By Raffique Shah
August 03, 2020
Eight days from today, Kamla Persad-Bissessar expects to be named Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago after she leads the United National Congress to victory in the general election, Hers is a legitimate expectation, and she has as good a chance as Dr Keith Rowley, the incumbent office-holder and leader of the People’s National Movement. In fact, she could make history being the only female to win a second term as Prime Minister, to add to her already impressive career as a politician.
Should she succeed, she would hardly have time to settle in the chair before she would be summoned to deal with the ongoing crisis in public health, the Corovid-19 pandemic. There are other crises virtually queuing up for attention—the economy in severe stress, enormous debts due for repayment, murders numbering more than votes some candidates garnered in the election, and so on. In fact, such will be the demands on her time, she would not be able to share a celebratory drink with her family and close friends.
With such a hectic agenda awaiting her, she will not have time to answer some urgent questions that citizens would want answers for, which cannot be postponed. Indeed, the masses have nominated me, Citizen Shah, to pose some of these questions to the PM-in-waiting before she assumes office, just so they are clear about what they must do, how they must conduct themselves in situations that will arise.
First and foremost, as the late local comedian John Agitation would have put the question, will all citizens be expected to rise before the sun does on the eastern horizon on Tuesday morning to worship the Almighty Sun-God, and absorb its healing rays that magically exterminate the deadly Covid-19 virus long before contact?
I should explain that during the election-campaign, people saw and heard you, PM-in-waiting, repeatedly recite the sun-will-destroy-Covid-19 mantra, so we must assume that it is party, and now government, policy. From the onset of the pandemic, your predecessor Rowley, flanked by eminent medical professionals led by the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Roshan Parasram, had us swearing on the wonders of science, and appealed to us to observe the WHO-approved personal hygiene package, introduced social distancing, and so on. Stupidly, we went along with them. The daily dose of statistics that Dr Parasram baffled our brains with, we suspected they might have contained somebogus data.
Now that you have emancipated us from that-black-man, blank-man, whatever, slavery, we are free. With you at the helm, we expect no more masks, no limits to how many of us can gather, not to add jam, and with rum-shops back to 28-hours-a-day operations, thanks to your lobbying for them to do business as usual, we free, free to jam Corvid-19 and wine and have a good time, as Prophet David Rudder exhorted us to do in High Mas.
Lady, you are a blessing undisguised. Forgive me for straying from the questionnaire the masses mandated me to present to you. But I asked myself how many people would have spotted a nexus between managing this country’s international borders, regulating the inflow of residents and citizens to ensure our medical facilities weren’t overwhelmed, and slavery? None of them, I swear! Like legendary boxer Mohammed Ali, but more like Ali than Mohammed, you are simply The Greatest.
You leave no room for error, the chance that uttering “sunlight will kill Covid-19” might have been a slip of the tongue, a mistake. You have all but copyrighted it, had your party adopt it to the extent that it now forms part of the UNC’s advertising campaign for re-election. It’s an official party mantra. Presumably, all your selected men and all your loyal women in the party, would, if elected to power next week Monday, adopt that arrant nonsense as the party’s policy on Covid-19.
Your cavalier approach to the biggest public health threat in one hundred years is puzzling, except if it’s interpreted as blindly worshipping Donald Trump, seeking to imitate Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, two of the world’s worst leaders ever, who have taken their countries into the Valley of Death and destruction. Shucks, you could have chosen instead New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern or Germany’s Angela Merkel, women of immense substance and stature.
If Kamla’s conduct and pronouncements are erratic, to say the least, what about the men who proclaim themselves to be the powers behind the throne? Are veterans like Suruj Rambachan, Tim Gopeesingh, Bhoe Tewarie, Ganga Singh, comfortable with the lady’s sun-rays solution to the deadly virus? Is Kevin Ramnarine happy reciting the mantra?
Or could it be they are all intimidated by Kamla, and she, besotted by prospect of power, is prepared to take them all down the road to destruction? Are we witnessing the making of a megalomaniac who is programmed to self-destruct?
A similar article could be written enumerating the stupid statements made by PM Rowley and his candidates in constituencies all over T&T. The race baiting, dog whistling and embellishments are always part of T&T campaigning during all elections. A partial explanation of this type of rhetoric is that the politicians are attempting to appeal to the baser instincts of the electorate in desperate attempts to garner votes.
Egomaniacal characteristics have become part of the cultural profile of most Trinbagonians, Mr. Shah, you included.
An examination of election campaigning in T&T indicates that the country is very underdeveloped and a long way from civility and good journalism. This article is obviously attempting to influence the outcome of the election just days before the vote. Congratulations!
Please provide an example of of Dr. Rowley uttering such nonsense as sunlight will kill COVID?
Do not be misled by foreign investigators
NEWSDAY 11 HRS AGO
THE EDITOR: Open letter to Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith.
It appears that the UK firm Edmonds Marshall McMahon (EMM) is advising you to circumvent the input and advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in order to obtain warrants to search the premises of an opposition politician before the general election.
Some 39 years ago the Privy Council, via Thomas v AG of TT32 WIR 375, warned us that the armed police force, with the potentiality for harassment that such a force possesses, would be converted into what in effect might function as a private army of the political party that is in government.
Lord Diplock stated that the TT Constitution insulates the police from political influence exercised directly upon them by the government of the day.
Thus it should be noted that the Office of the DPP is the principal public prosecution authority for TT and prosecution means all aspects of a criminal prosecution and includes pre-charge advice, the decision to prosecute, the decision of proceedings ancillary to a prosecution.
The functions of the DPP and the police and other investigators are separate and distinct. The DPP decides if a prosecution should be pursued and, if so, on what terms. The DPP acts independently of those responsible for the investigation while the DPP may consider the views of the investigator where appropriate. In the end it is the responsibility of the DPP to decide whether or not to proceed.
I respectfully wish to point out that you must recognise under the doctrine of the separation of powers that the DPP remains solely responsible for the taking of all prosecutorial decisions and the police remain solely responsible for the conduct of investigations.
EMM so far has received $50 million from the Government via the Office of the Commissioner of Police and in order to justify that fee and renewal of its private contract has usurped the function of the Office of the DPP and is now openly telling you not to seek the advice of the DPP in order to obtain search warrants and even warrants of arrest.
Lastly, reasonable grounds to suspect criminal behaviour is not prima facie evidence to issue warrants of arrest for the suspected commission of the criminal offence.
ISRAEL B RAJAH-KHAN SC
via e-mail
Dr. Velu Annamalai Lecture
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRmkJh4P4bg
Inconvenient
A good therapist will you that you seem to be very angry. But anger sometimes is good and can be functional. It can build self-confidence and sometimes creativity. Use that creativity to find peace and solutions for good and positivity.
Forget five years of rising crime, economic decline, high unemployment, collapse of the oil industry, criminal gangs receiving government contracts, fake oil, Tobago super boats and other failures.
Thank God for COVID 19, we are saved. Quick and decisive action by the Prime Minister and the border is closed. No Covid for we. What a stroke of luck. We even had a ready made action plan from the World Health Organization. No thinking or work involved, hit download and cut and paste as needed. We even had a ready made quarantine centre, the Couva hospital already vacant and available for use.
How ironic that a Govt that spent the last five years closing things down will be re-elected solely by taking credit for preventing a global pandemic from spreading in the country.
As of today, at least thirty countries have a lower number of Covid infections than T&T including Bermuda, Belize, Fiji, Barbados, Grenada, St Vincent, and St Lucia.
On Aug 10, we will get a chance to decide who is fooling whom.
Unemployment at 16%(nominal could be more), 100,000 lose their jobs, deficit at a staggering $121,000,000,000. Central Bank overdraft at $41 billion. Borrowing to pay public servants at an all time high. Over $300 billion spent and no schools built or completed, no new revenue streams, Point Lisas on the verge of collapse. Several industries set to close. GATE, school feeding, no laptops, potholes galore. All UNC held corporations defunded. In addition the porous border have seen a heavy influx of Venes. As a friend said they come with an attitude (they better than us). Even in Chagaramas boat loads arrive every day to sell fish.
Covid 19 is overblown and that has been the PNM campaign under 8,000 tests and less than 50 active cases with a paltry 8 deaths, but loads and loads of fear generated by the balisier brigade. One lady said she ain’t leaving her house to vote and Nigel Henry already predict a PNM win so why bother. Obviously citizens like it so….
The world economy is heading into a serious depression. The PNM has incurred negative growth each successive year. To vote the PNM back in will be a disaster. They are good at winning elections but great at taxing, taxing, taxing, blaming, blaming, blaming. And giving family and friends billions. Stuart Young family made a cool $45 million….but he came and shed many tears. Vote PNM when allyuh ras starving then you would think.
The budget deficit for 2020 is estimated to be 11 billion, i.e. 11,000,000,000. What Mamoo has written there is a hundred and twenty one billion, i.e. about twice the GDP of T&T. Mamoo, you put in an extra zero there, I don’t know if you got that in your head, but it’s like you added a hundred billion just so. Under the UNC from 2010 to 2915, the budget deficit increased every year, from -0.69% in 2011 to -7.9 in 2015. A continous increase in the deficit. Under the PNM, the deficit declined from 2016 to 2019, down to -3.9% in 2019. Covid 19 and the subsequent decline in oil prices has affected that trend. More about your figures later.
Don’t worry Trinbagonians, Kamla is going to build a dome around Trinidad and in this way keep out illegals and at the same time let in the sunlight that kills Covid. Beam me up Scotty!
Birdie,
Two points…
(1)If Kamla builds the dome, wouldn’t that prevent her ministers from importing dugs, guns and prostitutes?
(2)while your pounts are factual and earnest, i personally am not interested in pretending that indian trinidadians as a group, vote based on those factors i.e good/bad governance. Historical record up til 2015, shows that indians follow the brahminist (“Hindu”), racist varna (“caste”) system (hierarchy) in all aspects of life in T&T, from sport to the judiciary, to electing a Prime Minister i.e voting. They have proven over a 64+ year period, that they ONLY want straight haired and light skinned persons in ALL positions (Preferably Indian) of power and influence. The concern is not whether the PM caries himself in a classy, dispassionate and respectful manner, but how dark his skin is and how african his facial features are! This is thousands of years of indian white supremist religious beliefs in effect! Ah lie? Listen to this lecture by an actual indian national, who was born and raised as a self described BLACK, african descended, “Untouchable” (Dalit), which is considered A RACE OF PEOPLE, that are a theologically derived, hereditary ENslaved race in Brahman-ism (“Hindu-ism”).
Dr. Velu Annamalai’s Lecture and message to African people.
*Brief 5 minute introduction by Guyanese host*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRmkJh4P4bg
Let the cognitive dissonance begin!
shah is a bitter man after the unc kicked him out