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HOLD STRAIN!
The murder of Allan Seepersad in Penal last week struck a raw nerve in my body. Maybe it was the grief-stricken pictures of his niece Mohanie and his daughter Sally.
Then, there was the one with his wife Deera. Pain permanently etched onto her weary face, she gnashed her teeth, pulled her hair and bawled.
I held my own head and screamed when I realised that kidnapping for ransom has not disappeared, as a UWI student was abducted and released upon the payment of a ransom last week.
People do not expect the police to ever catch the criminals who did this. The level of public expectation and confidence is low when it comes to police detection and investigation.
The UK travel advisory, in the wake of the murder of an elderly Swedish couple, was carefully drafted. It was not the murder per se that prompted the warning.
It was, instead, the fact that the police have been unable to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of serious crime. The promises from the Government regarding the escalation in crime have amounted to mere political rhetoric and no more.
Three years ago, the then AG, Senator John Jeremie, told Parliament that “the Government would not allow a small group of criminals to threaten the safety, security and well-being of our nation…We will not allow those criminals to ruin or compromise this nation’s inexorable drive to Vision 2020.”
2004 survey
This was when the public was subjected to a relentless avalanche of advertisements that admonished the public. Remember the slogan, “Fix the ‘me’ in criME first?”
What about the polls that informed government strategy and tried to convince us that we were all going mad by pretending and making up things to make the Government “look bad?” A few years ago, the Government-sponsored poll told us that everything was peaceful and hunky-dory, and we all felt safe.
In the face of an unprecedented murder and kidnapping rate, the results of the survey conducted by a United Kingdom research firm on contract to the Government showed that 88 per cent of the population felt safe—66 per cent “very safe” and 22 per cent “fairly safe.”
I understand a new poll is on its way to make the Government look good again and persuade us that we are making a big deal over nothing.
The findings also stated that 75 per cent of the population continued to feel safe in their homes, while they were alone at home after dark, and 60 per cent while walking alone after dark.
The findings suggested that the poll was a sham, designed to reach conclusions in keeping with the lie that the Government wants to present, despite the terrorising reality of the situation on the ground for frightened citizens. The results of the survey were published by the Ministry of Public Administration and Information in its Opinion Leaders 2004 newsletter, and had the temerity to suggest that people in Trinidad and Tobago are safer than those in the United Kingdom.
What a joke!
‘Look dotish’
It was the results of this poll that probably caused Martin Joseph to upbraid unpatriotic citizens for exaggerating the crime problem. He said (Guardian, 27/04/05) the situation was not as bad as it was being made out to be, and praised the police, observing that “If I beat up on the police every day, this is the same organisation, notwithstanding their limitations, they are the ones who are going out on the front line.....If I do that, I will be dotish, and I not dotish, I may look dotish.” (Some convincingly argue that this last sentence was, perhaps, a defining moment of self-realisation for the minister.)
PM Manning is the man with all the answers, though. In the midst of the unprecedented bombings in Port-of-Spain, he confidently boasted that he knew who “Mr Big” was, and hinted at an early arrest. To date, not even a house fly has been arrested.
More recently, he boasted that he saved Kamla from making a jail for accessing confidential information from the Integrity Commission. And the latest casualty was Dr Rowley, who was, until last week, allegedly being protected by Manning because $10 million was missing from a housing project.
As crime engulfs and consumes us, many of us have nowhere to run to. PM Manning is too busy spending our money to buy luxury cars and furnishing his palace to be bothered with the cries of the young ghosts that cry out as they take an early departure from young lifeless, bullet-riddled bodies.
Blood and tears are flowing like water, and the soul of our nation has been ruptured. We must not protest.
Just “hold strain,” until you die in silence.
By Anand Ramlogan 2008-10-19
Site Admin Note:
See also:
We Predict 527 with very relevant comments by our supporters:
2. I have a son
3. God is a good god...he is not responsible for this
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Site Admin Rated: Five star ***** comment
...Anand's observations and comments are not unusual or isolated, but indeed quite accurate, as we are all feeling like we are under attack constantly, every moment of our lives, in that some of the more recent killings have had a "chilling effect" on people as a whole, ordinary everyday working class people, who are busy trying to look after themselves and their family, just to "keep their heads above water"...not to become rich or affluent, but to strive to be self sufficient and independant while looking after themselves and their loved ones, as most honest, law abiding citizens would want to do on their own anyway...! What is wrong with that...?...At least they are not relying or depending on Government "hand-outs" like CEPEP or URP...!
...but instead, these criminals are becoming more "bold face" with each passing day, as they realize Government is not really serious about addressing crime, and as such, there are no consequences to their actions, similar in reality, to the Government itself, who accept no responsibility or accountability for their actions or lack of actions, and with no consequences to them either...!
...so yes, this type of crime hits a lot closer to home, and has more of an impact on people in general, as they can readily relate to it, since they are all somewhat in the same boat, struggling to make ends meet, and making a living of their own just to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads...unlike most Government Ministers who are alien to all of this and who are not affected by it anyway, as they have no conscience or shame, since its the people's wealth, the taxpayers patrimony that keeps them in a lavish lifestyle way above that which the regular ordinary citizens could really afford anyway...!
...it is not out of the ordinary, that citizens showed less compassion for drug related or gang related crimes, as they had less tolerance for those types of activities to begin with, and so when the "gang members" were killing off each other, it only had some minor effect on their immediate families, but public at large could not care less how many were killing off each other either in "drug trades" or as "gang members"...!
...this crime however, as some others in recent past, are quite different, in that hard working decent citizens are being robbed and killed with impunity, while going about their everyday lives, and this is what is so frightening and alarming, all the while the Prime Minister and his Government Ministers, hide "under a rock" or "bury their collective heads in the sand", and manufacture excuses by the bushel, even as they utterly destroy their own credibility, but then most of them are incapable of shame anyway...as they have no credibility left over of their own...!
... it is unfortunate, that the "good people" has to suffer a life such as this, all because the Government has failed its citizens in every which way, failed them in providing them policing and security, a credible and dependable working justice system, health and health care, education, transportation, affordable food and inflation under control and nearly all aspects of government services to help make their lives safe and comfortable and enjoyable...but that is not in their plans...they are all talk about billion of dollars in the budget, most of which has no direct impact on the people, and is of no use or comfort to the people who are struggling just to stay alive, let alone enjoy life to the fullest, despite all of the country's natural wealth...!
...quite a while ago, a close friend explained in some detail, the difference between "living" and "existing", and we have now reached the stage in Trinidad & Tobago of "existing", "of holding strain and waiting for something to happen..."!
...we are no longer a group of proactive and creative citizens; instead we are cowering in fear and hiding, afraid to go out for dinner or social engagements and gatherings, barricading ourselves and our families in our houses when the sun sets, not anything different to prisons, and living a life of self imposed curfew...we have as a result of all this, become all reactive, and in short, only responding to any activities that directly affect us, and ignoring everything else in fear that something will happen...!
...in a nutshell...simply existing...holding strain indeed...waiting for something to happen...all the while, suffering in silence...!
...hopefully, we would all like to believe, that these types of crimes will not reach us, it will hit everybody else except us, and so we don't have to deal with it...!
...this must make the Prime Minister and his cohorts in the Government very happy, because as he can safely say, the people don't say nothing about it, so it not affecting them, so its not even out there, its only propoganda against me and the government, just plain bad minded-ness by some people to blame me for everything that gone wrong in the country today... !
...and having said that, he can safely retreat to his multi million dollar mansion surrounded by his 75 or more personal body guards, and go to sleep comfortably, knowing he is secure and safe, and by next morning, a few more of his citizens will pay the ultimate price of their lives, all because he and his government regime has neglected and abandoned them, and he has failed to "protect them" while he chose to protect himself first...!
...and yet we don't complain, we will suffer in silence...and more likely than not, will die in silence as well...!
...so we yes, can all go back into hiding, and hibernate until the next incursion and killing, and we can all "peep out" of our holes to see who made the front page of the news, and then go back to sleep again...as though everything is alright, its quiet again...!
...hold more strain and wait for something else to happen, all the while suffering in silence...what a life, what an existence...question is, when and where and how will it really end...???
...in reality though, no people deserve such "cruel punishment" from the hands of its very own government...none.. !!!
..good luck ...Trini.t.o.o
Well, in reality the people of T&T are now official sitting ducks just waiting to be picked off by the gunman! Somebody show meh how ah does tell lies - quick. And ah specially directing this comment to those who were jumpin' up and paradin' in Woodford Square recently. Yes - ah will continue to invite all diehard PNM-ites to come een here and show we dee error of we ways!
I's dam nonsense man! Can anybody in T&T go out for a lime and not think about the possibility of being gunned down. Well yes - Mr Big himself wid he entourage of body gyards could go anywhey. Ah mean wid a few attack helichopter and blimp and t'ing above, and big submachine gun fendin' off scum - yeah it safe fuh he. And when he go tuh sleep in big mansion - he does sleep real good yuh know. Yuh t'ink he coming dong wid torch-light and baseball bat to check out what noise is dat dongstairs. Look nah man! Nah he have he hench men tuh keep t'ings under control.
But you - yeah you! You eh comin dongstairs eidda! Because yuh know dat dee probability of a bullet in yuh backside is a realistic one. So you go keep yuh frighten ass upstairs and pray tuh Gord (aka God). No yuh wouldn't be calling dee police. Why? Becasue yuh know dee story - half a dem might be involved wid criminal elements anyway and further more dey eh go have a vehicle! So i's ketch ass fuh you.
As dey say yuh go be 'holding strain' waiting fuh a bullet dat might come or not come. Daize how allyuh livin' now? Allyuh like eet so or what?
I understand everything written in this article and I must agree that I too feel this fear of walking alone in the dark, after a taxi drops me off not too far from home.....I don't thinks my fears will change much anytime soon, however I am left with this wish that one should be held accountable for every word one utters in Parliament just like anywhere else.
Our dear Prime Minister would have been no more. If only.........but I guess I have to HOLD STRAIN...
K. Charles-Herrera
Pa-trick has a lot of style. From varying careers (bus driver to pastor), he shows a definite flair for the imaginary - and the unreal. Never concentrating on his 'real' job - to serve the people who elected him to the position he holds.
I guess if one has to apportion blame, the majority would befall upon the Leader of the Opposition - the lion's share as it were. Doh worry, he could handle it. Ent is he self who say that if you see he and a lion fighting, feel sorry for the lion?
But Pa-trick has a majority in Parliament, and he uses that with the precison of a surgeon's scalpel. He also has a few 'Independents' replacing the election date - in his back pocket. Together, there is nothing he can't get away with, as we are seeing. Some of his actions take long to come to light, some are done with great gusto. Now, even if he has to backtrack, as initially he had to do with the Draft constitution, he can still pull a lil Denise belfon - a lil slingback shot and slip it in real quick. And no crapaud going to protest.
Think about his style of governance though. It reminds me of a lot of those African states where greed, graft, corruption, cronyism, and the like are more truly present than any idea 'for the benefit of the people'. Who profits in Trinidad, who makes money, who gets richer? African people who have close ties to the Leader. From community leaders to business men and ministers, the money from the state coffers rolls in. And rolls and rolls.
So Pa-trick is no different from any African leader. Now, I am pushing a race talk here and saying is only African does behave so - no, we had Mandela behaving quite statemanlike, as did Barack Obama recently. It was Naipaul who said "... there is a strong feeling among negroes that black people, even when they can be trusted, don't know how to handle money."
That's a paradoxical statement; whether or not it is true in Pa-trick's case, I can made a definitive argument that it will eventually curve towards the truth.
We have a lot worse to come, hold strain..., but doh hold yuh breath.
...Much has been said about Leadership, and once again Jumbie is right on track with his comments on that topic, which has headlined the news lately with the end result of Barack Obama becoming president-elect in the U.S. elections...a history making feat for a "black man"...!
...but much has to be admired also about his leadership skills demonstrated up to now, and yet to be "tested" as he moves forward into the future...real tests are awaiting him at every corner of the globe, not to mention at home -right here in the U.S...!
...what is very ironic, is that we have our very own Prime Minister of T&T already talking about "deals in the making" and "back room negotiations" with his people to get preferences of treatment for the Carribean states, including T&T, as though its overlooked that Barack Obama was elected by the people of the U.S.A for the People of the U.S.A and not to serve the "black people" only in the U.S.A or for that matter, the "black people" of the world...!
...this makes the fundamental difference of thinking and philosophy between Obama and the likes of our Prime Minister who feels that he is now in a better position to get "preferences" by virtue of "race and ethnicity" alone...something which is common practice in T&T and openly endorsed by the regime of today...!
...so we say, beware of the false promises made so far, as he now offers nothing more than "false hopes" which has been repeatedly given to the people...now its being reported that he is saying that "crime and inflation" has peaked and will go down...all without any substantiating facts or evidence to support these statements...just another VAPS pulled from his back-pocket, like the many others, or another "spiritual feeling" he received from the "obeah woman" ...?...
...what a way to show "leadership"...?...what a way to run a country..?...what a way to keep delivering "false hopes" to a people lost and in dire need of guidance and help...?...the need to get them out of "poverty and crime and suffering"...what a shame for a so called "leader"...?!
...yes, my friends, "hold strain", but dont raise your hopes too high, as they may just turn out to be "false hopes"as all the rest in the past...!
...goodluck...Trini.t.o.o