Laventille, don’t fall for sweet talk

Guardian Editorial
February 11, 2010 – guardian.co.tt

LaventilleHaving had the absolute and unwavering support of the people of Laventille for the 54 years of its existence as a political party, it is highly contemptuous of the PNM’s political leader, Prime Minister Patrick Manning, to go into that part of the country, which is riddled with crime and sunk in underdevelopment, to name in an ad hoc manner a committee of ministers and parliamentary representatives to discern the problems of the area. Where have Mr Manning and the PNM Government been all this time?Specifically, as it relates to the stewardship of Mr Manning’s administration, between 2002 and 2007, Prime Minister Manning and his Government announced a plan for the rehabilitation of east Port-of-Spain, inclusive of the “behind the bridge” areas, Laventille and Sea Lots. Where has that plan got to beyond talk and the establishment of a company, presumably to effect the job?

Over the same period of further deterioration of Laventille, the Government embarked on a massive programme of con- struction or refurbishment of administrative buildings, a palatial prime ministerial residence and diplomatic centre, hotels, a non-functional financial centre and ela-borate cultural complexes in Port-of-Spain and San Fernando of dubious usefulness. These buildings were constructed at the cost of billions of dollars and the Government has spent hundreds of millions to host two international conferences while this faithful PNM constituency regresses. It is not only that the physical infrastructure of Laventille continues to deteriorate but, most importantly, the human condition worsens.
Full Article : guardian.co.tt

14 thoughts on “Laventille, don’t fall for sweet talk”

  1. The mystery threats against Mr Manning
    If persons unknown are issuing death threats against the prime minister, it is high time the authorities got to the bottom of it. After all, it is now seven months since Prime Minister Patrick Manning claimed there had been a threat against him, and when he did so, the threat itself was already a year old. But it seemed that Mr Manning had never told the police about it. Only when he made it public was Deputy Police Commissioner Raymond Craig appointed to investigate the matter.

    Since then, however, the people of Trinidad and Tobago have not been told what the status of this case is. Has Deputy Commissioner Craig uncovered any leads? Has he made any headway? Or has he been unable to find any evidence that a threat was made? Citizens’ enquiring minds remain to be satisfied.

    Indeed, it now seems that Mr Craig may have another investigation on his plate since Prime Minister Manning, on Monday, disclosed another threat had been made against him. Oddly though neither Mr Craig nor Acting Police Commissioner James Philbert has made any statement about this second death threat against the prime minister. Does this mean they are treating the matter lightly, or not treating with it at all? Again, in respect of the first threat, Mr Manning himself apparently didn’t think it worth reporting.
    Full Article : trinidadexpress.com

    1. the PM would not see this as something worth reporting because he can be charged for wasting police time, oh shit, what the hell I saying, he is the PM, he can’t be charged. But seriously, this threat is from a man playing on the emotions of a blind loyalists. Another theory is that by claiming this he could go into laventille with full security (riot squad) detail, to “talk with D people”

    2. Oh by the way if that is what the people like then continue to vote for it, and shut allyuh damn mouth.

  2. This “wake up one morning” brilliant idea by the PM is yet another of the PNM’s “scraps of the table” just in time for elections measure. This is going to be used to spend some money, to pacify the people for a while until the PNM can be blindly voted into office again and then the routine starts all over again, the people would complain about every basic necessity under the sun. I do hope they would reject this piece meal approach to the development of their community and demand something more meaningful.

  3. mramps, you’re an optimistic dreamer. Laventille is a “PNM till ah dead” area and as we can see they support the PNM as their fathers and sons die daily.

  4. An unfortunate maxim in modern politics is, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” Therefore, until other aspirants can come up with something novel, as far as political approaches in Trinidad and Tobago to garner the support of broad base masses, then get used to seeing Uncle Manning around for a considerable time, mramps.
    My personal motto that I came to adopt wholeheartedly as a guide through the decades is ,” something is good if it works.”
    I am just keeping it real , for you , though wiser observers might disagree.

  5. Yes TMan I am awear that this is a creed of the poeple who support the PNM, but we must not stop, in whatever way possible, from trying to reach out to them, it would take allot of work, they have been hoodwinked for far too long by an uncaring and oppressive regime that look after the interests of the party financiers, whilst the blind loyalists continue to be deprived of the basics

  6. No mramps let us in the UNC continue to ignore these blind ,depraved , PNM loyalist, and hold steadfast to our 10 seats in Parliament that our more sophisticated , flexible ,and intelligent voters choose instead to elect each election.Preaching to the converted is fine, and looking out only for their interest is excellent. Caroni workers want every pice of land that Massa England left us , and that’s fine , even if PNMites voters must settle for inhabitable garbage heaps along the East/ West corridors. Crime affectS UNC members a lot more than those chiefly kinky hair savages that usually vote for PNM , so to hell with security to curb gangbangers in John , John , Movant , and Lavantille, for after all ,since 1986 ,ULF/ UNC members were experiencing genocide at the hands of the pro Nazi PNM regimes,led by their national security honchos.
    1986 NAR post election disaster meltdown , was all closet PNMites ANR Robinson, Selwyn Richardson, Karl H Phillip, and media millionaire tycoon Ken Gordon’s fault.As for Panday , Sudama , and Ramnath ? Those guys became collateral damaged for racist selfish , opportunistic ,Africans PNM henchmen ,who did not appreciate our 10 seats from Central, Tunapuna ,Aranguez ,St Joseph, Tacarigua , and parts of South.
    Panday was therefore more than justified in destroying the Alliance love fest , and encouraging every living Indo Trini to run for the Canadian , British , and American border.
    In 1995 when our great leader Basdeo Neruh Panday won the election , it was due solely to his skills as a leader to convince all those kinky head fools across the nation to give the PNM a rest, and come abroad the party of inclusivity , tolerance, and love.
    He was therefore more than justified to pronounce on his first day in office that ” this is now our time,” then begin to purge the entire civil service of all the kinky heads fools , and instead flood it with desperately eager , and competent rank and file UNC’s that looks just like him.
    Most importantly,every bit of corruption , waste ,and neglect , and mismanagement that ever took place in our country since 1962 , was as a result of the PNM and their illiterate , destructive , greedy , dangerous , culturally deficient , and morally reprehensible kinky head voters.
    If you doubt me, then why not compare ist world India , and those sixty something or more savage 3rd world African nations that respective ancestors came from. The former has peace, little poverty,nuclear weapons, are world renowned financial and technological geniuses, and as for Africans? They cannot even play cricket , or produce a Hollywood replica like Bollywood, no wonder they only make the news for genocidal forays, terrorism , poverty, mass environmental devastations, wars, diseases child soldiers, and corruptions- unlike India .
    So we UNC folks should continue to lament about absent political power ,economic neglect- but only for our own- while making little effort to understand , or even do anything of worth for those we perceive as our enemies ,and unequals , even as we have a silent quickly growing , vibrant Dougla population and citizens on both side of the alleged racial/ ethnic divide , that wants absolute nothing to do with tribal politics.
    Oh yes and before I forget , every victory that the PNM obtained since 1956 , was due to intimidation by some pro PNM criminal . These includes , Mano Benjamin , perhaps Michael X of Gail Ann Benson fame, and now Bakr and the twenty thousand , nine hundred and ninety gang banging kidnapping – and don’t forget- kinky head thugs , that roams our lands in search of wealthy Indo Trini heads.
    I hope that my over the top commentary shows how stupid , and ridiculous some of you supposedly sensible , educated ,and globally savvy guys are coming across, by regurgitating the usual diatribes and imbecilic negative defeatist mantras , like petulant , children, when more useful time , and energies could be spent trying to build a nation , as opposed to simply attempting to beat the PNM.
    I wish our country well, with citizens like you , and other members of the divisive me,me , geme geme , dog with a bone, country loathing gangs? They’ll need it.

  7. did you say something within all that madness Neal? What is your point, or do you even have one?

  8. I bilieve that I need to declear something here, I am not a supporter of the UNC or the PNM, I supported the COP in the last election but I am not convinced that they can continue to have my support, so for Neal to imply that I am UNC by using we in relation to “let us in the UNC” and “So we UNC folks should”. Please dont dump me in any category like this at all. I say it as it is, I may be wrong, and if I am wrong, then I would like to be told so, the sacarstic remarks would serve no one any good.

  9. Oh for what it’s worth I am totally anti PNM, I would never support htis party until I dead, i would never celebrate this dotish notion that the PNM has given us independence, or educated us, or any of the foolish things many PNM supporters hold on to as if the PNM were some form of god. The fact is that the PNM has not been able to develop the people and more so their own supporters. But instead their policies have benefited an eleite few, party financiers inclusive of (non kinky hair people) who is PNM for their own selfish gain. So when I bash PNM “grassroot” I mean it, they need to understand that when they support a party, their must be something for them, something more than the crumbs that may fall from the table.

  10. mmramps you just wasted a sentence or two in telling us that you are antiPNM, as it was quite obvious for even the blind amongst us. The COP has as much chance in winning an election in this country as much as you and I of growing wings and flying to the moon. You of course , are free to put your faith in who soever you desire, as that’s your right.
    Since you cannot understand what I was trying to say, then perhaps you are much better off remaining in your ignorance, and is not in need of my explanations, especially on my part. I am certain with

    Good luck in your endeavors.

    1. Well said, I would remain in my ignorance, and hope to learn form your ever so brilliant comments and remarks. But then again ignorant people never can learn much, can they.

  11. Well, well , cousin mramps has decided to up the ante , and take sarcasm up a notch to the highest power, hmmmmm? There is no need for that my friend, as we both I am almost certain want the same thing for our country, and fully recognize why it is in such a precarious socio- economic com political situation today, with seemingly little relief in sight.
    Here is one main truism I can share with you mmramps. Each of us that attempts to write via this forum , has an agenda , and deep personal concerns that we feel needs to be addressed, as a priority . The trick however, is to remember that yours are in no way more important than mine. We do not need our party freaks UWI budding Social Scientist , and slippery foreign educated intellectuals ,to tell us that there is deep social neglect within the communities of the two dominant majorities in our societies , and that narrow elites from within both camps ,have played us all like a violin through the decades since Massa departed. Time for the ‘Progressive Pragmatist,’ to roll up the sleeves my friend, and put thoughtful heads together for a common good- nation building.
    Keep the faith my friend , and continue to love country.
    Regards.

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