Better than that...please.

Today the comment was made that things were expected to change under the People's Partnership administration. It was in the context of the expectation that they would solve our problems. I wasn't that hopeful in that regard. The change I had hoped for is being tested in what Im about to say.

The lasting legacy of People's National Movement founding father Dr. Eric Willams was that "no dog dare bark", he was a leader that didn't take kindly to being challenged. In my adult years when reason set in, I lived under former PNM Leader Patrick Manning. Things were so bad at one point that persons were reprimanded for referring to him publicly without the nomenclature, Mr., It was Mr Manning or you're being disrespectful. Along with that came the observation that it was a lack of respect for him that would make you refer to him as 'Manning'. My favourite twitter.com personality, however, was Patos Manning, a clever and accessible alter ego to the starchy figure that ruled in the style his party fashioned.

The young people have a saying "jump out yuhself", it refers to an act that is out of character or out of the expected behaviour that we accept as a society. Well I'm about to "jump out" myself and even that is an admission of the fear that still grips many of us when commenting on the actions of politicians. Particularly as media, I have been trained to reserve public comment that may lead to my neutrality being questioned.

Today the Government hosted a meeting in East Port of Spain. It follows the brutal killing of two teenagers in recent weeks, one of them a pregnant girl.

Coming out of the meeting Prime MInister Kamla Persad Bissesssar said she would reserve her response to the people but say that their most pressing concerns were a need for housing and jobs. As many times as I turn it over in my head I end up perplexed. Im like really? You have two dead teenagers and not one person in that community could have said what actually lead to their deaths, what they want is jobs and houses? Isn't there a bigger problem at hand here?

I wouldn't go so far as to say that low cost government housing schemes have failed but they do remain among this most violent communities in the country outside of the hot spots that border the capital. The figures will speak for themselves.

We have some housing projects, among the first built in the Capital by the State, two teenagers are gunned down within their walls in essence and what comes out of a meeting stemming from that is a call for houses and jobs - a bloody red herring if you ask me.

Now policing is the police job but was that the purpose of the meeting today? How different and revolutionary it would have been if we all now had a reason behind the killings of two teenagers, one of them pregnant? One teenager, Trayvon Martin was killed in the U.S. and the whole world took an interest in the circumstances that lead to his death. The repercussions of that incident still ripple through the shallow yet conscientious world of pop culture with statements being made to this day, weeks after the end of the trial that acquitted George Zimmerman. Or am I being naive, was that case really America's race obsession and nothing more?

It is scant courtesy on the part of the authorities to not demand answers from the residents of East Port of Spain. To quote my good friend Gillian Moor what kind of P.R. pappy show did we experience today. To compound that description there was a supposed media black out of the meeting, yet Government Information Services Limited had full access to the whole thing! So now it might be that the goings ons would be edited and packaged and presented by himself when the commentary was on himself, you get me?

I don't know who to ask but I want to know why those two teenagers were killed. It brings to mind the Tecia Henry killing. A ten year old girl is sent on an "errand" by her mother, her body is found buried beneath a house some days later. I mean I may be concerned if only because I fear for my own life as I seem to be living among a breed of savage not of the same making. The then prime minister was criticised for saying at his party's annual convention that it was an internal affair, or something to that effect, that it was a matter that that community understood and not something that the rest of us should really concern ourselves with. Today's action amount to the same thing in that the lives have been lost and moving forward we forget that and work to give the people what they want. Well some of us want more and more than answers, we want a world where we don't have savages pumping bullets into teenagers and we may even want a world where girls are not only not pregnant at 16, but murdered.

Its like we're all acting with impunity - criminals, politicians, citizens and media. It was so glaring a side step of the real issue that lead to the meeting that the prime minister was proud to say that Housing Development Corporation officials were on hand to address the concerns of the residents who called for housing assistance. I understand them being there given that the HDC acts like a nanny to its clients so much so that it assumes a part of all that affects them but was it that it was known that there would be a call for housing? This blog is like the proverbial tree that falls in the forest with no one to tell if it made a sound and to a degree I like it like that, its just for my readers to consider my perspective but the more I think about it the more vexing it all becomes.

I accept that governing is like managing in that you make the best of even the worst that can and will happen. What then prompts this piece? Some might say an opposition to the ruling party in that I may not have commented if another party was in power. Who is to say? The change I had hoped for was that I would live in less fear of our leaders. It may be hard to convince those who have an interest in seeing it otherwise that that is the case but its more true than its alternative.

P-young Gang style

Who knows where slangs come from? But in Trinidad and Tobago we have a history of coming up with terms that permeate a generation. To me they are like values that we share as an age group. There have been so many there have been over the years.

The thought for this post came to me this morning while listening to BLS online, NY radio station WBLS, known to New Yorkers as BLS. A caller said “I’m 41 Sun!” I thought to myself that there may be young people wondering why an ‘old man’ would say “sun”. The fact is that his generation would have been using that slang in their youth, in their 20’s and so it was still his. But that may not be understood by some who feel him too old to use that kind of slang.

It’s interesting what people feel 40 something’s should be doing and saying. Most are married with children and should be protecting their young ones from the evils of the world, insisting on proper values.

In Trinidad and Tobago it’s worse in that the values we ascribe too are determined by the ruling political parties and those in my view are rooted in the post independence era, heavily imbued with colonial mores.

One term that my generation coined was the phonetic equivalent of pyong, much like the North Korean capital, Pyongyang. It means one who loves something a lot – a t.v. pueong watches a lot of t.v., a mango pueong can’t not eat a mango. And in true Trini form one is mildly but albeit vilified for being a pueong/pyong. The contemporary equivalent would be a "banton", I hope – it not being any longer my generational responsibility to come up with slangs and be able to defend their definition.

As I write the UN believes that any exacerbation of the North Korean dilemma would be “uncontrollable” to quote General Secratary Ban Ki Moon. My only hope is that if my Seoul is in danger that I have enough time to fly south for the winter as it would mean a new cold Cold War. 

Question..

Ever felt like you needed a miracle? Its a simple word, we use it all the time, but its complex too. You might think after reading this that I need help, but no what I need is a miracle, trust me.

A call to action

Father Harvey is the kind of priest you hear questions raised about in Central America - those who were active during times of social unrest. He has been critical to Trinidad and Tobago in times of unrest like the revolution of 1970 and the attempted coup of 1990. He is a revolutionary in his own right having done a lot to make the Roman Catholic Church more relevant to Caribbean people. Some of the hymns in the official hymn book are penned by him, I am also sure many would have been inspired to write hymns through his encouragement and efforts.

            It’s Easter. In his message as carried in the media, he called for more positive stories to be told in Trinidad and Tobago. Knowing him as I do I don’t imagine he imagines as the Government does, that more positive stories be carried of the work done by the State. He is a man that stands for freedom, and I am sure too, freedom of the press. He takes on all comers though, and so it may not be a stretch to in fact imagine that he does mean even in the media.

            The media guard freedom, not for itself only but for all. The media are an extension of the population. I always say press freedom is assured by the culture of the industry, no one is hired or fired for their views, it’s an all encompassing slice of the population that makes up the many news rooms around TT. No media house can afford to take a stance aligned with a political party, it is assumed and understood by those within the fourth estate, that they serve the people and that comforts us, inspires us and keeps us focused on the tasks at hand.

            I have known Father Harvey personally for a few years. He is a man I respect. Many times while in church I would check hymns to see who wrote them, particularly if I like them. I remember crying at mass one day. It was a day when the closing hymn was Tell of my Love for the Islands. It says “tell of my love for the islands, tell it everywhere, tell all the brothers and sisters of the Father’s loving care, brothers who are seeking living in the night, sisters who are weeping, searching for the light, tell of my love to all people, live in my love every day.” This was written a long time ago in the 70’s perhaps. It’s still true today and it still makes me cry. Maybe I may want to consider the words of this esteemed cleric and tell more positive stories, if only so that I myself can stop crying. Christ is risen. Happy Easter.

Correction

So I woke up this morning to a request for a story about the President requesting information on Section 34.  immediately I get scared.The story was apparently carried in the morning news and a fellow reporter was asking me if I had the details. She sent me a fb message cause she thought I was at work already. But I sort of jumped when I read what the big story of the day is. Having thought about though I realized that life is made hard in Trinidad and Tobago by an 'opus magnus' of morality and rectitude that betrays the island paradise we sell. No wonder we're unfriendly to tourists, I think we spend too much time being unfriendly to each other! And hasn't the Prime Minister already told the Office of the President what transpired with Section 34? It will be a fine day even after all.

I also woke up this morning to realize I created a mash-up with my brief post last night, four people saw it. I watched an episode of The Bible currently showing on The History Channel and I saw the scene where Mary and Joseph were heading to the census on a donkey when Jesus was born and yesterday being Palm Sunday the image of Christ on the donkey blended with that one. I had also just come from a very good benefit concert for St Francis of Assissi Roman Catholic church last night. Added to this the election of Pope Francis. It was just 'donkey' on my mind and so we ended up with what can now be seen below:

Happy Palm Sunday! Have a holy week! Stand up and be counted! Bless!

Its all about getting past the illusion this Holy Week. A good God would remove the sting from a minister saying he was libled when the esteemed publication, also legally advised, said it did not libel him. The funny thing is that any good journalist knows when they libel someone, of this set I am not. It is a direct attack on the media by a man who presents himself as a really good, honest person. Its like he is possibly speaking to the public that will not even find out what is libel but just interpret it as another case of the bad media in Trinidad and Tobago as the politicians are wont to say. Its like they are infallible and unimpeachable but oh the media are just so bad. So yes, let Jesus, light the way!

I will be spending hundreds of dollars on fish this week. It is a family tradition to prepare salted salmon or smoked mackerel for Easter and they are both about $50 a lb. I like to buy enough to store to cook again later in the year when it is no longer in the groceries. Imagine these things are soaked in brine, pickled fish, and cost more than steak! But I love eating it and preparing it so here's to tradition!

Be careful out there!

Crisis Management

My mother did her best. She worked two jobs for most of her life to support herself and children without much help from my father. She would not approve of this post as it puts family business out there, at least I don’t think she would approve. My life feels in crisis though and so I have to try something unusual to bring a solution. The President yesterday called for an “out of the box” approach to the nation’s problems. He also said the nation is in crisis.

            I can’t say that I don’t feel that his analysis is wrong as the indices that led to the conclusion may not be the only ones that should be considered. In his inaugural address, a histrionic call to action, Anthony Thomas Aquinas Carmona, spoke to issues that gauge governance. I have never felt that crime and unemployment were good measures of a society’s standing. He mentioned the former treading dangerously close to the political tenor that can embarrass a government.

            All hands are needed on deck, he said, to save Trinidad and Tobago. It is inherently flawed as it is a top down approach. Really must I feel compelled to now consider how to reduce crime when all it seems to do is determine how good the state is managing our affairs? He reinforced this belief when he said that as a nation we are one: it means our goals are shared and too our responsibilities. We may be an independent nation but I am apparently not free to determine what it is I want to achieve.

            Thinking about the speech I realised that this is what is wrong with my world, it assumes for me what is important, taking me away from what I feel is important. We count corpses in Trinidad and Tobago and no one counts the stifled souls, the snuffed dreams, the unrealised ambitions and the impossible that faces so many of us.

            Everyone is saying that the President’s speech inspired hope. I peruse the social media sites like FB and twitter and see nothing but fit-to-print reactions that hail the address as what the country needs; I am left lost for comfort.

            It’s not like me to challenge the voice of the nation’s highest office holder. I dare say this is not what I imagine my mother had in mind when she made me. I’m not sure that a lot of what I do could have been imagined by parents. I do know, though, that desperate times call for desperate measures and I know what my responsibilities are. I hope this also means that for all her efforts my mother has at least made a citizen that is not afraid to take a risk, do the unimaginable and fly in the face of authority in an attempt to make life better.