Krishna! Where You Keep Yuh Gold? Yuh Have ah Receit? Yu Better Go Get It!

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All falling downBy Keith Subero
Story Created: Dec 18, 2011 at 11:50 PM ECT
Story Updated: Dec 18, 2011 at 11:50 PM ECT It is not the column that I enjoy writing at this time. In this season of good spirits, I would have preferred to be more upbeat. But it is about another side of the Christmas season which some people are experiencing.
I must admit that it took me some time in my youth to push aside my idealism, accepting eventually the fact that the poor will be with us, always.
Somehow, too, I did not focus on the more fortunate among us who, even though they have a full plate at this time, maintain a sincere social consciousness, and the extent to which many of them are now dispirited by what they consider to be reversals in their dreams for Trinbago.
My friend Michael is one of them. As he walked into a gathering of "the boys" recently, he announced his plans: "I think it is time for me to pack, take my wife and my stepdaughter off to South Africa."
I have known Mike most of my life. He is a respected professional, socially-connected, a pivotal figure in his field and active in many charities. Talk of a transition from someone whose consciousness and passion for Trinbago were honed in the sixties, was greeted lightly at the table.
The replies were anecdotal, jocular, some even dismissive, but Mike met them all firmly: "I have had enough here...I am leaving. ...the North gone through...so I am looking at South Africa."
Poking at him, I jested that he would be starting a trend, similar to Guyana, where it is said, that its professional class does not reside at home —but is scattered across North America.
The discussion at the table became serious. Expressions were articulate, but singularly pessimistic. They ranged from the country's lethargic mood in the final days of the Manning administration, to the hopes of many for a social compact under the People's Partnership Government, to what is considered to be the society's descent into crass individualism—new kinds of greed and corruption, attacks on our institutions, mindless violence, and the surfacing of tribal instincts.
We looked at the dark clouds in the European financial crisis. Trained in North America, Michael scanned its bleak political economy for us.
Someone noted the "remarkable resilience" in the T&T economy, quoting the Central Bank Governor, but said, given the projected declines in the energy sector, Trinbago should prepare for a fiscal crisis next year.
Mike's entry was mood-changing and gave some at the table an understanding of the angst being experienced among our professional class.

His transition plans left me with a hint that middle-class contentment, and its dreams for Trinbago may be unravelling into despondence and despair.
The situation raises questions of what are the positives in our body politic or on our economic landscape today.
Just take a look at our institutions at work last week.
Some may feel in a crucible when they consider that ten days after a State of Emergency which was supposed to stem the violence, there were fire-bombings and gang violence in Beverly Hills, Laventille.
The situation at the Tunapuna Hindu School is disgraceful. The teachers union described the lock-out of the principal by the secretary general of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha as an act of "thuggery" and a breach under the Industrial Relations Act.
The secretary general talked about violence and last week the president of the school's PTA was emboldened enough to make further threats if the principal was not transferred, saying she deserved to be "punished".

What did the Minister of Education do? He promised "to crack his whip" on the constitutionally independent Teaching Service Commission because he was dissatisfied with its judgement in the matter.
So far, he has criticised neither the secretary general of the SDMS nor the calls by the president of the PTA, acting as the secretary general's mouthpiece, for vigilante justice. And there are no reports of police intervention.
Up at the Water and Sewerage Authority, the "twirly and twisty" relationship between the current Minister of Public Utilities and his former boss, Ganga Singh, sank to a new low with the belated announcement of Singh's appointment as the utility's CEO.
This week we can expect further missteps. A caller to a radio programme, however, advised last week that the word "misstep" implied neutrality, or an unintended action.
In fact, such missteps as we have had are deliberate acts, conducted in the hope that they would go unobserved, or undetected.
In reality, they reflect how low our expectations have fallen since May 2010, and account, in large part, for the feelings of anger, disappointment and alienation being experienced by Mike and other professionals.
They may be spending another kind of Christmas, after which it maybe flight time. Can Trinbago afford any erosion in that base?
"Queen-beeing" off to India next month, I hope, will bring us a solution.

* Keith Subero, a former Express news editor, has
since followed a career in
communication and management.

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Sort by: Date Rating Last Activity Loading comments... Login or signup now to comment. You are about to flag this comment as being inappropriate. Please explain why you are flagging this comment in the text box below and submit your report. The blog admin will be notified. Thank you for your input. +8 Vote up Vote down

TriniPlato 109p ·  11 hours ago Great article! but i don't that trip will yield much except more contracts for the boys! absolutely sorry state of governance we have today! the press is even afraid to point out nonsense! ..."misstep" and "alleged" are the words for the year! Report Reply 0 replies · active 7 hours ago +6 Vote up Vote down

braggadung 95p ·  10 hours ago WELL WRITTEN KEITH!

I feel the same way as Mike.
A prophet is with honour, except in his own country.

THIS TIME I GONE. THIS IS NO PLACE TO BRING UP CHILDREN. Report Reply 0 replies · active 10 hours ago -1 Vote up Vote down

leefoflife 29p ·  9 hours ago BREAKING NEWS-- BANK RUN -TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO WEST INDIES, REP--- BANK, RO--- BANK, FIRST CITI--- BANK and SC---ABANK thousand of customers simultaneously secretly withdrawing all their funds, because they believe that the banks might go into bankruptcy, and for fear of the bank becoming insolvent and that they the customer, will lose all their money.people are putting their money in smaller credit union or keeping it at home. Report Reply 0 replies · active 9 hours ago +1 Vote up Vote down

Ilario101 86p ·  8 hours ago If Christmas is the 6 week season of good spirits then by contrast the other 46 weeks of the year must be the season of alternative spirits that are not good. That being the case why does society complain all through the season of alternative spirits when things that are not good happen to them, seeing as good has been relegated to a season? Report Reply 0 replies · active 8 hours ago +2 Vote up Vote down

Robwright-CNP 108p ·  7 hours ago So Sad Keith

But so true! We shall be worse than Guyana.

Thugs on one end and Upper class thieves on the other.

The middle class taking a beating from both Report Reply 0 replies · active 7 hours ago +1 Vote up Vote down

katymus 81p ·  4 hours ago The story of Mike infuriates me Keith.This is no time to abandon ship for selffish reasons stated. Clean hands on deck are needed to navigate the country to safe moorings. The moral of the story is don't return and expect open arms thinking life's gonna be better. Mike hasn't contributed skill, blood sweat and tears to solve the country's problems. Same old gimme gimme effect, always the story about 'what's in it for me'. It's tiring. Report Reply 0 replies · active 4 hours ago +1 Vote up Vote down

RamKillerMan 99p ·  2 hours ago BTW, what ever happened to 'Sohooba Keith Smith' Trinbagonian citizen and his dilemma in Tanzania? Maybe Mr.Subero can do a follow up fuh we..
The point is, South Africa, Kenya, Fiji, Uganda, Mauritius, Guyana, Tanzania, Trinidad and those in between, all share a common history..
It's an history of an INJUSTICE done by the British that MUST BE ADDRESSED BY THE UN.
We cannot talk about the evils of the colonial masters and yet turn a blind eye to this conspiracy called Indian Indentureship..
Micheal journey has just begun... Happy shopping in Durban Mike..

He will be singing Mbongeni Ngema's 'Ama-Ndiya' pretty soon..

"There are over a million Indians in KwaZulu-Natal, the largest number of Indians outside of India.

In a recent interview, Ngema said he stood by the issues raised in his controversial song, “AmaNdiya,” about the oppression of Blacks by Indians, reiterating that the intention behind it was to break the silence rather than air racial hatred.

“It is not hate speech...it is an artist expressing the feelings of his own people,” he said, adding that the song expressed the views of African people at taxi ranks, soccer matches, shebeens and many other places.

“What we see happening in KwaZulu-Natal is not in line with God’s vision of equality among people.… Human rights are ignored there. This song speaks to the masses of Africans who fought and died for this country—and to this day they have not obtained their freedom,” said Ngema." Report Reply 0 replies · active 2 hours ago Post a new commentEnter text right here! Comment as a Guest, or login:

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Kamla going India fuh contracts fuh the boys an' dem!?

yu see wat RamKillerman say about Kwazulu province in RSA Krishna?

jess like in Kenya!?

wat yuh think?

run run

could be better off in cuba

man is ah impse. is not as if he suffering in Titty. he doing well. RSA have a lot ah trouble and crime too

there is no place to hide anymore. he get the fat of Titty and now tings ah lil tight he prepared to run

maps  why you do you always  post articles from the Express but never from the guardian when I know  that you know that this paper is biased against the  present  govt

people din scrimp and save, do without to send dem fellas to school?

an dis is wat deh get fuh it..run run..to the republic of south africa of all places

to tell yu the truth I dont read either paper as such. 

is where I go every now and den... and if I find somethng relevant to wats current on the board I might bring it.

also, since the maronites bought out the guardian, I never saw any point in reading it anyway.

and as far as GOVERNMENT is concerned wats the point whether guradian or express is bias or in favour of this or that one?

no government works in the interest of the people so cares about them?  not me!  neither about the papers and dem.

as an ordinary man yu shud know better.  and yu know where I stand.  I just playing with Krisna here.  he is a Kamla man.

I have nutten against kamla as a person. as  prime minister however, she, like manning and all before dem is just pappyshow.  deh cant and wont even try to do anything in favour of the people/country.

deh cant unless deh prepared to risk the retaliation of the empire.  as it stands deh 'mind the local store for the bankers'

yu know dat dat is true..and so does krishna.  so wat is all the noise about Kamla and she plans to make Titty better?

look!  State of emergency done!  any improvement?

none at all. so wat was Kamla doing but playing politics!