A tick named Archie

Regarding the many, many ‘missteps’ of Chief Justice (CJ) Ivor Archie, I cannot help but think this man is a prime example of an unwanted pest, namely an Alabama tick.

Having disgraced, on many occasions, the Office of the Chief Justice – and by virtue of the posts he holds due to being CJ, the Offices of Chairman of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission (JLSC), and the Head of the Bar – he now digs in like the proverbial Alabama tick, hoping to ‘ride’ out the mess he has made. One wonders if he is openly ‘obtuse’ like the warden in Shawshank Redemption, due to the ‘pay-out’ coming at the end of his tenure.

Beginning before the Marcia Ayers-Caesar fiasco, and still continuing, the CJ has been involved in controversy after controversy. For anyone who knows the parameters of the Rule of Law, they would understand the many breaches committed by Archie in respect of moral and ethical behaviour, even as the legal position he finds himself in becoming more and more untenable.

Lately, I realise that the Rule of Law is severely handicapped, as it is more of an ‘honour code’ and can be ignored willy-nilly as in Archie’s case, and there is no enforceability of the moral and ethical codes touted by so many. Flying in the face of ‘justice’, Archie has simply ignored everyone who calls for an account of his behaviour, feeding off the public’s ‘blood’ all the while, like the afore-mentioned tick. What we need is a damn good anti-tick pesticide.

Gone and forgotten

This bears repeating:

A caller to a radio programme last week suggested there is the danger that we could kill the messenger without hearing his message. He was commenting on the demands made by Opposition Senator Gerald Ramdeen that Chief Justice Ivor Archie, as chairman of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission, release all the information on the recent appointments of three judges to the High Court.

The caller suggested further that Senator Ramdeen’s demands be examined fully, that they should be seen in a wider context of our time—when our institutions appear to be falling apart and the credibility of office holders is being questioned publicly.

I found merit in the caller’s suggestion, so I re-examined the recent call by Ancel Roget, president general of the Oilfields Workers Trade Union, to BP to “take your platform and go” and the statements of Watson Duke, president of the Public Service Association, during his call for a “Day of Resistance”.

I fitted both statements into the context of our time, and the results were the same: I concluded that Mr Roget needs to be enlightened about the realities of T&T in the 21st century, and Mr Duke, a crude, showy brawler, is best suited for a Randy Glasgow’s comedy special.

To review Senator Ramdeen’s message we should begin with the February 2014 High Court matter between his client, Jamal Sambury, and the attorney general before Master Patricia Sobion-Awai in which she declared herself “satisfied that substantial portions of the claimant’s witness statement had been lifted from other witness statements in an attempt to mislead the court.”

She noted “the similarities” between Jamal Sambury’s witness statement and that of Jamal Fortune in a previous case (CV 2009-3296), describing them as “so striking that the only reasonable conclusion was one was copied from the other”. She recorded her concerns and called for an investigation to prevent further abuses.

Later in the Appeal Court Senator Ramdeen, instructed by Varun Debideen, appeared before Justices Mendonca, Smith and Rajnauth-Lee. Court documents revealed that attorney Lee Merry, appearing for the AG, reminded the court of Master Sobion-Awai’s conclusion that “the conduct of the litigation was dishonest and an abuse of process.”

Justice Mendonca observed that Master Sobion-Awai wrote “it was a plagiarism from somebody else’s witness statement”, to which Merry responded that in such an instance the main form of deterrence was imprisonment for contempt.

This copying and pasting of evidence became known as “Prisongate”. In May 2014, Chief Justice Archie instructed that the matter be referred to DPP Roger Gaspard, who said in a media release that the matter warranted a criminal investigation. That July, Debideen attempted to introduce an explanation to Master Sobion-Awai but it was denied. In October, ACP Donald Denoon told the Sunday Express that several attorneys were interviewed and he expected the matter “to be concluded soon”. It is still ongoing.

The context widens in November 2010 when one considers the case, known as “The Walking Files”, in which attorney Mark Seepersad reported to the High Court that he shared office space with Ramdeen. On Ramdeen’s departure, he discovered in the office confidential High Court documents and personal belongings of one Asha Harripaul, at the time a judicial support officer.

The judiciary reported the matter to the police. Investigator Sgt Guevarro submitted a report in May 2011, detailing responses from Seepersad. It was concluded then that matter did not warrant further investigation.

After a Sunday Express expose in 2015 Seepersad said he was never interviewed. Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams then directed ACP Simon Lendor to re-open the matter. Senator Ramdeen claimed that he was questioned by the police, but no mention was made of the “Walking Files”. The investigation continues.

The context widens further, involving prisoner Michael Bullock, a former client of Senator Ramdeen. In February 2009, Master Paray-Durity made an award to Bullock, but in December 2001 that same year, unknown to Bullock, the monies were deposited into Senator Ramdeen’s account. Bullock wrote to the AG and Law Association. Last February, eight years later, the senator paid Bullock $407,000. The Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau continues its work.

Both Ramdeen and Debideen came in for severe criticisms from Sir Anthony Coleman, chairman of the Commission of Enquiry into Clico, who blamed them for the delays in that matter. Last year, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi revealed that Senator Ramdeen’s State briefs under the People’s Partnership government, totalled some $36 million; the Senator responded, giving up all his State briefs.

A still wider context? Should any of these matters go before the new judges will Senator Ramdeen be shouting “victimisation”?

—Keith Subero is a veteran journalist

To walk or not to walk (caption comment)

Well well LOL.

9 days distraction

For the past few days, I’ve been thinking that the brouhaha created by the ravings of Vernella Toppin-Alleyne in Parliament has bee a distraction, deliberately orchestrated by the cabal within the UNC, to remove attention from the case of the walking documents and the former AG. Why?

The answer may lie in the failed investigation into the former AG and his cronies who apparently conspired to defraud to state in prisoner litigation matters that involved private practice attorneys colluding with the Office of the AG. I note all matters relating to the ex-AG’s wanton spending and alleged corruption has been put off from the public’s attention.

After all, the death of Dana Seetahal was the first time the investigation was cancelled, and now that the attention is drawn by the rambling of an obviously psychotic MP, there is no follow-through to that investigation.

Thieves, Dogs, Misfits and Donkeys

There are several things upon which my attention was drawn today.

The first is the continuing scandal of exorbitant fees from the Office of the Attorney General while headed by Anand Ramlogan. Two former Attorney Generals, John Jeremie and Ramesh L. Maharaj have come out in the open requesting a probe into "the prima facie case for financial impropriety", which I pointed out on 16 March.

“As far as I can recall my allocation for legal fees was about $25 million.” [John Jeremie]

Since 2008 or thereabouts, this blog has been lamenting on the strangulation of the entire judiciary for want of funds. Given that the spending spree undertaken by the previous Attorney General Anand Ramlogan ranges from an estimated $300 million to “what could potentially be “close to a billion dollars””, the impact of this mischief is equivalent to using a sledgehammer to crush a peanut, especially in light that in 2009 the entire judiciary was allocated the sum of $49 million for the entire year!

The second situation to catch my attention was the headline "pitbull mauls tot". Just recently I had cause to return to this topic, due to the fact that attacks by dangerous dogs are far more prevalent on the Rock than in England. Given that the Dangerous Dogs Act has been partially claimed in Trinidad and Tobago, the law is now that injury caused by a dangerous dog is punishable by a fine of $100,000 and 5 years imprisonment to the owner of said dog, if the dog unreasonably injures someone. I'm waiting to see if the dunceys take any action in this matter.

Related the dunceys taking action, I wonder if their uber-efficiency applies only to roadblocks or will continue in other areas of law enforcement. Even the public information officer of the TTPS, Insp Wayne Mystar said, " How in God’s name can you hold a country to ransom because of the inefficiencies of a group of misfits who cannot negotiate on behalf of its members?"

At least this time it is not a foreigner pointing out the obvious! It’s one of their own…

Unbelievable

I’m a bit astounded this morning. I know when there is wrong doing, from captain to cook – or in this case, CJ to Judicial Support Officer (JSO) – cover their arses.

In case you still haven’t gotten it, I’m referring to the situation where attorney Mark Seepersad found a box of files in his office which he shared with Gerald Ramdeen – he of the copy and paste prisoner injury cases fame.

It seems Judicial Support Officer (JSO) Ms Asha Harripaul left a box of confidential files belonging to the Registrar of the Supreme Court with Mr Ramdeen… which she does not deny.

Harripaul said: “I then took the box and asked Mr Gerald Ramdeen if he would keep the box at his office for me until I get a desk so I could put the stuff back.”

I’ve never, ever heard that it was normal or okay for an attorney to keep confidential files belonging to a Court at his private office. Any sane or honest attorney would immediate point out the unethical nature of this and refuse outright. Oddly, and I personally find this to be the more suspicious bit:

The documents found contained letters and copies of Notices of appeals with respect to two matters that were heard and determined by Justice Peter Rajkumar, correspondences and Notices in relation to Civil Appeals and correspondences in relation to the status of notes of evidence.

Other court documents found included prisoner litigation letters. All of these were lodged in the personal office of the Registrar.

Given that Gerald Ramdeen was involved in several cases where he sued the state on behalf of prisoners, and in all of said cases the statement of injuries were identical, I find it more than a little suspect that he has in his possession said files from the Supreme Court. What are the prisoner litigation letters, and judge’s notes doing in his possession? Are they related to his cases, or to the investigation currently on-going (supposedly) into the copy and paste cases? Were they tampered with? There is no way to know, is there?

I wonder if Ivor Archie will think it is okay for client files from his office to appear in the home of… let’s say Anand Ranmlogan, while Ramlogan is suing the State on behalf of those same or similar clients? Do you see the idiocy Archie is perpetrating on the public?

Of course, Ramdeen merely states he “knows nothing about documents belonging to judges” and the matter is dropped. Me, I have some serious doubts, given the number of suspicious and possibly illegal situations he has found himself in. Is this a merely a ‘conspiracy theory’ of mine? Of course not. In T&T, the corrupt nature of people is the norm rather than the exception, so I can fully believe this.

Ms Asha Harripaul now conveniently has left the judicial service. The situation is not explained satisfactorily but the matter is now closed. The public is expected to swallow a toad without choking. And life goes on…

NOT GUILTY AS NOT CHARGED!

The full text of the LifeSport Audit, is below Anil’s photo op (scroll down).

Life Sport Final Audit Report - July 2014

Those pesky MBAs

Don’t readers find it quaint that with all the brouhaha surrounding the granting of an EMBA to Speaker of the House Wade Mark (described by one examiner as ‘charity’), one UWI blogger is rather silent on the issue? After all, this is the same blogger who took issue with the wife of the Speaker being appointed to a higher post at T&TEC.

Here I thought said blogger would jump on the issue like a starving squirrel and provide some sort of defence to the institution that employs her, and whose reputation has now sunk even lower. Sadly, UWI has never had a ‘good’ reputation and now even less so.

I can’t wait to see this played out.

A Misstepping bellowing cow

Rafique Shah in his TT Express Commentary of 26th October 2013, refers to the Prime Minister of T&T as a cow!

"Only the following night I would learn that she actually went to Rienzi, and in the stupor of defeat, she bellowed like a cow about to be slaughtered, croaking something incoherent. Again, I tried to figure out what she was doing. I was told she tried to sing melody lines from a song titled “This place called home”. I listened to the original on YouTube, and, well, I think Kamla and her chorus group should sing in private, behind firmly locked, soundproof doors…..”

Well the video of the PM seemed to make it fair comment. After this, I’m either Jamaican or Scottish for the next few weeks.

But the PM has a history of making missteps – and does not disappoint. She compounds her misstep on this occasion by simply seeking to defend her embarrassing behaviour. She goes on to intellectualise the misstep – a pattern we’ve seen before.

Diplomatic Immunity?

The situation on the Rock has gone completely ridiculous.

Sometime ago, News agencies reported that a certain minister's sons were debarred from leaving the United States. Subsequent reports have revealed that “Daryan Warner, the son of National Security Minister Jack Warner, was a cooperating witness for the FBI and Internal Revenue Service (IRS)."

The FBI and IRS are probing corruption into FIFA and "among the issues being probed are allegations involving ‪Jack Warner, a former FIFA Vice President, who resigned the ‪position June 2011 amid allegations of bribery." Among the allegations are offshore payments to Chuck Blazer over a 20 year period.

 

Since at least the summer of 2011, the FBI has been examining more than $500,000 (330,600 pounds) in payments made by the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) over the past 20 years to an offshore company headed by top U.S. football official Chuck Blazer. That was a period during which Jack Warner was also head of the CFU, a position he held from the early 1980s until 2011. [Reuters]

 

In spite of the seriousness of these reports, the Prime Minister has refused to remove Jack from his post pending investigations. While nothing has been proven, Trinidad and Tobago is a laughing stock of the world. Here we have a person under investigation for corruption leading the security forces (who would have to cooperate with the US authorities). The silence of the PM is astounding, as is that of the AG, the leader of the COP (Prakash Ramadhar) et al.

 

To make matters more ridiculous, reports have indicated that Jack is fearful of entering US space but as Minister of National Security, can very well issue himself a diplomatic passport. What does this mean? Does this mean that he can visit the United States on the diplomatic immunity and return? Will the USA recognise diplomatic immunity if Jack issues himself a diplomatic passport?

Not even in his best and most creative moments could Shakespeare have created such a scene. Neither could Ralph Maharaj for that matter.

Still, Vernon De Lima has the last word:

"He is entitled to have his side of the story heard, and I am confident that he would shortly visit the USA and clear up all those allegations that may very well be spurious. It is only fair to him, after all.”

Mr President, fire them all!

In Trinidad and Tobago, we see at least two occasions where the State has intervened to the benefit of select members of the ruling party in power.

In the first instance, the Manning-led Government manipulated laws (amendment to the Home Mortgage Bank Act in 2007) which allowed a legal transfer of funds on behalf of Andre Monteil from Home Mortgage Bank (Monteil was chairman) to Stone Street Capital (Monteil is owner). This is factual information cited in Global Corruption Report 2009: Corruption and the Private Sector.

In the second instance, we have a UNC-majority/led government making laws to benefit UNC financial contributors currently before the courts on massive fraud charges to the tune of nearly $1 billion.

The now infamous section 34 of the Administration of Justice (Indictable Offences) Act 2011 made it possible for Ish Galbaransingh, Steve Ferguson and others (Basdeo Panday, Sadiq Baksh, Brian Kuei Tung, Rene Pierre et al) involved in the Piarco Airport corruption affair to be ‘set free’ (matters dismissed) by the courts.

Notwithstanding the subsequent repeal of this brazenly proclaimed section 34, there still remains a loophole for said persons to ‘walk’.

In the interim, public outcry and the call for a scapegoat was answered when the Prime Minister gave the nation the head of Hubert Volney (of Brad Boyce fame). I suppose this is another instance where he ‘acted on his own accord’ and hoodwinked Parliament, Cabinet and several ‘Silks’, including the Prime Minister, the Minister of Legal Affairs and the Attorney General. Thus he is the easiest and most sacrificial ‘goat’.

What is unanswered is how 4 legal minds of the ‘calibre’ of Volney, Ramadhar, Ramlogan and Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who were awarded ‘Silk’, can be so obtuse as to fail to foresee the repercussions of the Act, including the section 34. Can we say they deserve ‘Silk’ for failure to recognise the legal backlash of this legislation? Or was it seen, planned and hoped that it would not be noticed for what it was?

Needless to say, this is a failure of monumental proportions, a ‘pile’ up the backside so big, sitting still is impossible. The ONLY answer is the resignation of the 4, or the unequivocal firing of the 4 by the President.

Giving the Nation the head of Volney, even if on a silver (or golden) platter, is denying the collective responsibility of Cabinet. If, as the Prime Minister has said in her Address to the Nation, the Cabinet was deceived, then it is a clear indicator that the Cabinet is incompetent to say the least, and downright corrupt at its worst.

The Prime Minister herself has said after the Reshmi Ramnarine fiasco, “When I assumed this position I said that the buck stops with me... so there is no point in laying blame or in pointing fingers. There is no apology that would suffice... In trying to remedy this mess, we embarked on a process. It was never our intention to deceive.”

The PM also said, "We should commit ourselves to learn from this and create systems that would ensure that something like this should never ever occur again.”

She also said, “I will always strive to do the right thing and, if things go wrong, I am willing to do whatever it takes to make things right”

In previously calling for the PM’s resignation, Jumbie’s Watch stated:

Such commitment to doing what is right must be seen to drive the right kind of action. And what is that?

It is about a catastrophic failure of government and good governance, that has irreparably damaged confidence in the People’s Partnership. This faux pas by the Prime Minister (having taken responsibility for it) has etched itself deeply in the memory of the people. It will remain in their minds like a splinter under the fingernail, that no tangible explanation that accounts for it, was proffered. [No – ‘misstep’ doesn’t do it for us]. Is that what the people must endure? Is that what the people deserve? We think not. They did not deserve it under the PNM and they surely deserve better now.

Mrs Prime Minister, I have only to say that your resignation, and that of the AG, and the Minister of Legal Affairs are now way past due. I mean, how much lower can you go when you actually made Jack Warner look good?

Still, Jumbie’s Law states: When you think dotishness cannot get worse, someone will come along to prove it can.

Carrying the nation’s national security in a purse

I could not help but note that minister Jack Warner (there is a reason for minister instead of Minister, it’s not a typo) is in company with a fellow “Trickydadian”.

The Lt Governor of the State of Florida, Jennifer Carroll, is a Trinidadian-born American politician who is the 18th and current Lieutenant Governor of the U.S. state of Florida.

You might ask me why I describe her as a “Trickydadian”, until you read her Wiki profile which says:

“She received a Master of Business Administration degree from unaccredited Kensington University in 1995.”

From the link above:

Kensington University was an unaccredited distance education institution that was based at different times in Hawaii and California. It was shut down by court order in Hawaii and California, following U.S. news media reports that high-ranking government officials received degrees from the school and other similar diploma mills.

The school was founded in 1976 by Alfred Calabro in Glendale, California, as a "no fat, no bull" correspondence school. The university was housed entirely in a Glendale office that also contained Calabro's law practice. Kensington awarded bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in a wide range of fields. California regulators said that Kensington handed out degrees "which may have little, if any, academic value" and perpetrated a "fraud on the public". State investigators found that the school awarded doctoral degrees after as little as four months' work which consisted of reading magazine articles. Following a protracted legal battle, Kensington University was ordered shut down by the California courts in 1996, and the school shifted its operations to Oahu, Hawaii, where it was shut down by court order in Hawaii in 2003.

Mrs Carroll was forced to resign from the National Commission on Presidential Scholars, after a CBS investigation raised questions about her degree.

She recently made worldwide headlines after being caught in a ‘compromising’ position with a female aide and said thereafter, that 'black women that look like me don't engage in relationships like that', referring of course, to the lesbian act, drawing the ire of the GLTB community.

My information on the Lt Governor is not the main focus of this post though. It is merely background, so you readers can see that when Jack Warner allied himself with her, he really found like kin.

Jack is in the news for stating that the Lt Governor is providing him with crime tips. [Coincidently, the bit.ly shortened link has “SFFTU” in it. Gawd is watching, innit?]

“Warner said, he would use anti-crime fighting tips he received from Carroll, whom he spoke with on Monday morning.

"Just yesterday morning, when we spoke at length at my Ministry, I prevailed upon you to also include some anti-crime fighting initiatives, and in fact a while ago, while sitting next to you told me you had it in your purse."

"Therefore, Governor, I thank you for the advice you have given me on how to fight crime and this long-awaited, so-called Warner crime plan will be the crime plan for Trinidad and Tobago, Governor."

What I find funny, and as I posted on the Express (and which has been deleted):

Looking up the Governor in the 'Web', I found out she was a machinist and Aviation Maintenance Officer in the US Navy. Which makes her less of an expert on Security than even the suddenly silent 'Captain' Griffith.

I also found out she has 2 Masters in Business Administration from two unaccredited universities, putting her in the league of such nobles as Rambachan, Cuffie etc.

Boy, this country never ceases to amaze me how dotish things could get. Just when you think they reached an all time low....

Yes, you read right. The Lt Governor was a mechanic in the Navy. So, we had a common soldier being the chief security adviser in the country (and wooing the daughter of then Prime Minister “Red Beret”). Now we have a mechanic writing crime plans literally overnight and carrying them around in public in her purse. Someone say national security?

How it’s done in America

Watch!

Insightless..shameless and spineless

Well dee Cap has been stalking the Silk issue for some time in the background, gathering thoughts and analysing the situation very carefully. This story about Silk has been in the media almost every day for two weeks. What’s the big deal some will say – it doh change dee price of corfee (aka coffee).

But boy, today ah couldn’t contain meh self no more. Ah buss. Dee mark buss!! So ah have tuh let off some steam prematurely. What trigger all dis? Well.. ah read dis article in Newsday - PM on Silk: Point the way forward. Eh? Forward? I’s more like backwardness getting in dee way. Den some so-called Analyst talk a pile o’ cuhraap (aka crap) in the Guardian – Analyst on Silk affair: Gov’t now looking at damage control.  But you doh have to be a lawyer to figure that the comments of the PM quoted in Newsday are not about damage control at all! It’s about ‘I wrong and I strong.. so eef how much ever other people do it .. i’s okay for me’ (jess to be clear the PM never said those words – but that is the attitude portrayed). Well pardners I had to let it rip in a Guardian forum. See below and here (it may have been removed from the Guardian because we all know how the media does censor the most straight talking and sensible opinions, but allow utter garbage – Jumbie could tell yuh bout it.)

The so-called analyst need a kick up the jacksey if you arks me!! The analyst is probably paid to cover up the whole blunder.
"She noted that former attorney general Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, who has strongly condemned the acceptance of silk by the PM, was the one who created the position of senior counsel, a local version of Queen’s Counsel."
Dis analyst cyah see dee issue at all at all. Hand picked I imagine. The issue is not who created SC - jeezaaan ages!! Ayye.. you know how dohtish dat line of thinking looking - hear nuh - it have people from all over the world does read deeze papers eh.. ah mean what impression such simplistic thinking go give people? Dat allyuh still swinging on vines? Oh gord man!

Dis is not a matter of merely attempting to bribe the judiciary. But lets deal with that first. Did the AG and the PM really think they could do that? If so it is the most childish and naive of bribes ever attempted.

Dee real ketchass is dat the AG and two key members of the Judicary couldn't see the obvious breach of the doctrine of separation of powers - a thing that would be obvious to any average 1st year law student. And what about the AG - Mr Separation of Powers himself - couldn't be bothered in the 'mad rush'!! I neva see such nonsense in my life!!

Few seem to care much about the issue of effectively decorating one's self with an honour. Normally that is called narcissism. But hey ho - ah guess allyuh dong on dat Rock a'right wid dat.. allyuh see nuff of it a'ready.. so is no big ting eh.

Den you have Fuad jumpin eeh tuh mouth off how is not the AG fault... how it was done before. In other words if crap has been done before is no big t'ing, jes continue merrily on to repeat.

And to crown it off now - the Prime Minister has laid down what she sees some kinda challenge. What? You eh hear bout it? Wakey wakey.

The PM has made statements which may suggest that if none of the people over the last 50 years hand back dey silk she holdin orn to she one!! She said, "..Should you take that route, every person to receive Silk under those criteria and those who for the past 50 years from 1962 down, are you then saying everyone should give back Silk? I think the answer is no. If we are to review the system and progress as we do in other institution that will point to the way forward”. And this is the abyssmally low level of analytical thought you get from a silk? I'm speechless. What  self-justificatory rhetorical nonsense of a question is that? (two can play the game eh).

The issues Mrs PM are not:

1. whether those who received silk over the last 50 years ought to return their silk.
2. that a precondition to your handing back your silk is that those so decorated over 50 years should hand back their silk first – ah mean how childish can one actually get?

The issues Mrs PM and Mr Separation of Powers are:

1. that you have discovered that the effective self-award of silk upon yourselves is viewed with the moral contempt it deserves,
2. that very learned and respectable legal opinion has informed you reliably, in no uncertain terms, that the award driven by you all in cahoots (directing the President), is in breach of the doctrine of separation of powers - a serious legal mistake for anyone worthy of Silk to make.
3. that both of you need to demonstrate more self-awareness and respect for people with (and without) intelligence. People are not all totally stupid. You have discovered that you made mistake - or should I say 'mistep'. But the pattern as with the Reshmi Ramnarine debacle - you playing wrong and strong! This is an issue of National importance. Adherence to principle should stand above all - and you should be a beacon of light and leadership – not merely trying to justify your mistakes on a foundation of such utter drivel. 

However, the monkey pants that you and the AG find yourselves in now, is one where you’re wondering whether the handing back of the Silk awards will be an admission of yet another 'mistep'. You worried no ass that yet another admission of a mistep will effect your fall from power.

Remember this 'Serve the people.. serve the people.. serve the people'. Um err.. that doesn’t mean serve ‘food’ eh. It means serve all that is right to the people – fairness as well. That means, ‘it's not about you.. it's not about you.. it's not about you.’  Right?

Going BackwardS and forwards at the same time.

I slept an unusual 9 hours last night (2011-11-22). I awoke this morning feeling really good for that. Then I went on the net and saw this: Water shortage to end soon  and then Maraval clean-up. I can't find a single set of words to describe my resulting state of mind. I've been told that I'm supposed to shut up about these things because people on that Rock know all about it, and what should I care if I'm not going returning to live there (aka Going DONG). However, what puzzles me no end, is why they have known about these things for over 50 years and are only marginally better off.

My unknowing first world colleagues may be even more confused as to why it upsets me so much. It is the stupidity of it primarily that gets to me. This country was under flood in the north, whilst the South was suffering a shortage of supplied water. This country is under severe flooding every year for the past umpteen years. This is a country with 3 desalination plants, and was contemplating purchasing two more!! This is a country with flashy skyscrapers, newly built motorways, had made purchases for gunships costing billions, and helicopters that became non-flying white elephants - and they can't solve a 'water problem'. Goes with the ‘territory’ you might think.

“Floods?” - you wonder if you’re from some part of the world and you hardly pay attention to what’s happening in a banana republic with 1.3M people – in a place with “three desalination plants”? Yes, Floods have been well documented by Jumbie’s Watch: October 2011, Oct 2010, Sept 2010, August 2010, Former PM escaping Floods in 2008, Legislation to arrest floods 2008. It is the leadership that underpins the ‘skyscraper mentality’ that has kept this nation from moving on. And who are the people responsible for the quality of leadership over 50 years? Certainly it must be the people who elected successive leading regimes. Correct me if you know I’m wrong.

And it's not because I'm not going back there to live that I should bottle up and turn a blind eye. I have rights - holding dual citizenship - to comment and take an interest in that country. Intention to ‘go back’ (or dong) is not a factor that qualifies or disqualifies anybody making observations, commenting or criticising that Rock. Why should/must it be?  I'm entitled to think – as would the next person on the street - that in an energy rich - energy-producing Nation - that these recurrent problems should not take nearly 50 years to be solved. And it’s not just about floods – I could equally go on about systems of justice, law enforcement, health care, communication etc etc. I’ll spare you today.

And my point?  My point is that Rock-crawlers need to take a really hard look at themselves, the leaders they elect, and the way they interact with that leadership. And do I think that saying so will cause any improvement? No – I’m sure it won’t. I’m not your next messiah. Get a grip! All I’m hoping for is that people begin to think, to interact, to discuss among themselves and to reflect – cold, hard and brutal reflection. It is from there that the oven of change may be ignited. Godspeed to all.

Will the real racist please stand up?

Once more, the shit has hit the fan, regarding the ‘secret’ scholarships handed out by Joan Yuille-William (Minister) at the Ministry of Community Development during the PNM reign. And reign it was, whereby P**rick ruled over all like Lord and Master, giving secret instructions to ‘keep it quiet’, and rewarding party faithful with sums up to $500K.

It took a judgement of the Court from complainant Devant Maharaj to reveal that those benefitting from the (as it is now called) ‘slush fund’ were mainly:

• from 5 major PNM controlled constituencies
• closely affiliated with the PNM, either through family relationships or employed by PNM personalities
• of a majority of a race commonly reflected as the majority of the PNM membership.

Note that it wasn’t just a matter of secret disbursement, but also of subsequent cover-up that forced the high Court action to reveal the facts now coming to light.

Devant Maharaj is now being branded as a racist by the PNM-till-ah-dead types on the newspaper forums. This started me thinking; is he really a racist?

Racist: n.      A person with a prejudiced belief that one race is superior to others.

              adj.  Discriminatory especially on the basis of race or religion.

Given the descriptors above, I fail to see how he can be described as racist for seeking information on disbursement of public funds.

First of all, it is not racist to want equal opportunities for your race. That is not the definition of being racist. Had he been wanting the promotion of his race, based upon already established successes, then perhaps. I see arguments being bandied that the majority of legal students and medical students are of Indo descent. Negros (I have explained my use of this word before before) have traditionally not done as well as Indos, since the Indo family structure has traditionally been to push children into education, sometimes harshly. So traditionally, Indos have done better in school, and achieved higher goals in education. Should we dumb down the entry qualification for Negroes to join medical school? I for one might refuse to have a black doctor treat me, knowing he might not have the ‘brains’ to learn properly, becoming a ‘duncey’ in the medical field.

Secondly, Maharaj exposed racism at NLCB where he was employed, practiced by his former boss (now mayor of PoS) Louis Lee Sing. That went all the way to the Privy Council, who agreed with Maharaj. Therefore, once again, how can he be racist for wanting equal opportunity and exposing underlying racism?

The real racism came from then Prime Minister P**rick Manning, who lost not one, not two but four cases at the Privy Council for treating Indo-Trinidadians unfairly, without rhyme or reason, or explanation. Not only that, but some of his overt actions resulted in the worldwide lowering of the country’s standing, one example being Monteil’s rip off causing a lowering of rank on the World Corruption Index.

Now, Maharaj has reputedly done some questionable things at the Port, of which he is line minister. But is he racist? Not in my opinion.

Cookies, pigs and trough

It is sickening, this feeding frenzy that was UDeCOTT’s typical unsupervised behaviour. Imagine, a $3.2M bill for “macaroon, almond, oatmeal cookies, mixed sushi, salmon, spicy negiri, pina coladas, pork chops, lamb chops, fish, curry meals, virgin banana and caviar. It even included Duracell batteries.”

I cannot even begin to describe my disgust. The corruption that is rampant in Trinidad and Tobago resulted in a downgrading of its financial status worldwide, yet it seems acceptable to all ‘PNM-till-ah-dead’ types.

Neelanda Rampaul was in a league of her own, and if the rumours were right, ably assisted by top PNM officials in the massive rape of the treasury. My disgust is such I cannot get into this topic, lest I fart fire here. I gone.

Just who is the real ‘sicko’ here?

I should know better than to surf a ‘Rock’ newspaper on a morning. I’m assaulted by a report in Newsday  'CREEPY FREAKY WEIRDO'! In essence they reportedly caught a teacher at Bishops Anstey High School (equivalent of a College in the UK), posting pornographic material of himself on his Facebook – by accident I should add, this discovery was made (according to Newsday).

Errh..umh..ahhh.. on 12th October 2011 we read that that the  Ministry of Education were investigating three scandals at three separate schools. These involved the use of Skype to stream porn, nude images of a teacher on a laptop, and a 15yr old (?female) having sex with a teacher. It’s possible that one of those reports alluded to the ‘sicko’ story captioned above.

My question is an obvious one – why did the female students at the school keep this man on their facebook at all? Were they coerced to keep him on? Did they derive some pleasure from engaging with images of his ‘half-nude’ anatomy? Was it simply for a laugh? Was it pure innocent macoshusness (or macovaciousness if you prefer)? Where were the parents when all this viewing of ‘half-naked’ bodies were going on – for three years?

Fucked!!

Once more, irrefutable proof of Jack Warner’s corrupt practices are exposed to the world. This time, it is not the BBC’s Andrew Jennings, but the UK’s Telegraph newspaper. This time, it is a video which though not directly of Jack, has his unique ‘lispy’ voice discussing payments to be made by Mohammad Bin Hammam, the former FIFA vice-president. You may recall Bin Hammam was banned from football for life after the bribery attempt and it resulted in Jack’s own demise within FIFA.

Now, any search for Jack Warner on this blog, will detail numerous ways that Jack’s ethics fall short. But as I pointed out to the Captain this morning, people who smell don’t usually know they smell.

By the way, I could think of no other title to this post other than what I posted. Because Warner has totally fucked himself, and if the PP government does not cut him loose after this, I see them sliding down to ignominy and a big election loss. They will become even less of an entity than the NJAC.

I leave you with the entertainment below.

And the truth… shall set you free!

Another ‘yard fowl’..Beauty. Brains?

Well ah done know what dee Jumbie go say eh. Dee man tas’e box spoil.. bad.. bad. 

Betcha he eh know who dis is. All now so dee words ‘some yard fowl’ goin’ through he head!!

Tell ‘im? Okay.. ah to gell him. Check http://www.tasmin.tv/ 

Well, beauty and brains seldom come in dee same package. Errrh.. yuh t’ink I care for Oxford graduates.. look nuh. Degrees doh mean yuh have brains, as per real intelligence.

Read about the nude pics – or is that the fine line between ‘cupid’ and ‘chupid’?

I don’t know what does wrong wid uman nuh. Why dee ass dey have tuh get intuh dis kinda t’ing. Doh lemme start about what she name Ayongchee.

Why uman does trus’ man to take pics of dem in dee nude, me eh know. Somebody out dey explain it tuh meh tah. Well yes – ah know bout when uman go ‘chupid’ – ah actually looking for something that gives a bit more dan mere chupidity.