8 posts tagged “government”

September 20, 2K8  10:54pm

How in heavens name is this government getting away with this nonsense. I will make it short and sweet, here goes… Trinis are a bunch of jokers who really deserve 'what dey get oui'.

Who vex loss and yes I really don't give ah blue tooth who vex with meh.  Can someone, no can all yuh government supporters tell me what ever happened to the much touted Mega Farms project that was supposed to feed the nation?  So much talk and talk and more talk and the result, absolutely nothing – sorry something was said and it was and still is  all just a bunch of excuses.

Now remember this government shut down Caroni limited… a company that not only planted and harvested sugar cane but also had cassava, papaw and other crops in acreages along with the buffalypso and cattle. What did they do with the lands apart from promising some of it to the ex employees of Caroni (they still waiting eh) – they plan to build houses on some of the land and of course certain people who have no intention of planting,  got land.

Excuses galore will be heard coming from the Budget speech for 2008/2009. Here is a snippet from the online Trinidad Guardian newspaper regarding the National Flour Mills change of status from “State enterprise to a virtual ministry of food”:  “The Sunday Guardian understands the Government is making this move because it is disappointed that the much-touted mega farms project has been getting off the ground at a snail-like pace. The management structure set up to implement the mega farms is likely to be blamed by Nunez-Tesheira for falling down on the job, the Sunday Guardian was told.”

http://www.guardian.co.tt/news5.html

So now you understand the situation, nothing new here and in this case they will blame someone else for the failure/lack of implementation of the Mega Farm project(s). I would think that if they had listened to the National Farmers association there would have been a lot more local food in the markets already. The government should support the local farmers by providing access roads and equipment along with land and these people will get the job done. They have been producers for years, yet still they have been shunned by the government in favor of these ghost projects.

We have the ability to produce rice if only we support the farmers and give them a reason to want to be rice farmers. The latest news that the National Flour Mills will sell the rice mill does not auger well for the industry. Incentives for all farmers are much better that spending billions of the country’s oil resources making Port of Spain look pretty and projected millions for the proposed, late to start, mega farm project.

In the end the Billions to be spent for the next fiscal term will impress the followers of this government. If anyone should question their reason for supporting this regime in charge of the financial resources of the country they will give you their Trini special, “what we go do, we cyar do anything about it and who we go put” – I have said it many times before and will end with this again, “Silly season is open in Trinidad”.

September 07, 2K8

I really feel good knowing that our country has stepped up to the plate to assist our neighbors in the Caribbean affected by the anger and might of hurricanes recently. Great!

I am not pleased that we are not doing the same for those whom are in need at home. The money allocated for those recently affected by floods at home is minuscule compared to the aide sent to our neighbors.

We are feting our Olympic athletes for four days to the tune of $********* questionable amounts – a few Millions maybe?

Did you know that rice is grown  in commercial quantities  in Trinidad?

High food prices are the norm in Trinidad and Tobago and now we learn that the Rice farmers with crops that are maturing and would soon be ready for harvesting are in a quandary and are left wondering if their rice would be worth anything.  The National Flour Mills has put up for sale the only milling factory on the Island. There is no guarantee that they would purchase the rice paddy for processing. If in fact the factory is sold there is no guarantee that the new owner would purchase the current crop at the established rates. During this entire ‘looming crisis’ nothing has been heard from the Ministry of Agriculture. Now how much rice are we talking about here? You would be surprised to learn that the quantity is in the vicinity of ten million pounds that’s correct 10,000,000 pounds of rice. Did you know that we produced this amount of rice annually?

Here is a quote from the Trinidad Guardian Newspaper:

“From October 1 to December 1, approximately 4,000 acres of mature rice (10,000,000 pounds) at Felicity, Caroni, Campo, Bejucal, Plum Mitan and several areas in South would be reaped.” http://www.guardian.co.tt/news3.html

The article is entitled "Floods of paddy" – make an effort and read the article. This is an amazing story it seems that when the Government dismantled Caroni limited they really intend not to produce any food but the buy everything.  The farms are just promises and nothing has been planted, reaped or sold with the exception of all the promises made by the Manning administration.

Only in Trinidad my friends – Silly season is open!

The Prime Minister stated that Dr. Keith Rowley was fired for Hooligan behavior exhibited at a Cabinet meeting. He went on to state that Cabinet was aware of the plan to include a 60 room Hotel at the site of the Performing Arts Center since last year. He even produced a document showing that the Hotel was part and parcel of the Center and that Dr. Rowley should have known about these plans. Well the PM was literally caught with his pants down. The following paragraph was taken from Trinicenter.com; please read.

“The Prime Minister further rejected Rowley's claim of questionable financial dealings at UDECOTT and said that the state-owned company is being run quite efficiently. Manning said that cabinet had knowledge of this hotel since last year. He proceeded to show a plan and point out the area on it for the hotel of sixty rooms. Manning said the hotel was not put in surreptitiously by anybody; it was always part of the design. Manning further said that they had articulated to the public at some time that the Academy of the Performing Arts in Port of Spain had comprised a sixty room hotel.”
http://www.trinicenter.com/tnt/2008/250408.html

Ok now that you have read the paragraph please note that the original plans for the performing arts center submitted and approved by Town and Country planning never had a 60 room hotel as part of the plan. As a matter of fact no subsequent additional plans were ever submitted to Town and Country regarding the inclusion of a 60 room hotel for the Performing Arts Center.  Please read the following paragraph also taken from the Trinicenter article.

“TV6 later showed an official document that showed the hotel was not part of the plan for the Academy of the Performing Arts. Former NAR government minister Eden Shand showed documents that contradicted what Manning said. Shand said, "Last night I heard the news about a sixty room hotel, and I know the process in this country through which you can do that. The process was town and country planning approval; you can check with them if you have that, and certificate of environmental clearance. I went this morning to see whether in fact the sixty room hotel was part of the clearance. It is not."

http://www.trinicenter.com/tnt/2008/250408.html

Now we have these facts and as a result we now know that Dr. Rowley was speaking the truth regarding the inclusion of the hotel and that PM Manning was only providing information to mislead. The reasons given by the Prime Minister for firing Dr. Rowley looks very unfavorable on the part of the Prime Minister’s office and smells of impropriety at this time.

Today’s report in the newspaper informed that Dr. Keith Rowley was "fired" from the post of Trade Minister. Another of the ‘old guard’ is gone. If indeed this firing has anything to do with his disapproval of the construction of the proposed 60 room hotel (and other problems associated with UDECOTT and their power to act Carte blanche on projects) then the Prime Minister needs to face the nation and explain his actions.

Another hotel in a capital city that just put in place the Hyatt - do we really need another hotel? If this hotel was proposed for Tobago then I am certain Dr. Rowley would not have complained because Tobago is a destination for tourists and the added rooms would be welcomed. 

Dr. Rowley who has been a member of the PNM for over 27 years and is considered to be one of the PNM’s strongest platform speaker, as reported in today’s Guardian newspaper also angered Mr. Manning when he challenged him (Manning) for the leadership of the party. I am sure the Prime Minister kept that memory and may have considered Dr. Rowley someone who could not be trusted and not a “true team player” – who knows?

The Prime Minister has accused Dr. Rowley of misconduct during a cabinet subcommittee meeting and advised him that his Ministerial position would be revoked. Did you get that? He was not warned and this action seems to have been on the agenda plate of the Prime Minister.  Just take a look and one will see that anyone with any backbone, intelligence and more importantly experience has been or is in the process of being swept away.  Has anyone taken notice of the manner in which the Prime Minister addresses the nation? He speaks as if he is a preacher delivering a sermon. The liturgy always ends with the common understanding that the PNM is in control and all will be well - just hold on! Yea right, in the mean time prices are escalating and the travesty of closing Caroni limited in now shining brightly.

Mr. Manning was not surprised by the actions of UDECOTT to construct a 60-room hotel on the Princess Building Grounds in Port-of-Spain as part of a performance arts academy, which is currently under construction. http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,77559.html   Dr. Rowley had the interests of the public purse as the foundation of his action to protest and for this he was fired. 

People of Trinidad and Tobago, is this why you voted the PNM into office?  When you are told that the high price of food is a result of that which is happening in the World food markets don't be fooled. That is partially true but the main reason for the problem at home is that we did not plan to feed our selves - agriculture was a side issue.

So now that Dr. Rowley has paid the price because he attempted to protect your public purse, what do you think that you should do? Maybe everyone should start by letting the representatives know that you are dissatisfied with the current status quo in the country; that you expect better from them. Force the Prime Minister to explain his actions and demand to see the real plans to get the country out of the malaise that has set in. Become proactive and stop being passive and non reactive to these developments.

Do you really understand what the 20/20 vision plans are and how the government plans to get us there? I really don’t care about that at this time. What every citizen should be concerned about is, what are the government's plans to diversify the economy and more importantly provide the mechanisms to ensure that we have alternative food items produced locally to weather the growing food storm that is tearing economies apart globally.

The Rowley issue should remind people that the government was elected into office to enhance the lives of the people and not intended to promote the dreams of one man who wants to leave his stamp on the country regardless of the outcome.

It is laptop time in Trinidad and Tobago’s Parliament; forget about the problems of inflation and the rising costs for everything that one has to purchase to survive. Forget about the needs of the people and reason the representatives were voted into office.   There are so many challenges facing the country yet still those selected to represent the people in Parliament seem to be hell bent on serving their needs and not those of the people. Today a Parliamentary committee meets to discuss the use of laptops during sittings of the House.

"In Canada, however, MPs are allowed to use laptops and Blackberries, as long as they do not disrupt the proceedings."

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161310264

This Laptop controversy nonsense is simply silly. The Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago does not need to follow anybody regarding the use of laptops. That is my position and even thought the British and many other  Parliamentary governing bodies don’t permit the use of laptop the Canadians have done the sensible thing and have allowed the use of laptops and even blackberries with the common sense understanding that it should be done in such a manner that it does not disturb anyone.

A laptop is not a typewriter that makes noise while in use and the only possible cause for concern would be the audio controls – so what is the issue with the use of a laptop?

The fact that the opposition has threatened to resign requiring the government to call elections after 30 days of functioning without an opposition may just cause the government to act.   Many persons have criticized Basdeo Panday for his actions that have resulted in the situation that exists today. Many have said that Panday is not interested in assisting the government to achieve its stated goals and is Parliament simply to oppose and create problems?  Do you think that is the case after listening to the case of the opposition regarding the direction the country is taking?

Let’s see, we had general elections that saw the ruling PNM take the majority of seats contested giving them control of not only the government but a clear mandate to forge ahead with the plans of their manifesto – very good, that is the way a democracy should function.  However, when you voted in the elections, did you vote for the development taking place in Port-of-Spain, did you vote for escalating food prices (with no agricultural direction formulated by the government), did you vote for higher costs for electricity, did you vote for increased traffic congestion? Well did you?

I am sure that you voted for less traffic congestion, better roads, cheaper food prices, availability of the basic food items, a regular supply of pipe borne water, less crime, a less corrupted police service, a government that is focused on the welfare of the people of Trinidad and Tobago – that is what you voted for, correct?  Well you voted for a representative for your district that would ensure that your area receives an equitable share of the nation’s resources. You voted for your representative to gain better health services in your area (health centers, and district hospitals), better schools for your children – am I making my point?

So when the government and the opposition are pussy footing in Parliament over issues that we don’t have any control, we need to remind the representatives that they need to get their priorities right and that means that they are in government to serve the needs of the people.

I listened to Sprangalang on WACK radio 90.1FM where he spoke about politics and politicians and our expectations regarding the voting franchise that we hold so dear. Sprang “investiquired” and came to the conclusion that there is nothing wrong with politics but the practice of politics by persons who have selfish desires is the problem – and rightly so. If someone wants to serve the interests of the public then getting involved in the political process is one of the ways available to serve the needs of the community.  It is a noble process if the politician is focused on the needs of the people and the ways and means of achieving the stated goal of nation building and the progress and growth in human development that would ensure every citizen benefits from the bounty of the land.

In the end, we are left with petty party politricks that always fools the populace to choose political parties based on race. Indians on one side and Africans on the other – isn't this a shame?

So am I like all the others who like to look in from the outside and criticize – maybe. Do you think that Trinbagonians will change and rise up to challenge the direction of the country’s governance?  I don’t think that they will but let’s see what can be done.

·         All 41 voting districts should let the representative for the area know that they are not satisfied with the plans and direction that the government has taken.

·         Let the representative know what your concerns are – better road access, a reliable pipe borne water supply, jobs, a reduction in crime, and more police stations/officers to patrol the communities.

·         Change the plan of the country and focus of the needs of the citizens – cheaper food with a focus of agriculture to provide food that we can produce and import only that which we cannot produce. 

·         A better distribution of the resources of the country

·         Education, education, education with a focus on the arts. Trade schools – we need masons, carpenters and electricians

Don’t for one minute believe that the politicians don’t understand the needs of the people – they do however, something happens as soon as they take office – it is as if some jumbie got hold of them and the people don’t matter anymore.  What do you really think can be done? I am sorry to say this but the ‘party mentality’ of the people is the ideal escape for politicians to hide behind.  Just imagine that food prices are soaring with the eagles now but people are more focused on J’ourvert in Point Fortin coming soon.

Good Luck with the 20/20 vision folks!

Mar26, 2K8

“National Security Minister Martin Joseph says "it is very possible" criminal gangs identified by the Government as the source of the nation's escalating homicide rate may be fighting over State-funded social programs”.

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161298610

What a revelation! Yea right Mr. Minister this is breaking new for persons who don’t know how things work in Trinidad.  Years ago when I was employed by the Ministry of Works the URP program and let’s call it by its correct name “De 10 Days dole out of Public funds program”, had the 'big bois aka Bad Johns' in the areas of the projects demanding that they get employed on these sites. Many times, in order to ensure that the project proceeded without any disruption, these persons were employed.  They did not really produce/work but the peace was kept and the project proceeded at snail’s pace to ensure that everybody got a piece of the action.

However, today the game has changed because there is so much money to be obtained from these so called social programs that really only dole out money for a lack of production. It has been the talk of the town that several gang leaders have become rich overnight by controlling their areas. We are talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars. As a result we now have gang killings to get control of these projects (don’t fool yourself into thinking that it is only about drugs and that this is not the case).   This situation is out of control with an inept administration that simply covers up the misdeeds by pouring in more funds to cover up the mess.

CEPEP has contractors that employ workers to maintain areas throughout the country. The government recently gave the CEPEP workers a raise in pay; shouldn’t that be the responsibility of the contractor? The work CEPEP is doing is the very same work that the County and Borough Councils are doing. If these agencies are not doing a good job then it is the responsibility of the person in charge to find out why and fix it. Task work is just that- a measured task; measure the work and have the employee do it. When he is done measure it and ensure that the work was done properly – there is no science behind it all folks?

The CEPEP program should not be used the way it is being used today, for maintenance work. Here is how the funds should be used – the monies should be spent on short term construction projects. Let’s take for instance that you need a side walk constructed on the Eastern Main Road or anywhere else, there should be bidding for the construction with a fixed cost and a time frame (start and finish dates). Of course there will be some allowances for unforeseen circumstances (material issues etc).  In the contract there should be a clause that penalizes the contractor for each day that the contract goes over the contracted period of construction. Several ‘contractors’ will get work and many projects will get done quickly. This will free up the Ministry of Works and local government bodies to focus on maintenance work.

Think about it folks the model we now have is not working correctly. We need to rework it and come up with new ways of getting the job done. The contractors who finish their projects on time with good quality should be rewarded with additional contracts if they have the same bids as others bidding for future contracts.

Don’t allow the miscreants to control the projects because that means they are now controlling the government – is that what you want?

“Violence and criminal activity affect the image of a country, so the effort to ensure sustainable tourism and security must remain constant, and with organize crime growing, tourist are very sensitive.”  Those were the comments of the newly appointed secretary general of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), Mr. Luis Andrade Falla.  He also went on to state that, “as a result of the crime issue, statistics have shown a grave decline in tourism growth both here in T&T and the Caribbean.”

http://www.guardian.co.tt/news3.html

I am sure that the government of Trinidad and Tobago will have a “now wait just one minute now” statement that will remind people that the hotels were all sold out for the 2008 Carnival celebration. They will also state that the amount of arriving passengers for the Carnival celebration went up from the previous year even though many governments issued warnings about the upsurge of crime to their citizens travelling to Trinidad.  Do you believe that Trinidad and Tobago’s government will admit that crime is an issue that affects the image of the country? I mean there are so many construction projects taking place in the city with more planned to start soon. We are a developing society with so much to offer so this picture about crime may not be in the interest of the country and the plans of the present administration.  We wait with bathed breath for a response from the government.

Maybe the government is not too concerned about these statements because they have the situation under control. Yea right and pigs do fly! The court system is constantly releasing persons accused of serious crimes including murder because witnesses are scared to give evidence because they don’t believe that the state can and will protect them.  The recent report on crime shows an upsurge in every category. What has the government done to help fight crime? Well let’s see we purchased blimps (Lord knows for what purpose), no additional police officers to patrol the districts or help fight the current state of unbelievable criminal activities. The police service is corrupted with officers breaking the law and getting away with it. This situation cannot be allowed to continue. We have a problem with illegal guns and drugs. Criminal gangs are in control of districts and are spreading and taking control of more areas. The government doesn’t seem to be able to act and act decisively.

So while we continue to debate the issues nothing gets done and when something is accomplished every politician wants to take credit for it.  The story continues to get worse with the current upsurge in crime and criminal activities against a scared and helpless society. People don’t have a choice while the Prime Minister is protected by a private security detail costing millions of dollars yearly.  It is a shame that this situation continues when we have the resources to right the ship however, we don’t have a determined government that is willing to take drastic actions to correct this stain on the image of the islands.  In the end all we get is more rhetoric and political mama-guy.

Indeed the situation will continue and we will pretend that the situation is not past serious while governments around the world will continue to issue warnings regarding travel to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.  Mr. Falla is correct when he stated that “violence and criminal activity affect the image of a country.”  Maybe one day the government with adjust its priorities and come up with a plan to clean up crime and by extension the image of the country – just maybe.

Also posted @ www.santimanitay.com/

Feb18, 2K8

Now that Independent Senator Prof Ramesh Deosaran has graded the government and given the current returning administration a C Minus followed by the upper cut blow from Dr. Selwyn Ryan that the government had not performed remarkably well it looks like the majority vote may have been right even though the popular vote put the PNM back into office.

Dr. Ryan continued, "Having regard to the fact that it is not a new (but returning) Government, I think the Government has not distinguished itself on the crime front which is where the pressure is and where it is losing credibility and the public (is losing) patience." I personally don’t think that the public is losing patience; there was enough cause for that leading up to the General Elections and look what happened.

Trinidadians like to gripe, like to complain but don’t like to act. They are easily cajoled into changing their minds and a fire and brimstone preaching Prime Minister successfully returned to office because of the brazen move of Basdeo Panday and Jack Warner to cast aside Kamla Persad Bissessar. 

It looks like Professor Deosaran had a dream because he stated that, "We want to see Ministers held to account or Ministers fired if their services required by the public are not properly delivered." Do you really think that PM Manning will ever sack any of his Ministers because of lack of performance or inability to perform at his or her position in the best interests of the people? Doing so will be an admission that he has failed and this Prime Minister will never concede to admitting anything remotely close to that idea.

The crime situation is getting worse and the government is not acting to stem the criminal tide that has washed ashore.  Professor Deosaran was being kind when he gave the government a C grade when in fact to date an F Grade would be more appropriate.