Who are we? - Commentary by Diana Mahabir Wyatt

I just got back from a Commonwealth Human Rights Conference in London attended by Human Rights defenders from all over the Commonwealth.

And having listened to their stories of trials and tribulations, which were appalling, I could only thank God that I live in T&T where we can say anything we want to, and often do, criticizing the Government... never mind they ignore us...we are not arrested nor tortured for what we say.

We have put our Chief Justice on trial and no one died as a result. We have put the head of the opposition on trial and he's still there talking all kinds of what anywhere else would be regarded as traitorious nonsence.

We put the Chief Justice on Trial and no one dies. Our Law Association comes out in public against the Attorney General and no one is arrested. The Commissioner of Police apologises to the public for the transgressions of his Police Force.

And changes do happen, mostly long after we protest. There are tire burnings and marches and placarding fests.

We do it in song and in writing, and the radio talk shows would be closed down
anywhere else for the seditious things callers-in say, and they would be found and arrested for the things they fearlessly and often stupidly come out with.

Even the Prime Minister just tries to go in person to protest, but no one ends up anonymously in jail. Too many macotious people to know what is happening and criticize, but then we go home alive to protest another day.

We are fallible, wrong-headed and often, simply stupid, but we have more exercise of human rights than most of the Commonwealth Countries that I listened to with tears in my eyes.

We need to improve and ensure that we do not end up like most of them. Even the poorest people help others that they regard as even poorer than they are.

We have no civil war. We don't incarcerate suspected terrorists with no proof like the USA. We try to protect even the rights of illegal immigrants.

Our terrorists are still around and building Mosques whereas anywhere else they would be behind bars anonymously facing "rendition" in places we've never heard of.

We have rogue cops that do things they shouldn't do and everyone gets to know about it and comment.

Our...mainly female...judges are not questioned except in the courts, by lawyers who take things to the Supreme Court.

We all bitterly criticize the government for their building programs while poor people can't get a lot of the other drugs they need that are not on the list, but we have a free drug program for everybody that is better than that in the USA.

We have free tertiary education, and, such as it is, free health care and free school lunches for children that need them.

We are very imperfect and small and stupid, but we are not vicious or cruel.

Published with permission of:
Diana Mahabir-Wyatt | Executive Director, Caribbean Center for Human Rights

Chair T&T Coalition Against Domestic & Gender Based Violence