Anand's Commentaries

I sometimes cut out articles that I find newsworthy with the intention of writing a future column. For some time now, I have been compiling a file with clippings about violence and indiscipline in our schools.

"Manning also said Government was as concerned about crime as the citizens of this country. If the solutions were easy, we would have solved the problem a long time ago,” he said, adding that it was not too late. “What we can commit ourselves to is this: If we try A and A does not work, we will try B; and if B doesn’t work, we would try C. We will try, and we will try, and we will try until we solve that (crime) problem in the interest of the people of Trinidad and Tobago."

If no one else is fit to lead the UNC, what would happen if Basdeo Panday dropped dead in the morning? I guess the party will be buried with him. Everyone, it seems, is “unfit to lead” except Panday. Panday’s scurrilous character assassination of Kamla is bound to backfire, because he has chosen his very own perceived weakness to tarnish her.

If, as Opposition-for-life Leader Basdeo Panday claims, Kamla is “not ready to lead,” then who is? By implication, it would appear that only he is. If so, what do we make of his numerous public statements that he understands that some of the corruption mud the PNM has flung has stuck, and it is time for a new leader to emerge?

Mairoon Ali was the last media person to interview me before I left for vacation. I had emerged from hibernation to do a few radio and television interviews. This was prompted by two burning issues: the exciting news about the challenge for leadership in the UNC, and the brazen attempt by the Government’s spin doctors to explain away the discriminatory secret scholarship PNM slush fund.

The issue is not necessarily who the stronger or better candidate is in the UNC internal elections. If the objective is to dislodge the PNM from office the relevant questions are:

“It may be that the Government should be given some credit—as opposed to flippant cynicism—for providing financial assistance to citizens in need, especially our young, in pursuit of outfitting themselves educationally, thus gearing up to make a contribution to the advancement of our country.

How does one describe “political discrimination,” which translates into and necessarily results in racial discrimination or exclusion? This is the dilemma that affects the Indo-Trinidadian community. This question crossed my mind after the scathing Newsday editorial criticising the government for the scholarship scandal.

A sad consequence of the racial-based nature of our politics is the exclusion of the ‘other’ major race from governance.

The call for Panday to hand over the reins of leadership to Kamla Persad-Bissessar, at the UNC’s meeting of delegates, underscores the weakening grip he has on the Indo-Trini base. A few years ago, this would be virtually unthinkable. Such a robust internal challenge from a mere party delegate to the leader is a sign of the times. Things have changed a lot since the heydays of PM Panday.

I have just returned from a pub full of inquisitive cricket fans in London, after the latest victory by team T&T in the Champions League Twenty/20 in Hyderabad, India. It is a shock to most to know that Indo-Trinidadians comprise the single largest ethnic group, but Ganga’s team has prompted most foreigners to Google-search and inquire about our amazing and rich racial diversity.

I read about the untimely passing of Ken Fitz-Andrews and it added to the cold chill here in London.  I knew Ken and had come to respect him as a caring, patriotic and proud man. He was destroyed because he could not stomach the corruption he was seeing at UTT where he was the Vice President of Finance.

The Uff Commission of Enquiry has all the hallmarks of a carefully-orchestrated political conspiracy. One caller to Dale and Tony’s popular morning radio talk show linked the fiasco to the premature resignation of former AG, Annisette George, who quietly resigned without any explanation. Could this be why she resigned?

I agree with AG John Jeremie that there is a need for “a more sophisticated justice system …… for the delivery of swift justice” but this can be a dangerous political slogan.  What we have to be careful about however is the erosion of the independence of the judiciary and the dangerous possibility

Writing this weekly column is a burdensome hobby, but a large part of what inspires me to write it is the appreciative comments and feedback and constructive criticism I receive from readers.

"The essence of the agreement between the Prime Minister and Mr Abu Bakr, on behalf of the Jamaat, was that certain advantages would be given to the Jamaat out of State property, in return for securing voting support for the Prime Minister’s political party. In the opinion of the board, this was corrupt within the meaning and i

If acting Police Commissioner Philbert is as serious about solving crime as I think he is, he must deal with the simple problems that can be solved without foreign consultants. People lose confidence in the Police Service when things that make no sense continue unabated without any credible explanation. A few common-sense solutions to a few common problems must be considered.

Minister Colm Imbert is responsible for three projects that have eased the strain on many citizens. I refer to the interchange, the water taxis and the much-improved Tobago ferry service. The traffic gridlock was the cause of much stress and anxiety. Now, the situation on evenings heading out of Port-of-Spain has noticeably eased up with a saving of at least 20-30 minutes in travel time.

The Public Service Commission (PSC) resorted to paid advertisements, last week, to refute the allegations of racial imbalance and discrimination in the higher levels of the public service. The ad is mischievous and misleading. This expenditure could fund a study to determine why Indo-Trini public servants cannot seem to progress beyond a certain level in the service.

If you’re waiting for a court judgment that declares that someone was a victim of racial discrimination, before you believe racial discrimination exists, you’re in for a long wait, for no one can prove racial discrimination. All a citizen can show is that he was treated unequally or differently, when compared with other similarly circumstanced people.

The fiasco of Gail Merhair’s vote in favour of the Government, which allowed it to postpone local government elections for yet another year, would be laughable, were it not for the serious issue involved. Senator Merhair’s logic has been exposed by all and sundry as being fundamentally flawed.

The vote of no confidence in Attorney General John Jeremie, passed by the Law Association, was simplistically condemned by Minister Colm Imbert as a political attack on the PNM, because a small handful of lawyers with known political affiliations attended.

PM Manning’s attitude towards crime has always been one of casual indifference. His flippancy is manifested in public statements that constantly seek to downplay the true state of social decadence and the chaotic breakdown in law and order. As head of the government, his attitude will inform the priority and policy of his administration towards crime.