begun on a ‘lay-by’ and removal of the wire fencing and gate to be replaced by a wall. The production is over and work has come to a halt in mid stream with only the `lay-by’ completed. The fence has been removed but the wall is not even half way, leaving the car park area exposed to all and sundry to interfere with cars parked during the shows at the Hall. The completion of Queen’s Hall is long overdue. In the interest of national pride and culture, please pay some attention to finishing at least one project satisfactorily.

SHIRLEY KELSICK
St Ann’s

THE EDITOR: For too long the West Indies Cricket Board has been an embarrassment to our region. It is time that the sponsors of this organisation take charge and address this situation to salvage cricket in our region. The latest faux pas made by the Board in electing a bookie as Board President is just one of its many recent poor decisions. It is unfortunate to see how over the past ten years, the cricket board has sat aside and allowed the demise of our beloved regional and once national pastime. While the West Indies cricket team continued to fail at successive World Cup tournaments and foreign tours, the Board rode the backs of our ageing cricketers without a strategic plan to retain cricket supremacy, or even competency. So, the proud West Indies fans saw their cricket stars age without any well-trained replacements and the Board executives sat back like fat cats and collected revenues from foreign tours and television rights.

It is time for us to have a team of professionals undertaking the affairs of the Board. Not only former cricket professionals should be involved in cricket administration, but men and women who have a passion for the game but have proven themselves in their chosen fields. Attorneys, marketing and sales executives, accountants, medical practitioners with expertise in sports and conditioning and even entrepreneurs all have a part to play in the development of a new cricket board. This “old boys” network that dates back to colonial days needs to be disintegrated. It is time for us to have persons with these skill-sets taking reign of our cricket board instead of a figure-head whose agenda has been set by those islands who have elected him. In the United States, for example, the commissioner of the NBA is an attorney by profession. It has been under David Stern that the NBA has experienced unprecedented growth and is now a globally recognised league that plays exhibition games all over the world while its players enjoy international fame and are globally marketed as product endorsers.

Couldn’t we have done the same for Lara or many of our other top players? Why can’t we take a page from organisations such as these and also elect a President that has the interest of all of his or her constituents rather than just a select few. From as far as I can remember, Alloy Lequay has been an executive of the Trinidad Cricket Board, and is still a representative on the West Indies Cricket Board. I am sure that this is true for many of our neighbouring islands. I have nothing against Mr Lequay but I am sure that there are much younger, vibrant individuals with new ideas who can contribute to the growth of West Indies cricket. If we allow the same administrators to sit for years without any accountability, we will fail to allow new perspectives and new ideologies to enter into the realm of West Indian cricket. I hope that the Board becomes Y2K compliant before we attempt to host the 2007 World Cup here in the West Indies!

BLAIR A WILLIAM
Harrisurg, Pennsylvania

THE EDITOR: This is a call for the relevant authorities to fill the huge cracks that run across the road on the Foreshore in the vicinity of the Hasely Crawford Stadium heading east towards Ariapita Avenue. Motorists proceeding in this direction have to bear sharply towards their left going precariously close to the wall and railing. I am sure that several other motorists including those in authority have experienced this problem, so please have this hazard remedied soonest. Thank you.

G WILDMAN
Glencoe

THE EDITOR: Writing in her capacity as a member of several irrelevant and far removed paper associations which purport to firstly have the best interest of Trinidad and Tobago at heart and secondly, to promote intercultural education, training and research and lastly, the image of Trinidad and Tobago in Texas, Linda E Edwards criticises severely a training video prepared by Sunita Singh of the World Wide Training Corporation (Newsday, August 21, 2003 and Trinidad Express August 20, 2003). Apparently the instructional video contains a scene which depicts an ill-mannered, unrefined African interviewer denigrating the right to unprejudiced employment of an East Indian applicant via racist terms and otherwise commonplace, widely promulgated generalisations. It is important to note that Ms Edwards states that she received news of the scene via heresay and cannot state categorically that she or anyone has seen the actual video. Yet she immediately rushes to the rescue of all African employers in Trinidad and Tobago. One is left to wonder if Ms Edwards would have would have volunteered her arsenal of associations had the shoe had been on the other foot. This could easily have been challenged an exception and not necessarily the norm, but obviously Ms Edwards has a point to prove. The rest of her tirade is confined to an attack on Sunita Singh, for which the able bodied Ms Singh will surely challenge, an attempt to conceal clear and compelling evidence of Trinidad and Tobago’s worsening racial climate and list of feeble and pathetic persons and organisations set up by the political directorate of the day to play “smoke and mirrors” with political nepotism, racial discrimination and social injustice.

Indeed, some of Ms Edwards’ rather bold statements are indicative of her suspect mission, as she tries to assert that “we (Trinidad and Tobago) are not a racially divided country.” Clearly she has ignored the findings of every single opinion poll that has sought to gauge public opinion on matters of national importance in the last seven years. This ethnic polarisation has been so glaring that it has led the country’s Prime Minister to appoint a Race Relations Commit-tee to find solutions to lowering the levels of racial tension. Interestingly, this Committee includes Dr Selwyn Cudjoe, a Wellesly College educator who sports a penchant for a pro a African affirmative nation. And Ms Edwards was part of this effort, since every single letter of hers written to the media in Trinidad and Tobago flowed in a particular anti-Indian vein. You may wish to note that Ms Edwards recently ob-served that “Indian doctors (whatever that is) were not being kidnapped in the last crime spree.” This is the mindset of someone who claims to have truth, equity and balance as her watchwords, but really lives by the edict of my race first and to hell with everything else. Indeed, the problem of race relations is so strong that the country’s President, his Excellency Maxwell Richards himself appointed a Committee for National Self Discovery which is aimed at documenting a harmonious way forward for the nation’s various ethnicities. And to add to this, Ms Edwards would not like to tell the international community that GOPIO — the Global Organisation of People of Indian origin has been forced to set up shop here in order to see first hand the terrible conditions of the Indian community. Why doesn’t Ms Edwards sensitise her international counterparts that the Trinidad and Tobago Government’s solution to a failing agricultural state enterprise was to send home the entire workforce comprising 9,000 persons mainly of Indian descent.

Indeed, what Ms Edwards wishes to conceal from the international community is this flood of social injustice that has become the order of the day “since Mr Panday left office.” While Ms Edwards busies herself, the Government of the day has organised a network of party hacks into a plague of garbage collectors, all of whom are either of African descent or who hold party cards in order to pay millions of the country’s money which should otherwise have been spent on the University, on infrastructure, on health, on Police services to arrest the escalating crime levels, most prominent of which are kidnapping and murder. Yet Ms Edwards loses sleep on some silly irresponsible petty African employer who lets his imbued prejudice get the better of him. It might have been professional of Ms Edwards to provide the murder rate for the nation: some 175 after only eight months into the year, and to point out that prominent members of the business community (in particular East Indians) were being targetted for kidnap.

Ms Edwards feels particularly pained that the views of ExxonMobile executives may be tainted by Ms Singh, yet she does not wish to say that the same cultural insensitivity has caused oil giant bptt to run afoul of the nation’s vigilant Indian community as a result of a patent oversight in its Spirit of the Nation’s Award Scheme. While this oil giant seeks to promote community events, the actual selection of specific projects which it supports have caused a considerable measure of discontent and disappointment by shutting out Indian and Hindu projects, which its charitable policy does not equate with “national.” And this should be the valuable lesson taught by the alleged video scene, yet to be confirmed and viewed by Ms Edwards, prior to running hysterical in order to save a burning house with TidCo, ExxonMobil etc. The fact of the matter is that Trinidad and Tobago does have a problem with attitudes and respecting the sensibilities of our diverse peoples, a.k.a a race problem. Executives who come from the North American culture need to be sufficiently sensitised to the do’s and don’ts of our social quagmire. One of the ways is to present real situations so that newcomers would be wary. I trust that this can be published for the benefit of all concerned. Come on Linda, surely you must have better things to do. Pay attention to the message and try not to shoot the messenger. Indeed, it is you who do this nation a disservice.

WILLIAM
RAJKUMAR
Aranguez