By Michael De Gale
July 04, 2007
I am not a man given to violence nor am I the fanatical follower of any particular religion which advocate cutting off the hands of thieves. However, the more I learn about what appears to be endemic corruption in T&T, massive budget overruns and the widespread breach of public trust, the more I am convinced that there is some merit to this form of punishment. Without appearing to break bread with what some may consider barbarians, I could willingly support the law which states that, “If the right hand offend you, cut it off”. Not to punish poor people who steal to feed hungry children in the cornucopia that is T&T. Not even as punishment for the drug or chemically addicted who are compelled to steal to feed the insatiable cravings of the monkeys on their backs. Such people are desperately in need of professional help and social intervention.
Continue reading If Thy Right Hand Offend Thee…
There have been many complaints over the years from the public that the medical fraternity discriminates against Africans who seek to become doctors. The response was a generalization that Africans were not applying themselves for entry into the medical fraternity. Many of us knew that was not true, but those in charge did not feel inclined to investigate the racism in many of the learning institutions, including the University of the West Indies. Now that Professor Bartholomew appears to be making a similar claim, suddenly it is being taken seriously.
In a strongly-worded letter to Minister Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, Minister of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education and copied to the Prime Minister, Patrick Manning; John Rahael, Minister of Health; and the Dean of the Medical Faculty, Dr Phyllis Pitt-Miller; Prof Courtenay Bartholomew, Emeritus Professor Medicine (UWI), has criticised the admissions policy of students for entry into medical school in Mt Hope.
A few weeks ago I wrote a two-part article for the Business Express magazine in which I pronounced “cheap food a thing of the past”. The headline and contents must have infuriated both my comrades in FITUN, which has mounted a campaign against high food prices, and consumers generally, who, once they remain uninformed, blame greedy grocers and government for their high food bills. I admire David Abdulah’s and FITUN’s tenacity in highlighting the issue of high prices, and trying to do something about it. But I think their focus needs to shift from the blame game to addressing the means by which consumers can empower themselves.