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One-eye man
There is so much that I wish to comment—the murder of innocent teenagers, spiralling gang-related violence, the death of babies at hospitals, the downturn in the economy, the success of Divali Nagar and the inequitable funding for Ramleela.
Every time I read the newspapers my head just spins faster. The untimely death of baby Marissa Ramlal, the destruction of poor farmer’s crops on the eve of Divali at Diamond Village and the low bail set by one unnamed magistrate in a drug trafficking case—it’s as if our society is in a daze or has just given up or is in a state of paralysis.
Wasted crops
Where is the public outrage over the murder of 14-year-old Kimberly Tiffanny Monderoy? Her life was snuffed out by a stray bullet fired by rival gang members at the Cuthbert Circular Road in Diego Martin.
How could a 19-year-old shoot a 15-year-old at point blank range in Laventille in joke while “playing” with a loaded illegal firearm?
How could the Estate Management Business Development Corporation so callously destroy full-grown crops of pumpkin, pineapples, dasheen and pommecythere the day before Divali, when the poor farmers in Diamond Village kept begging that they were just about to harvest their crops for sale to villagers for Divali? Was there no understanding or human compassion? Would two days have made a difference? Had they returned the day after Divali the crops would have been all but gone.
Does no one care for the hard labour of the poor who are simply trying to make an honest living without a gunning down or robbing someone? The farmers claimed they had been begging Caroni to sell them the lands to no avail. Lenora Alexander glumly said, “We were not given any notice about the demolishing of our food crops. “They came unexpectedly and started to destroy everything that everyone in the village have been working hard for over the past ten years and more.”
And what are we to make of the candid comment by Senior Magistrate Lucina Cardenas-Ragoonanan that she found the bail granted to Kyle Riley who was charged with trafficking ten kilos of cocaine too low? She is reported to have rhetorically questioned why a man accused of drug trafficking could be “allowed” to leave police custody in light of the serious nature and prevalence of the offence.
I wish to commend Mrs Ragoonanan for being so bold and brave. That she felt so strongly about the matter and wasn’t prepared to simply frown in silence or steups about it shows strength of character. There should be an investigation into this matter as the bail set was $25,000 and this is ridiculous.
What on earth prompted the Government to issue cheques for sums ranging from $500 to $1,200 to Ramleela groups across the country at a time of such unprecedented wealth? It was the lowest disbursement ever by any government. To make matters worse, the goodly minister in her speech actually stressed the need for accountability and demanded transparency from the lucky groups! The average Ramleela celebration costs $40,000 to $75,000 over nine nights. The money given could barely buy two cases of Chubby and ten aloo pies to feed the children who act and dance each night, but the minister wants accountability.
Pocket change
I hope a similar call is made when other groups are given financial assistance that make the Ramleela budget look like mere pocket change.
The avalanche of medical negligence cases has cascaded. I am appalled at the way the poor in our society are treated. Most cases will never see the light of day because only a small handful of doctors are willing to testify in court on behalf of victims and the Government refuses to establish an independent medical complaints council that can evaluate claims of medical negligence.
The medical profession must police itself and such an institution will strengthen the integrity of the profession as a whole. No government minister will dare seek medical institution at our public hospitals so tough luck to the rest of us.
Everyone, except the Government, sees the international economic crisis coming at us like a train in the distance with its headlights on.
AmCham director Hugh Howard was the last to join the growing chorus of public opinion, warning the Government that it cannot escape unscathed and urging pre-emptive measures including reduced spending now.
No one in the Government seems to be listening because one-eye man is king in blind man land and the PNM knows that the people that voted them into office are all blind to everything except race.
So why bother?
by Anand Ramlogan 2008-11-09
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...its always so easy to throw our hands up in the air and say "why bother", to give up and throw in the towel...but that is their expectation, that is exactly what they have set out to do, and that is the ultimate fulfilment of their goals and objectives...to create a sense of despondency and despair in the people, that they give up, they roll over and die...or get killed in the process, which ever comes first...!
...yes, Anand, one-eye man is certainly king in blind-man country, and yes, the same "PNM supporters" have been blind to everything that has been happening and has happened over the 46 plus years of their Government's rule, and even what has been happening to the very same PNM supporters themselves....but all those things does not matter to them except that "they are in power" even if they are the same ones who are being destroyed the most, even if they are the ones who are still being exploited by their respective leader(s), and even if they are the ones who are still "dependant on their master" and who are worst off than any other ethnic group in the country...but those things don't matter to them...all that matters is that "they are in power", all the while they are getting killed and dying everyday, more than any other group of people in the country...!
...but all that does not matter...they are indeed blind to everything except "race"...and their illustrious leader(s) keep reminding them so that they don't forget and make any "mistakes" about thinking of change, any kind of change...!
...they are so well conditioned, that it has all become reflex action and thinking, and their leader(s) sit back and gloat at his accomplishment(s), because the "spirit has so moved him"...!
...so yes, one-eyed man is truly king in blind-man country...but they also had a saying that even some people with two eyes and 20-20 vision could not see as well or as far as some blind men, in short, they could not see further than their "nose"...yet they lay claim to having a "vision" and being a "visionary...dreaming in technicolour all the while their problem is a straight case of "black and brown"...yet they can't see it that way...all because their leader is their eyes for them...and so "it is the blind leading the blind" and the problem won't go away anytime soon....!
...finally, think about how many people knew Barack Husein Obama just recently, and how many "Obama T-Shirts" with his picture were sold world-wide, how many were sold in Trinidad & Tobago...then ask how many PNM T-Shirts were sold in Trinidad & Tobago...and then ask how many of our Prime Minister, Patrick Manning T-Shirts were sold in Trinidad & Tobago...or in the Carribean...or world wide...well my friends...Leadership matters...and so there you have the answer...!
...don't really expect the PNM supporters to "see anything else soon", "except their leader and their skin colour", thats all that matters to them, certainly not "Leadership"....their "one-eyed man still remains king as long as they feel that way, even if its killing them by the handful on a daily basis...!
...they have been so brainwashed into believing in the "blind leading the blind", and they have the "one-eyed Jack" to lead them, so that makes them feel like a "king"...change ain't coming soon for them...not till the "spirit moves the leader" , a real spirit...the ones that roams the cemeteries at night they say, thats the only kind that might have any impact and effect on the leader...!...real scary, isn't it...spooky and frightening...but thats their leader for you...!
...goodluck...Trini.t.o.o