The difficult year ahead - the Peter O'Connor column

While most of the rest of the world will continue to see hard times - economic, political and natural disasters sweeping many lands - we in T&T will remain relatively unscathed by those events.

But we are not going to have an easy year, and this sadly, will be largely of our own making. Barring the possibility of a major storm or rainfall event, any problems with which we are faced will be created by us, the people. 

Whether from our politicians—the most likely source of trouble and failure—or business failures, or labour issues, or largely by our continuing lethargy, we stand ready to destroy our society through arrogance, selfishness, corruption, ignorance and our ongoing benign anarchy—the total disregard for laws and for others.

And we obviously have no desire to change any of these toxic traits which continue to prevent us from fulfilling our tremendous potential. And certainly we are not even going to study these issues over the next six weeks or so, because we have carnival to play.

I am going to be bold enough (or arrogant enough?) to give myself three goals for this year. Not “resolutions”, but goals.

The first will be to try to guide the government, carrot and stick, to get on with their assigned job without all the stupid mistakes they continue to make.

The second, and the task I will enjoy the least, will be to “restrain” where necessary, the PNM from their pretense at morality while they work to sabotage the nation.

And the third, and most difficult of all, will be to try to awaken the nation - from the most senior corporate executives and silky lawyers all the way up to the humblest of us - to our individual and collective duties required to fulfill our potential. 

And, no, I did not get that sentence backwards: I really do accept now that the most exalted of us are really the lowest among us. Our educated, honoured and upper-income people have failed our country far more grievously than have our workers, taxi drivers, farmers and the like.

First then our government: what is it about the year-end which causes you all to create such confusion among yourselves, and on such unnecessary matters? 

A year ago it was the Reshmi and Sascha confusion, which embarrassed us all, but obviously did not embarrass you enough. I wrote than that you should discuss the consequences of your decisions before announcing them, but obviously that advice was not good enough. 

Recently you first appointed—Manning style - Ganga Singh to a position which should have been advertised openly, clearly reversing your earlier promises in this regard. 

Then you decided to drop the Ish and Steve extradition matter, and you and I both know that this was on your agenda from the beginning. You can prove me wrong by a successful local prosecution of these two, whose “partners” have already served time in a real country. But I will not hold my breath.

And then you mamaguyed your own Prime Minister by giving her a silk gown which she did not merit. And she, taking that basket, accepted the accolade. 

Oh, Kamla! You would have risen so much more in our esteem had you turned down, like had Caesar the throne, the silk they sought to drape upon you. Notwithstanding all the noise being made about these “silks”, the truth is, this is not a major issue in our lives. 

But it demonstrates, once again, the thoughtlessness with which you proceed with everything. And it matters not who got silk or sow’s ears before. Our Prime Minister has many commendable qualities, but the standards for receiving “silk” are not among those.

For the remnants of the PNM, that current small group of divided and morally dishonest individuals who are working to bring down the elected government without elections, you need to be aware that I know your game. 

And not just me! 

So far you have been given an astonishingly free ride by the media, which allows you to use them to make your declarations of feigned horror on matters of integrity, morality, presumed nepotism, crime and corruption. 

Part of this free ride is because the media is having great fun “jooking” the PP government for all their slips, slides and silks. But the media must question where, when and how did you people suddenly discover this moral righteousness, when you had, for almost ten years embraced and cheered on so much that was so much worse?

The media, and indeed the people know that those twelve PNM people sitting in parliament are no more worthy of your confidence or support than they were two years ago.

So, to the people, where we will continue next week: because the burden rests upon us.