By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
September 14, 2011
William Hardin Burnley was the biggest slave holder in Trinidad and Tobago. In 1813 Sir Ralph Woodford arrived in the island as the governor. One of his first tasks was to secure sufficient laborers for the island, Trinidad being notorious for not having sufficient laborers to till its soil. One year after he arrived he asked each member of his Board of Council to come up with suggestions to induce laborers to settle in the country.
Mr. Bigge, the Chief Justice favored the importation of Europeans. John Nihell, the former chief justice, suggested that Africans be brought into the island as indentured laborers for a period of ten years. Burnley rejected the introduction of African laborers whom he felt were “so grossly ignorant that they are required to be taught everything they were to do.” He suggested the importation of Asians, “a docile and intelligent class of laborers, already accustomed to agriculture, to whom the climate would present no drawbacks and whose very prejudices of caste would keep them from combining with the slaves, who, so long as slavery should exists, would be always more or less disposed to revolt.”
Through this act, Burnley became the first person to advocate bringing of East Indians to the island to deal with the labor situation. He was also the first person to understand that “the prejudice of caste” may have prevented the Indians from coming together with the Africans to transform the political culture of the island.
Over the past two centuries, the Africans have accommodated the Indians in the island. Generally, we have lived harmoniously together as brothers and sisters. Then the PP came into power and everything they have done since seems a conscious effort to vindicate Burnley’s predictions.
The first act was to inaugurate a multicultural policy. Henceforth, T&T was not to be a homogenous society where we strove to be one society as Eric Williams enunciated in his History of the People of Trinidad and Tobago. Such a policy was an attempt to fragment the society by promoting division over cohesion.
It is important to note that the impetus for a multicultural strategy came from Sat Maharaj, the leader of the Maha Sabha.
Fourteen months after that declaration came the crushing blow. The declaration of a state of emergency (SOE) in which an overall onslaught was made against young black men from black neighborhoods: Beetham, Maloney, Morvant, Laventille. In the process, they built detention camps to warehouse these young men. Detention camps are associated mostly with places like Germany (where the Jews were interned) and the United States where Japanese were summarily rounded up and detained.
Such an act, no matter how much relief it brings to a crime-weary society, does not contribute the ethnic cohesion of the society. The United States thought it was doing the best thing for the war effort when they interned Japanese. It left a nasty stain on the society they are still trying to heal.
Imagine the possible out come of our action. Trinidad and Tobago consists of 1.3 million persons of which 38 percent are Africans which means that approximately 500,000 Africans live in Trinidad and Tobago. According to the 2000 census, there were 476, 000 persons within the ages of 15-34 years of age. Since Africans consists of 38 per cent of the population there are approximately 180,000 Africans within the ages of 15-34 years of age.
If approximately half of this population are males then we are speaking of approximately 90,000 young black men.
Thus far the government has picked up approximately 1,340 black young men. We do not know how many of these young men have been brutalized but let us say that by November the PP government picks up about 5,000 young men then the government would have managed successfully to criminalize and brutalize fully six percent of the black population between the ages of 15-34 age population.
Let us suppose that each of these 5,000 men has a brother, a sister, a mother and a farther. Then it means that close to 20,000 Africans would have been touched personally by the SOE in a negative way. If each of these young men has an aunt and/or an uncle, a grand father and a grand mother then the SOE would have touched the lives of another 20,000 Africans bringing that total to close to 40 thousand Africans who have been and are touched directly by his brutal program.
And there have been arbitrary detentions. Take the case of John Gill of I 95 fm. He is a regular guy who dejays and plays his music. He is at home. The police knocks on his door and picks him up. He can’t even put on a shoe. He is asked to come as he is, in his slippers.
He is thrown into a cell with two persons accused of murder. Next day he is taken to court. His infraction. He did not pay a $200 parking ticket. That is enough to make him a criminal and let him feel the wrath of the law.
I am not sure that John would ever be the same again. He is not likely to look at an Indian person again with the same directness and trust as he did before this assault. Such an arbitrary use of the law cannot conduce the improving the race relations between the group. The same I suspect is true for the 50,000 persons who have been touched by the SOE.
Burnley died in 1850. But the building of detention camps to house Africans may constitute the second act in the fulfillment of his predictions.
Even if about 70 per cent of the population supports the SOE let us hope that we do not reap the whirlwind in the next generation as the society continues to divide and fragment upon itself; and as black people become more alienated from the system.
The PP is doing everything in its power to authenticate Burnley’s words. How much does it take to say, “Slow down, you are moving too fast.”
“If approximately half of this population are males then we are speaking of approximately 90,000 young black men…”
I say the prof is right too many of them, so my suggestion is to build bigger jails. Keep these areas currently under curfew for another year. That way the place can be sanitized and law and order restored. The PP is only party that have the courage to engage the criminal elements in a humane way. Locking up social deviants is unsavoury but necessary exercise.
The long term mission should be to discourage gangsterism. There was a time when the gangsters ruled America, then along came Elliot Nest and strong law enforcement.Soon the streets of the big apple was cleared. It should be the same for sweet T&T. Take them out, build bigger jails and help those who need help. Send the small islander criminals back their homeland…
And where do you propose we send this group of Thugs?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Group_of_Thugs.gif
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuggee
Importation of India’s Thugs another legacy of British Colonialism.
Karibkween, lost souls like Mamoo have fallen victim to a global political virus in which, as Capitalism, carried by its vector, globalism, infects all, especially former colonised peoples, countries and parties.
The leaderships of these countries and their political parties, to ‘survive’ must become willing all sub-vectors of the pandemic.
They must thereby unavoidably create local conditions favourable to the spread of the diseases of impoverishment and vast gaps in wealth and poverty.
To prevent the local populace from being inoculated against the virus, for example, with becoming skeptical and thereby ‘dangerous’, must ensure that clods like Mamoo become either mindlessly partisan on one hand or hopelessly cynical on the other.
There is hope, however. All of us do not always sside with the executioners.
Good question Karibkween. I was always in favour of expanding Carrera. They could house them on that tiny island. That way they cannot escape. Keep the murderers and ganglords there so that they don’t have contact with the regular population. Too many of them are handed cell phone and preferential treatment at Golden Grove. That is the only way Karibkween to bring back civility in society.
I don’t think the British imported India’s thugs, Karibkween I think seniality is setting in with you. Go check out the psychologist and have your head examined before it is too late. People have been known to go mad responding to me… But as they say Madness is gladness.
i am amazed at this rather shallow transparent attempt by a very educated man to sow more discontent in Trinidad and Tobago using anologies to some historical statement, made over two hundred years ago, connecting that to USA during world war two and its war with Japan also of Germany and its treatment of the Jews you did not mention the Romas,the homosexuals, or the twentythree million Russians, but my point is you are behaving more as an agent provacteur than a well meaning academic teacher of the nation
Professor Cudjoe is wrong, multicultural isn’t giving preferential treatment to any one group over another but combining the cultural differences while promoting acceptance and understanding which in turn leads to a more united community of citizens. With all due respect to Professor Cudjoe, equivocating the round up of criminals to the Nazi concentration camps is reverse racism as well as a blatant attempt to incite derisions based on race. Finally, the insinuation that Asians are inherently racist because of their history in the caste system after over a hundred years removed from Asia is in a word ASININE.
“Finally, the insinuation that Asians are inherently racist because of their history in the caste system after over a hundred years removed from Asia is in a word ASININE.”
So are you saying that the Maha Sabha does not practice Varna Sanatana Dharma (Caste) being over one hundred years removed from India?
Sanatan dharma means the eternal code by witch man live
Selwyn, if this piece is based on your thorough scholastic research, such as you did for “Beyond Boundaries”, it diemonstrates more than eanything else the hopeless ignorance, and sheer stupidity of the British overclass who were sent to run things in this far colonial outpost. This governor and his people, busy bigging up themselves, did not seeem to know that the prosperity of the American South, based on the cultivation of cotton and sugar, was due to the work of the enslaved Negro population, who not only brought the knowledge of agriculture with them, but brought the sugar cane plants,and the cotton seeds also.
Nor was he and his henchmen aware that the University of Timbuctu, one of the oldest in the world, had been having exchanges of medical knowledge with Oxford university in the eleventh century. By 1813, Africa had had at least four hundred years of contact with Europe. Europe knew of the pyramids, and of the ancient West African empires.There had been African popes of the Catholic Church(which had previously been called The Church)since the fouth century. Ethiopia had already been known as the cradle of Christianity. So only an ignorant third or fourth son whose family did not know what on earth to do with him, would have been sent out as an appropriate governor for a colony that stubbornly continued to preach its sermons at the CAtholic CAthedral in French.
That Woodford was a fool was ably demonstrated in his treatment of the child you wrote about in Beyond Boundaries. That he was recalled, and tried, and dismissed from the colonial service is apparently not known in TnT. How then could we as ex-colonials hold on to Woodford Street and woodford Square, despite the education of the people that took place in the latter? All over East Africa, the Brits imported Indians, who had previousl been there slave trading, to help control the Africans.If you, the reader understand this, the actions of Kennyans and Ugandans towards Indians thirty or so years ago, is quite understandable. First, they were offered citisenship of the country they had lived in for three generations. They did not want it, then Britain closed its open commonwealth immigranyt doors, then hell broke loose. The parents suck the sour grapes, and it sets the children’s teeth on edge. The sins of the fathers visit the children of the third and fourth generation.
The need for population brought my family of freed Africans, liberated from a slave ship to Trinidad in 1815. There have been independent, landowning Africans in TnT since then. Trickery has alienated the lands from many of these families, and the lies are, that they are lazy. ALl the landclering in Whitelans, sisters Road and Williamsville itself, was done by FAricans clearing their own land by hand, on which to plant the seeds of feedom, as well as crops.
One more thought. When the Americans opened a base at Fr. Read/Waller Field in 1941, part of the “Leased Bases Agreement” my father found work there as a heavy equipment operator- it was really a small machine called a Farmallfor grass and brush cutting along the highways on the base. He became friends with some of the Americans working there, and so, they told him that the British had warned against employing the local Africans because they were so ignorant, they would not be able to operate any vehicle. After a few accidents in the Cumuto area, by Americans trying to drive on the wrong side of the road, they learned the wisdom of teaching the local population to drive.
When my father died in 1971, and my sisters were going over his papers, we found that he had earned a pilot’s licence, working on the American Base.It was for a cropdusting plane, not a avy jet. After the base closed in 1950, he was not able to trade those credentials to the British Colonial Society that TNT was, because he was a full-blooded negro, full of pride. He never even told us that he had a pilot’s licence, for how can such a man return to farming to feed his children?
When people talk about American racism, vs Britain, the land of Colonial Opportunity, I love to tell this story. I recieved a note yesterday, from a member of my age group from teachers’ college. His grndaughter had just opened her dance studio in toronto, encouraged by another Trini who was amembe rof the board of the National Ballet of Canada, and a former TELCO employee. How do our people triumph so finely in foreign North American places, while at home they seem to turn to crime? We have to look at societal expectations, including inherited societal attitudes.
The fault lays with Dr Eric Williams a product of that colonial society! Williams was a half white product of the French Creole segment of T&T very reactionary towards black & even Indian empowerment etc, Just Google “Pearl Marshall” and she will tell you that most of the opposition to her being an air hostess for BWIA came from that community. Getting back to Dr Williams in my opinion he should NOT have been PM that long after 1966 he should’ve handed over power to A.N.R Robinson who was better qualified to lead T&T as an economist & an international Lawyer. Let’s face facts Williams Failed T&T & Chambers was another failure! nearly 20 billion US$ wasted on state workers who cannot work not even for their kids future.
Go ahead Cudjoe do like the rest of PNMites and blame the Indians for this situation. Don’t do any Math like Sandy and show how many black men died at the hands of other black men. Don’t do any math about the number of black people living in “jail” because of our blacks youths running riots on the streets. Go ahaed Cudjoe blame everyone else except the people doing it to themselves.
“He is not likely to look at an Indian person again with the same directness and trust as he did before this assault”. (CUDJOE)
Selwyn has outdone himself this time. I thought he has previously attained his highest level of divisiveness, racism and ignorance in previous articles. He is simply proving that acquiring an education and employment under affirmative action does not necessarily translate into commonsense, analytical taught or logic.
The PP government is not an Indian government but a coalition of several political parties. The Minister responsible for the SOE is an African. The vast majority of the Police force and the Army are of African origin. The persons being detained are primarily alleged criminals and gang members and they happen to be mostly African. The vast majority of people of African origin in T&T are still very successful, law abiding citizens. Law abiding citizens are not in support of criminal activities, even when committed by their own sons and daughters. The illegal activity of persons of African descent is not a reflection on all Africans.
“How do our people triumph so finely in foreign North American places, while at home they seem to turn to crime? We have to look at societal expectations, including inherited societal attitudes”. (Linda Edwards)
A small minority of people have turned to crime in T&T. People of African have excelled in every field of endeavor in T&T. The vast majority of African people in T&T are successfully involved in employment at every level. I do not understand why people are interpreting this SOE as targeting africans. It is targeting criminals.
Maybe Tman, but its the media’s role to push the possiblity of a “Lavanty Gang” and a “mudder with a stringband of hungry chirren”, than to push the achievements of a Clive Sealey, a Richardson Andrews, a Stephan Gift or an Errol Jones.- all people I know personally. The pictures seen in the papers daily, to be “read” by those who really do not read, are totally negative.This is deliberate, thus my comment.
I have challenged students in the past to do a “picture walk” thorugh books, magazines, newspapers, to see what they , the pictures-say about certain groups. It is a valid psychological exercise. Try it, see for yourself.
In case you do not recognize the names I called, the first two were economists from the class of ’67, instrumental in founding the Unit Trust Corporation. the third is a world renowned scientist who chairs the Dept. of Engineering at UWISTA and the fourth is a businessman in Port-of-Spain, who grew up in Gonzales, and whose various businesses are still located in Belmont. He was once my student.Ask yourself when lst any one of the dailies profiled a successful African man of humble origins? tHe sort young people could model themselves after?
Ms. Linda Edwards, it is always necessary to keep in mind the elementals; that is, that this issue of Black Trinis is far beyond race and class. It is, in my opinion and from my experience about issues of justice and injustice; of about humanity and inhumanity.
As Black people, let us never forget that in the last four centuries, the international voices speaking to these elemental concepts have been Black people, from Frederick Douglas through Sojourner Truth through Harriet Tubman through Marcus Garvey.
In our day, we were honoured to live and see an African American become, not the first Black leader–as he is here portrayed–but the first national leader in the US to come out and publicly condemn America in Viet Nam. For this was he assassinated. After he spoke, others many of them movie stars and writers followed.
Dr. King made justice accessible and functional.
The man, Mandela did likewise with the US in Iraq. After George Bush stated his infamous line, ‘you either with us or against us’ every man-Jack and woman-Jacqueline from the German chancellor to the French President all kept their tongues between their teeth.
It is only after Mandela while in Europe referred to George Bush and by name as an international criminal and inside the US that Harry Belafonte called Bush the same that everybody else suddenly found their tongues, from US Senators to Canadian artistes and politicians.
So, we must not lose hope, nor perspective for after all, why should it not be that when the world is faced with fundamental human dilemmas, that it is Black people who speak for humanity?
And why not?
For after all, is it not we who under the hand of Yahweh–bless His name, oh! my soul!–who created human culture, language, thought, and effort?
We fear and fail only when we forget who, and even more, Whose we are.
A comment from an informed national who LIVES in T&T:
I am absolutely flabbergasted and surprised at the revelation by Deputy Commissioner, Mervyn Richardson when he showed the video footage on what went on at Nelson Street, close to where the infamous 21 persons were arrested and released.
All media houses should get a hold of the footage and show it on national television.
It is no wonder that the police did what they did in that area. Those persons who are guilty of perpetrating those crimes by surrounding cars that had their windows down and reaching into the passengers of the cars and stealing whatever they could get their hands on, are guilty as hell but there is not enough evidence to hold them or the footage was taken prior to the state of emergency being declared.
The police acted within reason to rounds-up those on Nelson Street. And you know everybody who was talking about how they were targeting black boys etc. should eat their words. Let me hear Keith Rowley, Marlene MacDonald and others now.
Imagine persons driving their cars to work or wherever and are held up in broad daylight. No wonder they are scared to offer evidence as witnesses.
I hope that they can be caught and brought to justice.
“The vast majority of the Police force and the Army are of African origin. The persons being detained are primarily alleged criminals and gang members and they happen to be mostly African?” Perhaps you, and your kind are the criminals T- Man , for now suddenly trying to pull this stunt.
So suddenly you are of the view that our police are doing an excellent job, but when before the election , a la , elevation of Queen K , and her PP bunch,while they were locking up criminal Indo Trinis , left ,right ,and center ,their actions were considered ,politically directed , racially motivated, prosecution , orchestrated chiefly by crooked officers, huh?
You know , years ago when I was a young , short pant member of the crew that kept the barbarians from running roughshod over our society, with our Commissioner ,Uncle Randy B in full swing, I remembered vividly a situation , which though humorous at the time ,had many lessons ,relevant even up to today.
His Indo Trini wife ,was doing her weekly shopping, some where in St James I believe, and was being driven in an official car, with a plain cloths police driver-special plates, lights , the full works.
This young, over zealous officer , came upon the locked car , parked ,maybe near a no parking sign , and even after recognizing the official make up of the vehicle , proceeded to issue a ticket.
Well, before the ink was dried, or he got back to the station , there was a transfer order ,for him to pack his bags , and depart to a less desirous section of the country, much to his chagrin.
I wonder , you being so dense and such- or rather ,pretending so to be – if there are any lessons you might be able to decipher from that example? Since I suspect not,let me enlighten you , and your fellow , siamese twin brother mamboo.
Unlike military personnel , who are trained to operate like robots, and follow every rule, or order -lawful or not- without much thought , police are expected ,to instead ,use their initiatives , by being ‘be the first judge,’as it one of the few ways for survival.
Fast forward to 2011, and tell me what police tactics our guys, and gals in blue, would be expected to operate under , especially with insecure , Commissioner Gibbs at the helm? They did not need a directive by the present new government, to confine themselves only to certain , prescribed ,red zones, to know that PP strong, enclaves should be avoided / were off limits T-Man.
Now if therefore ,they are not going into areas dominated by Indo Trinis ,to arrest criminals, that saturate such areas, then pray tell how the statistics are expected to reflect differently ,to what you are seeing today?
98% of folks mainly from the Afro – Trini community, would be arrested , since they are the only ones under the radar T-man.
We thought this would be obvious to you guys. So to have you ‘donkey rear end brayers,’ gloat daily ,about success of SOE, and preponderance of criminal gang bangers from selective enclaves,with the naive implications that your law abiding tribe, with the noble culture , are al engaged in productive activities , and use such nonsense as some proof of something in your twisted minds , is not only foolish , but extremely dangerous.
I know exactly why you comedians run to Canada, as opposed to big brother USA , and parts of Europe T-Man , but rest assured , pretty soon , Canada would grow up and their neo Nazi, Skin Heads ,and closet KKK, that would inevitably permeate the Judicial , and law enforce bodies ,would start to round up, and harass any that looks like you , thinking that you too, must be from some savage Arab, Pakistani, or Afghan , global terrorist tribe, in search of sky virgins ,and so ,only prepared to blow them to the stone age, by destroying the noble civilization that they created after kicking out, and murdering the Red Man for his lands. Be forewarned my friend , as I think you call it Karma as well.
“98% of folks mainly from the Afro – Trini community, would be arrested , since they are the only ones under the radar T-man”.(Neal)
TRUE. because 98% of the gang crimes including murders are being committed in these areas. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure that out!
The PP (similar to Guyana’s PPP communist party yes Errol Mc Leod is a well known communist I recall him protesting the popular invasion of Grenada in 1983 around the US Embassy) is out for sheer deception, I’ve noticed the powerful Indo Karamath family is NOT considered a “gang” but was charged some months ago with possession of AK-47’s! We know very well that most of the illegal guns & drugs brought into T&T comes thru South Trinidad which has an Indian majority population who are fully part and parcel of the deadly drug trade that has our country reeling in pain with wave after wave of vicious crime fueled by drugs & guns hence NO OVP’s!(was that a surprise?) The PP will NEVER alienate its core supporters by pointing these things out itself, the PNM has lots of blame in this as well The PNM wants to get Indian support which it NEVER gets even after building “Hanuman statue” for millions! The wave of crime since the oil boom collapse in 1983 can be traced to the Junior Secs & Comprehensive schools built in the 1970’s we all know ppl with A-levels & O-levels do NOT hold up maxi taxis! The failure of the PNM gov’t in the 70’s NOT to turn the all the schools they had built into 7 yr schools like the convents & colleges with the oil boom money is a colossal social crime in itself! we are still paying for this mistake today with the SOE.(this of course will be blamed on the ex-white rulers of the country or “capitalism” or even “slavery” etc)
No, TMan, not a rocket scientist, but an intelligent woman, a senior police officer, today said a junior officer can refuse to carry out an illegal order by a superior officer. The day of saying “The Boss said to do it” seem numbered.The boss may be an ass. When people think for themselves, strange things happen. some leave the fore in disgust. Some stay and fight to make it better.
I salute that brave female officer, and hope her days would be long.
http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,147241.html
Lord not again , enough already , with dis blatant triumphalism of the highest order,as this ‘Sunday morning quarterback nonsense ,’is forced down our throat , as to how great certain folks are , and worst yet ,how blessed we are to have dem in prominent positions ,across the public service- dat they allegedly were historically deprived of.
Can I glean my daily news one single day, and not be constantly bombarded with this? I did not know that T&T, played American Football folks?
Military saviors my foot! Prior to this stupid criminal escapade by fake Islamist, Lennox Phillip , aka UNC ,Ramesh Lawrence favorite client ,Yasin Abu Bakr, the military was in the dog house ,for close to some 20 years due in great measures, to the treasonous escapades, of then youthful ,politically naive ,Sandhurst coup school chaps ,Raffique , and Rex.
I won’t be surprise to read similar garbage, as parroted by one time journalist , a la , PP lofty , government spokesman ,Andy Johnson, on how the military again, saved our country from anarchy-as were under siege by low end gang bangers-led of course by who else , Minister of National Security ,Field Marshall Sandy, another candidate for the ‘Judas ,30 silver , appeasement award.’
Please someone, anyone, kindly explain what exactly our society, and nation is evolving to? Can I hear of a Central, Tunapuna,or El Secorro Imam, anyone from the long list of greedy , corrupt business leaders, or politicians- in or out of power – either from the PNM ,UNC / COP/ CLUB 88, or PP,whose head would finally roll ,on the hang man’s noose, for what they might have unleashed on our once democratic nation?
It’s called equal playing field justice folks, low end illiterate , mental degenerate criminals , and big dogs ,same monkey pants. Your call,Queen K , or better yet, Pappa Richards, ‘our Independent President.’
Well,…breath easy Neal , as no one said nation building was going to be easy, yes?
We continue to wish our people well. Many just dis not sign up for this. I wonder what does ‘de Mayaro, little Black Boy Despiser,’ have to say about this ghastly state of affairs.
Just maybe, it’s time for a sequel to this mighty ditty, made back in the day to honor poor , old scapegoat ,George Chambers, huh?
Mayday , mayday ,China , weee ,neeed,help !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-roUT3G5Bq0&feature=related
Tell dem folks , ‘dey break it , dey own it.’
It’s the way of politics, and war, ehhhh Uncle Shah?
this article is very divisive, if the african negro is responsible for the majority of the crime you can not cry racism when he is punished. if he is not, he should not.
Would Cudjoe say same if 90% of the armed forces are Indian rounding up mainly Indian criminals and gang leaders, especially if the crime rate drastically declines? Cudjoe why don’t you check the murder rates in Boston where you live – the hot spots are in Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan where most of the negroes live? You are seething – Shah- also that the curfew stopped any insurrection in its tracks. You were hoping that the Moruga fiasco would escalate into a full scale
revolution. The curfew shuld be extended for a year. I rather the police control the streets than the criminals.
Ramjit yuh sounding like one of them Guyanese Indians that coming in here quick quick to point fingers at afros when it comes to “crime” etc, for your information most organised crime in T&T is run from central & south I recall Dole Chaddie was from that area in FACT most of the ppl sent to the USA for drug charges are UNC supporters NONE are from Lavantille etc, all are Indians that look like YOU and the PM we’ve noticed that she has canceled the OVP’s the car stealing racket is controlled by Indians with political connections in central & south in fact Linda Edwards might remember Badese Sagan Maraj running stolen cars while being leader of the opposition.
What foolishness from this so called “Intelligent” man, If Some Blacks killing and robbing, do you want the police to arrest Indians too. utter rubbish! Put them in jail I say , good riddance to them. ,The Prof.is trying to say jail the Gov’t is only putting these people behind bars because of their ethnicity,.Its not about race, its about peace for all the hard working Trinidadians.
P.S. I hope Codjoe does not get paid from his asinine articles!!!
Mike in T.O.. Why are such a looser!!Is there a reason you called RG. A Guyanese Indian, last time I checked Guyanese Indians were people too. What exactly are you trying to say.
Monsters like you need to look at yourself before making such remarks, especially about the PM. Also learn to spell…lol..
“accomadated the indians”….Did the Africans own Trinidad and Tobago? was Trinidad and Tobago part of Africa?.Did they provide lodging and space for the Indians?Pray tell me how did the Aficans accomadated the Indians.
It is simple. After slavery was abolished, Africans where the majority minority. They were the Majority plain and simple. After Independence, the same was true and they were n charge of almost everything in society.
Generally speaking, it was the Africans who chose to lime and not strengthen thier communities. While doing so, they noticed the strides made by Indians, but never thought that those strides would come back to harm them. They used to laugh and talk about the Indians for being poor and having so many children.
Now that the writing is on the wall about some of the real threats to the African community in TNT, people are in a panic. The party done and everyone hungover tring to figure out where they are only to find out that they have been cornered in a abyss full of crabs pulling them down from within.
Africans in TNT thought that they had control over something that was never actually theirs on paper. They feal that they they had a right to something that was not given specifically to them.
Noone can deny that at one time TNT seemed like it was an extension of Africa, but much like Guyana is becoming an extension of India and there is not much any African can do about it now that they have allowed their children to be mentally poisoned by social media, entertainment, and misguided dreams of being like their yankee cousins.