TNN 75

Hell again folks…. ah back again ….. an’… (deep voice)… This is TNN….  De journeyyy now start…de journeyyyy now start…(Tambu) …..(background music)….. ah lot of news dis week….

Jumpstation: Medi(a)core media..?; Bat & bawl; Politri(ck)ians; I swear; Commentary.

Ah boy… so much ado about it, dat ah decide to finally add meh valuable (to me!) comments to it…

Las’ week de MP for Tunapuna,  Assam  (Ass-I-am ), called de media one of de vilest  set of people you will come across, den went on to talk about dem being purveyors of  half truths etc… a most scathing attack indeed.  

Of course de PM, of no greater intelligence apparently also waded in talkin’  ‘bout “damn reporters” who cyah talk English (like quite a few of his colleagues in Parliament!), etc.. so what is de situation wit de media?  Apart from de fact dat dey ent too enthused wit’ de present government?

Well, in my humble opinion, de media have some catchin’ up to do.  First, dey doh pay reporters no setta money, so most ah dem have somet’ing on de side, an’ dat lack of professionalism an’ time to do ah job properly does show up.  Half investigated stories, innuendo, not shedding much light on issues an’ not followin’ up… everyt’ing is ah nine days wonder, till ah nex’ story come along.   In odder newspapers, it have people workin’ on ah story for ah year or more, till dey get de whole full works…. not in TnT. 

To me,  de primary focus of de media (especially print) is to inform, an’ secondarily to entertain or do features.  We have no media programs in high school or University to train people in writin’ skills or presenting, reporting, anyt’ing… if yuh put nothin’ in, you will get as much out.  

When de Cobra launch he media company Snake Inc. , yuh go see real journalism… yeah…..why not?  I is not  people too?  

You know how much law pass in de las’ five years, an’ me eh even know what dey is or how it affectin’ de country?  Yuh  must have ah section on legal issues in any papers.  Yuh must have ah section on culture (not talkin’ about events, but real investigation on culture and development, yuh mus’ train people… dis “wash yuh foot an’ jump in”  nonsense have to stop…. when yuh doin’ ah feature, it doh have to be “tabloid” garbage.. it could be interestin’ an’ informative (who woulda taught Discovery or History Channels on Cable woulda have such ah large followin’ ?). 

Every year, yuh suppose to have ah media symposium an’ bring people to talk an’ educate an’ discuss media reform an’ excellence, producing etc… An’ de bes’ TV station in TnT shoulda be de government station, because it suppose to have as much fundin’ an’ support it need (talk to dem BBC!).. instead TTT (Totally Terrible TV!)  is de worst!   Is only propaganda.. Government Information Programme is like ah manifesto for  de government… every speech de PM make, every school he visit, every rum he drink, yuh getting’ it live an’ direct… it overbearin’ man….

So we have competition, which does help boost standards, but we need more TRAINING….  an’ tryin’ to muzzle de Media or public expression (till de Commonwealth Media Association had to warn de PM.. ah feel shame!) is not de way to go.. yuh cyah play mas an’ fraid powder… so if ah have tuh take ah stand, ah standin’ behin’ de media, an’ in front  any ah dem who try to interfere…!

Um hmm.. dat is what happen.. everytime de West Indies team go in to bat… ah start to bawl!  Ban yuh belly an’ siddong in dust, roll in de mud, wear ah paper bag over yuh face…. anyt’ing to remove or hide de shame….! 

Ah get giddy watchin’ dem batsmen, because as one come in, one go out, was like ah lawn tennis match.. dem fellas clothes clean after ah day in de field!  Absolute carnage!  Dey get shake like earthquake pass…!  Ah t’aught ah was getting’ ah stroke, because meh whole body get numb!  5 day match done in 3 days… lots of time for sightseeing!

Picture it… de first innings… all out for 82 runs… yep, double figures, an’ in de nex’ innings, all out for 122, an’ one batsman make 62!   

De poor bowlers try… de fella from Tobago (Black) in he first series bowl good man, take ‘bout 5 wickets an’ Dillon support him well… but even dem get tired, so near de end of de Australian innings de las’ couple batsmen start to hit dem… ah fast bowler make over 60 runs…. not surprsingly…. after yuh tell yuh bowlers to try an’ bowl out de worl’ best side for less dan 82 runs, dey have to give dey all, no time to relax, an’ we eh have no relief  bowlers either, so yuh floggin’ de same horses all de while….

Lara still getting’ ketch wit de same ole trick…ball on de offstump movin’ away, an’ he goin’ after it… off de edge of de bat.. PLUKS..ketch out!  Brian… leave de ball alone!  Yes, it is okay to LEAVE ah ball!  Is 4 years now yuh getting’ out.. an’ by de SAME bowler!  

De captain (Jimmy) say dey want ah psychologist wit’ de team…but what de hell?!  Ain’t ah did say so more dan 8 months ago?!  But ah hear de WI Cricket Board doh like de psychologist or doh want to pay him.. as if he workin’ wit’ dem….! 

Yuh know what else dey need…. ah good bullpistle!  Jus’ go out an’ play… is men bowlin’ de ball, it eh have no “spirit” on de ball!  Jus’ watch it, get yuh foot in line an’ play accordingly, no maths dey.. 

How come de BOWLERS could bat, but we batsman can’t?  Is ah circus now?!  Now de in real  danger of losin’ crowd an’ money, because no crowd eh comin’ to watch no whitewash!

POLITRI(CK)IANS...

Well , part of de DC crew (how alyuh goin’?!) ask meh to keep dem up to date on de happenins here, so yuh know de Cobra aims tuh please!

Every dog an’ cat on ah platform now.. is de time when everybody does lose what’ little dey have left… decorum, common sense, respect etc….  De PM poundin’ ah “performance” mantra… how he gov’t perform… I quite agree, is what dey perform! 

Dem boys pavin’ roads like mad, dey pavin’ over manhole, good road, pothole, even you if yuh stan’ up in one place too long (dey borrow $200M for dat).  Ah Saturday mornin’, dey jus’ show up an’ start to pave Cipriani Blvd., people gone out an’ come back only to fin’ dey cyah get in dey house, businessplace, etc. because dey eh warn dem in advance.  4 ½ yrs gone an' you now discover de roads need pavin’. 

De rulin’ party had dey convention yesterday… Manday say IF he returns to power, ole age pension goin’ to $1000; all UWI fees cut by half; people over 60, no departure tax at de airport; construction of ah huge cultural entertainment centre which will also display de arts (he eh say wey he constructin’ it…)… All dis in addition to ah new airport ($1.3Billion) which cyah finish yet.

Dey just get ah 31 yr ole boat on lease to run de Tobago route (yes, ah MATURE boat, wonder how long dat go las’?!), dis complex dey intend to put on de Port of Spain waterfront, dey give teachers ah huge salary increase jus’ de odder day, nurses nex’ an’  dey still constructin’ over ah dozen secondary schools….. nice, nice…... 

Question…who payin for all dis? Dis is ah government who inherit ah economy growin’ at 5%, had high oil prices for 4 years, an’ manage to drive up de public debt by 18 Billion dollars, an’ eh do ah surplus budget for de las’ five years!  

Suppose oil prices drop?   Wha’ happen, is ah credit card?  Brudder, wey de money comin’ from….?  An’ ah keep tellin’ people, is okay to build t’ings, who is goin’ to MAINTAIN it?    Anybody could have ah chile or ah car, yuh know de cost of maintenance of dem items….?!  Damn right, dey bloody expensive!  

BUT my people spendin’ willy nilly… apparently de lessons of de 80’s eh sink in yet, where after oil prices collapse an’ recession set it, was IMF in we waist an’ real  cutbacks… people lose dey house, car, had to drop out of University… real ketch tail, because man spend like it had no tomorrow….! 

Dis is not ah debate, dis is about people life!   NAR say dey only contestin’ in Tobago, because dey eh mobilise enough in Trinidad yet, so dem effectively off de scene.   

It have ah couple Independents (Manday say anybody who run as ah Independent an’ have ah UNC card getting’ t’row out de party, yuh hear?!) From here, it lookin’ tight, but wait… check out de next column below…..

I SWEAR....

Gypsy (de calypsonian) runnin’ for UNC in Mayaro/Ortoire, and  Mr. Chaitan runnin’ for Princes Town (also UNC).  Now it have ah law dat clearly states if yuh have dual citizenship, yuh cyah be ah MP.  Further, when yuh han’ in yuh nomination papers, it have ah question dat ask if yuh have sworn allegiance to any other country.  Both ah dem put  NO! an’ drop in dey papers.  

Now de fine for ah false decalration is $7000 an’ /or 6 months in jail!  De PNM pounce on dem one time an’ say dat dey make ah false declaration, an further since de nomination papers contain ah false declaration, dey null and void, an’ nomination day pass, so dey cyah go back!  

Brudder, panic in UNC camp… it mean dey lorse two seat even before dey start.  Ah hear de PM get on like ah possessed man, because de screenin’ committee was suppose to pick dat up.  Now de matter gone to de Police and de Election and Boundaries Commission, or ah judge have to rule on it.   

Man claimin’ dey didn’t know an’ how de PNM so vicious…why dey complainin’?  Who fault you sooooo schupid not to check what is ah well known law of de land?!  And it on de nomination paper, so how yuh could miss it?   You “forget” yuh swear allegiance to ah nex’ county?  

SO now dey want to renounce citizenship, but once de declaration false, brudder, yuh out de race, it doh matter...  Too late, too late, shall be de cry!…  

So ah waitin’ on de result of dis one… an’ dey have to decide before election… He! He! He!  Politics is tears in dis place!

COMMENTARY:

Somebody ask meh to comment on whether people wit’ dual citizenship an’ livin’ abroad should still be able to vote from abroad for ah gov’t in TnT.  One of meh TNNers ask meh, ah say ah go give meh opinion.  Watch de language change…!

Let us consider for a moment someone who has dual citizenship.  This has been allowed since 1988 in TnT.  Now if someone has a work permit for another country, works in that country and wants to vote for a government in Trinidad, there is no reason why they should not, though there is a danger there I will comment on later.  

If however that person has dual citizenship and resides abroad, I personally do not think they should vote, simply because they have the option of living elsewhere and in addition, because they are not living in the country, they are not really in contact with the everyday realities, even though they may read a good publication (like TNN!).  

I think they can best serve the country by investing in some way, by sending money or materials back home which their family or country can use, promoting or assisting-in-promoting the country abroad or giving regularly to charities in TNT.  

It is really not fair to people who reside here and who, for the most part have no recourse, to have elections especially close ones, decided by persons who do not have to bear the full consequences of their decision.  

This happened between Trinidad and Guyana (overseas where Guyanese, with two passports went home to vote) and helped to prop up an oppressive regime that eventually led Guyana's country to financial ruin. 

If a person has dual citizenship and resides here, the situation is different.  They live in the everyday reality and that passport is usually for convenience, for the most part (education for their children, etc.).  They have no intention of really residing in the US or wherever, barring some really earth shattering situation; I know many such people. 

Should a person with dual citizenship be allowed to represent the people as an MP?  I think not; I want that person to know that whatever decisions he or his party makes, he has no choice but to live with it; they are likely to pay more attention to their actions then.  The US would not even contemplate such a position.  The President of the US must be born in the US, so if you arrived 3 months after birth, hard luck!

There is still one category; those with TnT citizenship who reside abroad.  Yes, they should be allowed to vote, even if they are abroad, since they remain citizens, but they should make themselves fully informed of the situation at home before voting.  

Remember that there are hundreds of thousands of West Indies living abroad who are able to vote and you can have the situation where “outsiders” determine the ruling party.  Hence, if any such persons contemplate such actions, they should be aware of the responsibility that goes with such.  If you are influencing the politics of a country, you should in some way be connected with it. 

Dat’s all for dis week folks… remember any queries, questions, comments, hail outs, etc… jus’ write to we anchorman Cobra at ttcobra1@hotmail.com an’ we go get back to yuh…  Take care care, laters..…. Peace…..  Trinidad is my land…an’ of it I am proud an’ glad….…. ….(background music)