Troubling times:

We really are living in troubling times in Trinidad and Tobago.

Not only because of the terrible crime situation but all around there are signs of moral breakdown at all levels from the board rooms to the streets.

Although I have mentioned several cases below, the column places neither guilt nor innocence on anyone and would leave it up to the courts to determine either way.

Last week, the country watched on as Eric Williams, proudly named after the first country’s prime minister was taken to court to face seven charges of corruptly receiving money from another self-confessed corrupt local government councillor, a member of the ruling party.

Hours before appearing in court, Williams resigned as the country’s Energy Minister. He was the second minister in the Patrick Manning administration to be charged with corruption.

Franklyn Khan resigned as the Works and Transport Minister during the police investigations last year into what is now being called the (Dansam) “Dhansook affair.” 

Khan later tendered his resignation as chairman of the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) when he was formally charged with corruption.

Housing Minister Dr. Keith Rowley is not before the court but he is being investigated by the Integrity Commission following allegations that construction materials for a government hospital project were being siphoned to a housing project that is under construction by Dr. Rowley’s wife, an attorney at law.

On the Opposition benches, opposition leader Basdeo Panday is also before the courts on several corruption charges.

Opposition senator Sadiq Baksh is also facing corruption charges along with several former government officials under the former Panday administration.

With widespread allegations of corruption being levelled at the former ministers both in the current government and former government, it’s rather curious to see the posturing of some seeking exemption from being made to declare their assets.

Judges have joined the fray seeking exemption. Independent senators, with one exception, have petitioned the president seeking exemption on the basis that they don’t award contracts to anyone.

It’s also quite interesting that the senators who are supposed to represent independent thinking, got together to unanimously put their collective thoughts into a letter to the president to keep their business out of the public domain.

As one commentator observed, the senators are no longer independent but were now interdependent.

Frankly, anyone who sits in the parliament, elected or selected, should be made to declare their assets, given the way things are evolving particularly over recent years. The singular positive aspect is that the man -on-the-street will have more confidence in public officials.

And as if the country didn’t have enough bacchanal to talk about since the start of the year, a major brouhaha is now emerging between FIFA Vice president Jack Warner and the government over tickets for the FIFA’s world cup championship in Germany later this year.

Jack first claimed that his family-owned travel agency had the exclusive right to sell package deals including ground transport and tickets for the game.

When the media picked up the story, Jack changed his tune, that the deal was not with FIFA but with a tour operator in Europe and Jack’s story continued to go around and around in dizzying circles.

Jack, a deputy political leader of the opposition party also has an uncanny way of saying something today and an altogether different thing tomorrow. Questioned about his latest change of mind over accepting government’s financial offer for the football team, Jack simplified his position saying, “yesterday was yesterday and today is today.”

And I must come back to the crime spree in the country before I end because I cannot understand the demons running loose in the country.

How else must I describe some members of a gang who decided to firebomb four homes and then rain bullets on the houses, preventing the scared people from running out.

The story is that since the gang members couldn’t locate a man they were looking for, they decided to take revenge on his relatives.

And this week, the terrible discovery of the bodies of two brothers who were killed over two months ago and buried together behind their father’s house. Police are said to be looking for a hit man hired by another man who had a quarrel with the brothers over the price of tomatoes which they sold him.

While the crime and bacchanal continue, UWI/ St Augustine principal, Dr. Bhoe Tewarie tells us that the country is facing one of the worst brain drains as people were running away from crime and seeking better opportunities in other countries.

Some, he said were also leaving because they felt under-appreciated, oppressed, alienated, discriminated against and politically victimised.

A shame isn’t it, particularly as the economy is rapidly expanding so much to the point that there’s a shortage of construction workers and the university can’t put out enough engineers and petroleum who are gobbled up for jobs even before their graduation.

In 2005, the country recorded its 11th year of straight economic growth with a 7 percent expansion. At the end of this year, the Central Bank estimates growth will hit a record high of over ten percent.

A bigger shame that all of us who worked hard for the country, contributing in our small way, cannot enjoy our wealth in peace.