By Stephen Kangal
October 27, 2015
The unfortunate, intentionally political mileage-grabbing, wholly incorrect, barrel-scraping and wholly unnecessary statement made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Senator the Honourable Dennis Moses during the recent Budget debate concluded in the Senate in which he attempted to uphold to national ridicule and blame the former T&T OAS Ambassador, Dr Neil Parsan for seeking employment in the OAS to which he was accredited, is so superficial and annoying because it is reflective of tenour of the other interventions we have had to endure from the current cadre of the young and inexperienced Government ministers who seem to be grasping at elusive straws in the wind for gaining public attention and indulging in the ubiquitous and monotonous blame game.
What irks me is that Minister Moses, former Foreign Service Officer (FSO), did the same thing while he was employed as a diplomat in the MFA. If that act of personal survival/ advancement employed by Dr Neil Parsan is a sin of betrayal against the interests of the GORTT, which it is not, then he Senator Moses is the quintessential sinner of them all.
The GORTT has had a clear policy that has been consummated into a current settled practice that does not discourage its professional personnel from seeking attachments/employment in international organisations even when they are in its employ. This can be justified because of the benefit that can and do accrue to T&T as well as to the employees in terms of exerting influence and attracting aid programmes- all beneficial to T&T. It is called secondment to international organisations whereby seconded employees retain their substantive positions in the Government, their period of attachment is included in the calculation of their retiring befits, are issued with diplomatic passports and can be granted privileges at customs when returning to T&T including the duty free importation of a vehicle once the assumption of the appointment or secondment was previously Cabinet sanctioned. Ambassador Parsan was not a career diplomat but a political appointee by the PP even though he could have sought formal Cabinet secondment to the OAS post.
Ambassdor Parsan did nothing unusual, detrimental nor damaging to T&T as the Minister falsely alleged because if what Moses alleged he did is so unpatriotic and so wrong, then Moses is the original culprit and guilty of the same “offence” that he alleged.
Minister Moses whilst still employed as an FSO by the GORTT post-1987, lobbied the Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux International (CABI) to become its Regional Representative to the Caribbean and Latin America and was based in St. Augustine. He had to give up this secondment post because of proven incompetence.
After this, while still employed as an FSO at the MFA, after the CABI debacle, he that is Senator Moses, lobbied Deputy Secretary-General of the OAS Ambassador Christopher Thomas for appointment as the OAS Representative to Guyana and later on to Dominica.
Ambassadors Edwin Carrington, Colin Granderson, Christopher Thomas, Arthur Grey, Francis Mc Barnette etc all served in and were seconded to International organisations under the prevailing system of secondment that is part of the corpus of State practice internationally.
What is the grouse of Senator Moses? Let us hear what you have in mind for re-engineering your Ministry’s work programme to respond in these challenging economic times for T&T.
“What is the grouse of Senator Moses?” … Stephen Kangal
Easy answer Stephen. Foreign Affairs is run by the State.
Administrative employment by organizations such as the OAS, Caricom, PAC, ACP and other such organization might be conducted the organizations themselves but any position where the representative is representing the state to which he is accredited MUST be nominated by the state. In the case of Neil Parsan, he is being regarded as representing the state of Trinidad and Tobago or the Caribbean. And so to maneuver himself into that position without consulting the government in power is definite not in keeping with the courtesies that is so vital in that kind of relationships. Did Parsan consult with the Rowley Government? No. Then who is he representing at the OAS? All these secretarial jobs are represented by member nations. Which nation is Dr. Neil Parsan representing? We know that you are anti-PNM so and pro hindu so we do not expect anything different from you.
How do you know that his initial consultation for the post was not under the auspices of the former government?
Get you facts straight before shooting from the hip.
The former Minister has already clarified this issue. h
He congratulated Neil rather than castigating him as Moses did without knowledge of the facts.
It is a case of sour grapes because Moses was rejected for a similar position in the past.
TMan,YOU ARE TRYING TO MAKE STUPIDITY LOOK GOOD. THE LAST TIME I CHECKED WE STILL ONLY HAVE ONE GOVERNMENT. I KNOW YOU GUYS BELONG TO THE UNC AND FROM THEM WE CAN EXPECT ANYTHING. YOUR RATIONALE IS TELLING US THAT NEIL CAN DO WHAT HE WANTS, AS LONG AS HE CONSULTS WITH THE GOVERNMENT HE WANTS. LAST TIME I CHECKED MOSES WAS THE AUTHENTIC FOREIGN MINISTER. ARE YOU TELLING US THAT YOU KNOW MORE THAN HIM? TYPICAL UNC BLOKES!
Why is it so difficult to understand that Dr. Neil Parsan, according to Ex-Minister Dookeran, applied for and negotiated this position during the PP tenure in government. To quote Dookeran, the nation should be proud that a national will now be in a very influential position.
“Typical UNC blokes”…please do not resort to gross, angry and racially charged, gutter outbursts.
Man you constantly accuse me of being “angry”. I never make a point without stating my reasoning. The point is that you are opinionated in every point,fashion and discourse. Whatever I write, if people want to they can go out and check it’s correctness. This makes me an informed person. Your constant badgering makes you a nuisance and sourpuss!
Wait…we are supposed to trust the word of winston dookeran on this mater of Obscene Nepotism? The same winston dookeran whose nephew who has a bachelors or masters at best & is the current head of Central Bank? Who was catapulted into that position over two african Phd economists who were his seniors in rank, education, age, experience in the field & deputy governors of the bank at the time of his appointment? okay, so winston dookeran will be a witness for chandradesh sharma’s nephew & that is your idea of a transparent investigation of the matter?
Give US a break! CasTman
Kian, that “angry black man/woman” label was the unc’s imported (U.S) racist stereotype of african americans that is prevalent in White american culture. That’s Tman’s cowardly way pf calling you a ‘nigger’. Remember, Tman/Tgirl was raised to believe that he/she is white & uses every opportunity to frog hop over Africans to self identify with europeans across the ocean. Be mindful of the telltale signs.
Tman, only you & the Maha Sabha will believe that spin. Your training that you received as a child is so vulgar…sooo the current minister is envious of Neil Parsan & buddum bao! That’s all there is to this issue? Neil Parsan is the nephew of former unc senior minister Chandradesh Sharma! The entire cabinet knew that & obviously would support this embarrassing development….so himself is called as a character witness for himself?? Rubbish…we expect any & everything that was wrong under unc’s governance to be praised by those involved….especially with the voting support.
Don’t worry with that ‘kangal’ his lips have just been abruptly removed from the breasts of state largesse in the wake of the recent elections. This is the same kangal that the PP & kamla had at the opening of every project, beating their ethnic egos about “we time now” & LIES about PNM victimizing Indians…
Some people give their choldren names like “stephen” to deceive others into believing that they accept christianity , when in fact their heart is with another faith with opposing principles…
This is a juvenile, crass and prejudicial insult to Stephen for being called, “Stephen”.
How low can you go, madam?
I’m glad you asked Tman…as low as you & your ilk could go!,,,,i am not part of the dotish afro saxon class that will get into a mudwrestling match with gucci shoes. Time for dat Done! i have read carefully the crass, nasty mindset of that writer….acting like a ‘blue fly’ to Dr. Cudjoe…every article he felt the need to denounce & attack from a self raised platform of intellectual ‘superiority’ & falsely accusing africans as being racist oppressors of indians (PNM)…i have absolutely no respect for him…or you for that matter….& most importantly what you stand for!
Desgraciado
What we need to understand and acknowledge is that T&T is under attack from within. The indo that came to this land came with their own culture and prejudices, and have never as a group sought to assimilate into the culture they found on arrival, and especially since Independence, have chosen for themselves the posture of recalcitrant minority. Their loyalty remains to themselves, and they see themselves as being in a struggle for dominance against the “creole” (all the non-indo) in this land. The recently ousted Government was thus a disloyal Government, and the MPs sitting on the opposition benches today are a disloyal opposition, representing a social and cultural formation opposed to the creole civilization that was established long before their arrival. That is the fundamental truth that T&T must face. Even the “corruption” and “squandermania” are really moves on the chessboard of that war. It is in that way that I95 is now gradually being defeated as a PNM column, and being won over to the UNC column. That is Ralph Maraj’s role. The same has already been accomplished with respect to the Express, which at one time, while not PNM as such, was “creole” in its formation, and loyal to the entity known as T&T. It is no longer so.
Against that backdrop, see this article I just read, as to how Russia is determined to deal with what it considers a hostile and recalcitrant minority in its midst:
That speaks for itself.
May the Most High continue to expose the wicked and protect the innocent in the matters unfolding in our land. And may He give the wisdom and understanding necessary to deal with these matters to those established as rulers over us.
Shalom.
“One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.” (Exodus 12:49)
P.S. Let me clarify where I said that I95 is being lost to the disloyal opposition, that it is through the means of money. Corruption and squandermania are a means of building up the enemy coffers of war. As the vulgar saying goes: money talks. To the unscrupulous, the ends, however immoral or corrupt, justifies the means.
In your learned discourse you ignored one fact: the recalcitrant minority is the largest ethnic group in T&T.
As Alyssa has pointed out, that very much depends on what the term “mixed” really denotes.
The point is that this is and was a “creole” civilization — I use the term civilization in a value-neutral way, I do not claim any “goodness” for it let alone “greatness” — long before indo arrival. That “creole” mix — not without fault lines of class, colour, creed, and race — embraced all the various ethnicities that all arrived before the indo. T&T became a distinct civilization — not one without blemish — within a larger British West Indies civilization, also distinct. It wasn’t British, or French, or Spanish, or Chinese, or Portuguese, or “Negro”, or Carib, or Arawak, or Coco Pa’yol, or any of the various constituents that contributed to the mix, it was all of these at the same time; it was “creole”.
Then came the indo, and while they contributed a flavour to the civilization, they, unlike all the others, set about, not finding the space made for it and assimilating, but being what they remain to this day, the recalcitrant minority that seeks not a space in the house they found, but to take over.
Yes, their numbers have multiplied faster than that of any other group, but they are still a minority. It is at best arguable, when the “mixed” category is properly accounted, whether the indo is in reality even the largest minority. I doubt that.
In any case, the dominant cultural matrix is still creole, not indo, still Christian, not Hindu.
The last election should conclusively have demonstrated that the still creole culture rejects overtly indo rule. The UNC, or any reformation that may spin out of it, is unelectable in T&T unless it pretends to be “creole”. That of course is what Kamla pretended to be, but of course the mask slipped, despite her many changes of costume to suit every occasion. You can fool some of the people…
May the Most High give us the discernment to separate the sheep from the goat, the loyal from the disloyal, the wicked from the innocent. And nay He continue to expose the wicked, and protect the innocent.
Shalom.
True. Point taken. Hindus comprise only 18% of the population. I have always said a pure Hindu agenda will never succeed in T&T.
Others on this post have lumped all Indians together to confirm their Hindutava accusations in order to firm up their distorted premise.
I do not agree that Indians want to “take over” T&T.
I believe that they are seeking opportunities in every sphere because they are now in a position to do so.
You have to remember that the present PNM government has quite a few Indians, elected and appointed. Examine the senate and you will find that Rowley is conscious of the racial and religious diversity in his appointments. Examine the new State boards and you will notice the same.
Presbyterians, which comprise the bulk of christian indians in T&T are first or second generation converts from Hinduism. A Large percentage of Presbyterians are either Culturally, Politically & in many cases SPIRITUALLY Hindus. John Morton, the canadian founder of Presbyterianism & The ‘Canadian Mission to Indians’ Schools in T&T his staff, used what is called the ‘Soft’ conversion approach with Indians in T&T. Remember, unlike the sat maharaj propaganda indians were merely enticed & persuaded to ‘find christ’ by Presbyterian candian missianries & In order to make the process relatable they learned Hindi (they didn’t know that the indians here didn’t speak Hindi but Bhojpouri)
Also the missionaries allowed the then hindus to sing & INCORPORATE HINDU BHAJANS (hymns) into their christian learning curriculum. These ignorant missionaries thought it wise to allow Hindus to retain their caste groupings & mentality/culture within the Presbyterian Construct (This is also so in India). Essentially, the substance of christianity is eroded by a hindu way of thinking in a christian archtype. In other words, as long as they followed a largely presbyterian curriculum they were considered christians. However, many Hindus also superficially converted on purpose to access the resources of the schools as well as the canadian link (just like today). This is why most hindus even today in T&T have a culture of having a christian pet name in front. E.g. Faris Al Rawi’s Grandfather, was The DLP frontman ‘Lionel Seukeran’ was not born with that name….He was a pundit with a lengthy Hindu name & changed it from SHARMA to seukeran! Even the lionel was an adopted name, So Faris’s & his mother diane’s T&T family name is SHARMA! Ironically, remember ramlogan & hadeed had heckled him in parliament about him being originally called ‘johnny seukeran’ as a child but they didn’t know where his current name came from or something to that effect? Well my guess is an adult Faris chose to use the traditional & authentic lineage of his family (seukeran was made up) so he chose his Father’s name…or maybe Faris was his name all along but in T&T as a child they chose to let him identify with his grandfather’s title. So, FACT: Faris’s Grandfather was a hindu pundit who wanted to teach at a presbyterian school & that is why he changed his name (Check Parliament Website). So functionally at LEAST on a group level….most Presbyterians are at least partially Hindus whether through “Culture ” or otherwise. E.g. Stephen Kangal is a Presbyterian. Pay attention to his mentality.
Look at the local baptists…on the outside it is a christian religion but the spirit is merged with african spirituality. In lattin america there is Santeria…African spirituality hidden in a Catholic Shell. True religion is not about Dress, Food & Music but morals & mores…the mentality towards life. Therefore if your loyalties are with hindu Ideology the you are not a chistian in spirit. This phenomenon of Indians converting to Christianity & even islam & transplanting hindu ideology & culture is very well documented in India Also….google the Documentary titled “Indian Untouched-A People Apart”
You will understand Indian muslims & christians in T&T much better. Racism/Caste is one of the hallmarks of Hinduism…not wanting to have intimate relations with those that are deemed inferior i.e. Darker Skin, RoundER features, ThickER hair etc…in other words the more africa you are. In T&T this is why in T&T & The indian Diaspora it is common for christian indians who even look like Kangal(untouchable surname) look down on africans as inferior (Caste not Christian mentality)…i.e. they tend to care MUCH more about other straight haired people than fellow christians of African Descent. Imagine converting to christianity but still dredding your children intermarrying or having intimate relations with Dark Skinned Africans (who aren’t wealthy & powerful ….e.g. Jack Warner) that is not christianity! BUTTTTT we’re not supposed to notice….Indian christians quicker try to link up with europeen christians (whites) than african ones i the U.S. or canada…Open your eyes!! That is casteism in your face!
Tman knows that the take-over process may already be finished …just like after the ballots close….the votes have already selected a winner but the count CONFIRMS it…in other words things are already set in motion & are on course to this eventuality unless it is derailed! Selwyn Ryan wrote about 2-3 years ago that almost all the INDUSTRIES (back then) were soon to be completely in the hands of the indians (Dominance)
As i posted earlier, the hindu population is politically much more than 18% because Presbyterians/indian christians as well as indian muslims strangely support the Hindu agenda as long as it benefits them ethnically. So your argument is a Flat Pepsi.
Maybe you might wish to tell us where you got your official figures from TMan. Bhoe Tewarie actually refused to give us the data maybe you are more authoritative on that number than him. So, please enlighten us.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Trinidad_and_Tobago
Wikipoedia is an open ended source. ANKYBODY could edit the information on wikipoedia just like this site we blog on. So…no academic uses wikipoedia as a reference. Even the CIA world factbook uses the same information from the CSO….people think CIA factbook means that its solid..no…its as solid as whichever country’s CSO gives the info….meaning they parrot the CSO.
Now we now for sure CasTman isn’t an academic!
“recalcitrant minority is the largest ethnic group in T&T” LIE! Just like every other item, census figures are misleading…the latest figure put indian & “african” at 0.5% difference…but wait…it says that 7% is indian african mixed….and 15 % is mixed….that 15% is made up of people with features & skin tone as Mariano Browne, the Tony Lee-Aping, Louie Lee-Sing etc…& all the african trinidadians with either indigenous (carib/arawak) european, chinese & other non-indian groups! IT’S a game of deception, exploiting the skin colour differences in africans only. What we want to know is how many indians without african heritage (since arrival in T&T) & how many Africans with no indian heritage. THEN we can have the pissing match!…but you’ve already lost that battle. The vast majority of persons calling themselves “mixed” i T&T are african descendants with no indian heritage…David Abdullah calls himself mixed…ahis mother is Japanese & Father African…Mariano Browne is classic mulatto (born & raised laventille) Louie Lee Sing, Tony & Roger Lee-Aping are African Chinese…no Indian…these are examples of the great deception with the figures. Barrack Obama is not A Mixed American…there is no mixed continent…He is African American! This is even though his mother is European (Irish) His IDENTITY is African American which is a culmination of his Genetics but Also important is the social reality, Phenotype (His features) & History. Calling your self mixed as an african descendent in T&T with no indian heritage is really a political decision to distance yourself from the problems & stigma of African People. Genetically all Africans in the caribbean/Lain America are ‘mixed’ (Hugo Chavez)..long before 1845, The indigenous population was absorbed into our ethnic group as well as a significant amount of the original chinese labourers. The question is really which ethnic group were you cradled in culturally, socially & psychologically…who were you identified as & treated as growing up. Famous actress Halle Berry’s mother is a blonde woman. As a strong, wise & Loving mother, she told halle something that Africans in T&T should hear…she told her daughter, Halle as a child,….,”You are black!..” “..Nobody is gonna know or care that your mother is white…you will be treated as you look…BLACK!”
Louie Lee-Sing, Mariano Browne, Tony Lee-Aping……..Darren Bravo…….lol……You ARE & You should know that you ARE BLACK(African)…..oh yeah Roaul Pantin & His daughter are black too (don’t care what he or she said/says)..
Census figures reflect the descriptions people give themselves, but I do agree that ” The question is really which ethnic group were you cradled in culturally, socially & psychologically…who were you identified as & treated as growing up”.
Halle Berry…I always thought she was a beautiful Indian woman! My new handle is now Dr.TMan. Can I be an academic like you? lol
Well, no, Tman…anybody can become an academic buttttt when you enjoy lying as much as you do…it degrades your progress.
@,Yuruba,Israelite, hail , hail, I have agree with some of your comments, I am not religious, no time for that ,preferably be at work, as for the bible , my preference would be the harry potter book. And for me and a lot of my friends and family, we have our black Jesus , (Nelson Mandela), we have his picture in our homes.
YORUBA,,explain for me this puzzle, the Muslins ,prays to Allah. There are shooting, beheading, burning in cages most Christians they come into contact with, in the name of Allah, as martyrs they go to heaven sits on the right side of Allah and will have the choice of 21 vestal virgins.
Christians seems not to be protected, by anyone because they are always on the receiving end.in the name of god , praying and waving they bibles.in turn the Christians is just as evil , just slaughtering themselves day in day out, especially blacks around the world. Could you please define for me,
Allah the definition and God’s definition.
My brother,
There is only one God. His name is Yahweh. He is the God that came unto Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the last of whom was given the new name, Israel (meaning: Prince with God). The name Yahweh is how He told Moses He should be called.
“And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Yahweh God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name *for ever*, and this is my memorial *unto all generations*.” (Exodus 3:15)
For reasons that can be discussed, that name has been replaced in the Bible by “The LORD” written in all capital letters. I defer that discussion.
A reasonable person may of course ask well how do we know that this Yahweh, that made Himself known to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and also made Himself known to Moses, and much earlier spoke to Adam and Eve in the Garden, is indeed who He asserts Himself to be, namely the Doer of the deed of Creation. All I can say is that if such a person is serious about that question, then he must read the testimony contained in the Book of Yahweh (for that is what the so-called Bible actually calls itself, not “the Bible”).
“Seek ye out of the *book of Yahweh*, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.” (Isaiah 34:16)
The Book of Yahweh proves itself many times over as being the word of God. The chief proof lies in the unerring unfolding of prophecy. It also makes a nonsense of evolution.
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)
It takes a very special kind of fool to believe otherwise, and to entertain the foolishness that is passed off as “Evolution Science”. That is another long discussion which I defer.
Who then is Allah? That is for the Muslims to define. As an Israelite, I know that whatever is written in the Q’uran is not for me. And if you are in any way related to those that made the Middle Passage as part of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, you may be sure that you too are Israelite. That makes you a “prince with God” by virtue of seedline. It makes you subject to the Holy Covenant set out in the Book of Yahweh, whether you like it or not.
By the way, when the Israelites of the southern kingdom — Judah — were scattered into Africa, those who were “princes with God”, scattered pursuant to a punishment that was prophesied, were called “Bantu” by the Africans. That name, “Ba + ntu” identified us also as the “children of God”, literally. The African word, “ntu”, cognate to the Egyptian, “ntr” (from which derives the English word, “nature”), meaning “god”/”man” both, is what identifies the Bantu as the children of God, the Israelites, those who are “princes with God”.
So understand clearly your position.
Religion is not something that you can choose as you would a book in a bookstore. It is not a matter of picking that which seems most to your liking, or creating God in some image that you would most like to see.
“O Yahweh, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit. Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods?” (Jeremiah 16:19-20)
That sums it up. Regrettably, the Gentiles — those who are not “princes with God” — have been in the religion business these last roughly 2,000 years, because we the Bantu have been asleep at the wheel, actually under punishment. Hence the proliferation of Gentile nonsense, including Gentile Christian nonsense, that has caused such as you to throw up your hands in dismissal of it all.
While I understand such a reaction, it clearly does not do to throw the baby out with the bath water. It is for you, as a prince with God, to pick up the book and read.
I hope that is helpful to you my brother.
Shalom.
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” (Hosea 4:6)
Comedy but very topical:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADQCeC0tF0o
It is unfortunate that we as a small nation practices diplomacy that results in small-mindedness. I am also disappointed in the comments of Winston Dookeran whom I had a lot of respect for inspire of his politics. Why do I say this? DIPLOMACY IS CONDUCTED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF THE DAY. Small minds with racial agendas may argue pros and cons of who, what and why BUT, at the end of the day, the government has to take responsibility for how informations flows to diplomatic posts. Information may be petty and it also may be very sensitive. When sensitive information is to be delivered to a foreign source, the foreign service has to have someone that the government TRUSTS. THIS IS THE INGREDIENT THAT IS MISSING FROM THE CONVERSATION.
this is NOT, I REPEAT NOT a situation where race should be interjected. One may have a preference or even a problem on how it is handled BUT NEVER about the authority of the government to decide how it wants its foreign policy handled. It was the policy of the UNC to handle foreign policy with an interjection of racial input. That policy, even though a great many Trinbagonians deplored it, allowed the government of the day to have its way on how it dealt with foreign affairs. Kangal, a hindu and proponent of hindutva (yes TMan – hindutva), takes umbrage to this because Dr. Neil Parsan is of his background. I will stop bringing up hindutva when it no longer plays a role in how we communicate and it does not hinder our ability to communicate. I will not stop using it just someone wants me to.
It is imperative that this cancer of behavior be eliminated from habits which prolongs the distance from which we view and accommodate thoughts and actions of common importance for our own good. Foreign policy is important to trade, commerce, diplomacy, crime, maritime affairs and other matters that are important from a government to government basis. NO one man can take it upon himself, to say that he is going to upend the policies of a government that he may not be in tune with. Dookeran, Kangal, TMan and others are doing a disservice to our country’s good when they see race first and insist that one man unto himself – Dr. Neil Parsan’s lone adventure to run his own foreign policy is in keeping with good governance. This is a prolongation of hindutva plain and simple.
Alyssa, as a follow up to your post of October 30, 2015 at 6:57 am: It is unfortunate that TMan and others see this discussion of RACE AND RELIGION as racist. One of the reason why the schisms exist between the African and Indian in Trinidad is because of the lack of understanding (especially from the point of the Africans) of each other. The Indian has had a longer history of interacting with the African than African having knowledge of the Indian. This discourse of race, religion and ethnicity is VERY IMPORTANT to how we move forward from here. From TMan’s point of view, he surmises that the Indian is already in front and has the economic advantage, so we don’t need to talk about it to change things for the hindu. One of the things that I notice about Indian speak is the ferocity with which they readily speak of the advantage they have of wealth, professions (legal, medical and financial) and upward mobility BUT NEVER should we speak about African progress. In every one of TMan’s posts, he never misses the opportunity to talk about Indian disport’s progress in the Western world. Kangal represents that thinking also. When they speak of the African, don’t expect them to speak of Barrack Obama, Usain Bolt, Muhammad Ali, Ben Carson, Dr. Eric Williams, Kofi Anan or Leari Constantine NO !, Man’s first choice of thought is gang, poverty, crime and lack of education. He is not aware that it is his psyche bringing out the innate brahmin qualities in him. He thinks that he is boasting on how superior the Indian is as opposed to the African. He does not see the best brain surgeon in the world in Dr. Ben Carson (even though I hate his politics), the does not see the fastest human in the world in Usain Bolt not he doesn’t because that elevates the African, he wants us to think of ourselves as the bottom of the foot as his Gita describes it. That is the operative thinking behind his accusations of backwardness on our part. No around of academic education can change brahmin indoctrination. On the other hand they believe that they are true to Indian beliefs and practices in every aspect of life. Some years ago, I had some Indian business associates who came here to do business with me and they were shocked out of their minds when they saw those flags surrounding the houses of hindu people. They kept asking me what are those flags for and I said I don’t know. They thought it was foolish and up to now I still don’t really know. My guess is that it had something to do with ‘success’ and elevation to wealth but I truly don’t know. The divide is great in terms of how far apart we are and while the African adopted the all-ah-we-is-one approach, the Indian saw that as an opportunity to exercise prowess in terms of his superior trading traditions to gain advantage. Even amongst Indians there is a great divide between the muslim and the hindu.
The hindu from a political perspective always want to make sure that the muslim is on their side so they always include them in complaints against the African. Religiously, the muslim have more in common with the African in terms of their beliefs but the hindu makes sure he includes the muslim as ethnic brothers because it gives him more power. Look at the cabinet of Kamla Persaud Bissesser. The cabal (as we know it) was all hindu. To add flavor for political consumption she had Fuad Khan and Fazal Karim in posts that gave them exposure but where the money posts were concerned, she made sure hindus controlled those posts. There is a lot of conversation to be opened up for public consumption in terms of race, religion, ethnicity, class, community and the divide. Those who wish the dampening of those conversation cannot expect us to stifle those realities going forward and expect peace of mind and nation building NO! THE MIND IS A TERRIBLE THING TO WASTE.
Hi Kian, I’m really glad you raised the issue Of The “Jhandis Flags”…Those colorful cloth tied to Bamboo that you see at the home of ‘Hindus’ in The Caribbean are calle “Jhandis Flags” & get this…according to Moses Seenarine Of Guyana, these flags represent or are affiliated with CASTE STATUS..i.e. The more flags you have, the Higher your ‘Caste/Jati’..Now remember, as i pointed out, there are castes within castes (Subcastes) & as a result the term caste is used ignorantly & politically…i.e. when ‘hindus’ in the caribbean/diaspora say that all ‘castes’came as indentured labourers, this is a deception!…maybe even SELF deception….there are many ‘castes’ within the UNTOUCHABLES(although untouchables have no ‘caste’ the word is used flippantly to mean ‘grouping’ or sect). So for all those who hear the LIE that hindus in T&T/Guyana do not Practice caste….LOOK AT THE JHANDIS FLAGS!
Remember the Jhandis Flags being on the waterfront?
Also Kian, you mentioned that ‘Hindus’ from India being perplexed as to what Jhandis Flags are….the reason for this is simple…Untouchables are NOT hindus…they are SLAVES to Hindus & Have their own distinct culture from them.
Alyssa, thanks for the information. I too was perplexed by the questions and felt that my guests were in a better position to know the answers than me. But, as usual you have provided the answer and none of our detractors have said otherwise. We are learning a lot from you and are thankful for the objectivity with which you have presented your facts.
@Yoruba, Still not for me,I will stick to, watching Jerry Springer and Judge Judy after couple glasses of fine English Port.
Well that’s entirely up to you of course…
Regarding your question about Allah, I may say from an Israelite perspective that Yahweh is often called “Elohim”, a title that means something like “the great power”. It is the royal plural of the noun, “el”, which means “a powerful one”, often translated as “god”, as “Elohim” is translated as “God”, and “elohim” as the plural, “gods”. I say that to say that there is such a close relationship between Hebrew and Arabic, that “Allah” arose simply through phonetic drift from the original Hebrew: Elohim -> Elah -> Allah, or something like that.
Note in that connection that there are various cognate terms to Elohim in other languages, e.g Eloi occurs in the New Testament, most likely inherited from the Aramaic. And of course the idea of “power” in the phoneme, el, is clearly evident in such words as “law”, “lord”, even “loa”, the term for the gods of vodou.
On this linguistic analysis, for which I obviously have no scriptural authority, Allah will be by etymological derivation, not a name for God, as is Yahweh, but a title.
The name, Yahweh, was given to the children of Israel, as a personal name for the Most High, and in that sense is as familiar as calling Him, “Father”, or “Baba”. The meaning of the name Yahweh is “He that be”, and connotes the idea of self-existence, and eternality.
Shalom.
Let me quickly add, that just as the term, Bantu, has noble derivation, but is today a term of scorn, so the word “negro”.
That word too has noble derivation, but has become a word of scorn, as we, “princes with God”, have fallen low, as was prophesied. The short of it may be seen in the phoneme, “ng”, which in African languages connotes kingship. In the Ethiopian, the “Kebra Negast” is the Book of Kings. In the Zulu, if you remember the Shaka Zulu miniseries, the name for king was “nkosi” or “ngosi”. The country names, Angola, and Kongo allude to such nobility. The phoneme is present even in European languages, e.g. in the word, king, itself. It is even more pronounced in the German, koenig. And clearly it is present in the original Kushitic (Indus Kush) languages of India. There are words like Divali Nagar, Nagarjuna, etc. where the phoneme is present, and with noble connotations. Etc., etc. end of lesson.
I discussed this at greater length in a blog some few years ago, where I also showed the semantic link between the ntu of Bantu with the ngu of n[gk]osi etc. The link with the word “negro” and Latin “niger”, would have come through the association of these ntu/ngu with the black skin colour. Even the gods of the Hindu today depicted as blue were really originally depicted as black … black until dey blue, lol…
See http://www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog/?p=5919
For what it’s worth.
Shalom.