This just is just my perspective on this obviously contentious issue. I always welcome discussion, disagreement and different perspectives so feel free to comment, if you like, but please keep the abuse out... I have seen some of the horrendous things posted about this man... if you want to do that please do it in your own space. xx Every year on Emancipation Day someone inevitably posts the line from Bob Marley‘s eternal classic, Redemption Song: “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our mind”. The original quote, which Bob paraphrased and then immortalized, came from Marcus Garvey: “We are going to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery, because whilst others might free the body none but ourselves can free the mind”. The quote has been playing over and over in my head as I watched the body of Dr Kublalsingh waste away from his hunger strike, for a second time, and think about the mentality that created that situation. Trinidadians are a people who always seem to think (1) that nothing will happen to us, never mind that it’s happening all over the world, and (2) if by some crazy chance it does, someone else will fix the problem. All over the world people are galvanizing to stop the damage being done to the environment because they finally recognize that it’s our own children who will pay the piper in the end. Here, we would rather build a smelter than a recycling plant. We continue to buy shark and bake at Maracas even though we’ve been told that we’ve decimated our shark population. We can even convince ourselves, though fully aware of the shameful state of our public medical institutions, that we can handle an Ebola outbreak, rather than consider for one nanosecond that our ultimate reason for being, Carnival, might have to be cancelled. So a man who is willing to go to such lengths to defend his right to expect accountability and transparency from the government, concerning issues that should matter to all of us, is such an incomprehensible enigma that it becomes an anathema. What you don’t understand, you fear. And what you fear, you need to destroy. Kill the lunatic. Lets just look at the facts, in a nutshell and as I understand them (and I am open to correction). After the first hunger strike, a committee was set up – paid for with our tax dollars - to investigate Dr Kublalsingh’s claims. That very same INDEPENDENT committee did its job and submitted a recommendation to the PM that works be suspended ONLY on that particular section of the highway that has the potential to detrimentally affect the surrounding eco-system, pending a proper environmental impact assessment. Work on the rest of the highway can continue unhindered. And if the assessment proves that there is a legitimate cause for concern, an alternative route was proposed. The PM promised to adhere to the recommendations of the committee and is now refusing to even answer the question about why they are reneging on that promise. Secondly, one sole contractor was awarded the nearly $7B contract under questionable circumstances. Even the IBD has refused to fund the project because of its concerns about the tendering process used to award the contract. Why is it wrong to want to know the truth about these things? If affects even those who want the highway built the most. We always allow our government to act with impunity, with no transparency and accountability, and we continue to pay the price. This time, to my simple mind, one man is seriously standing up against that and not backing down after an initial show of outrage, which is our normal modus operandi. Whether we agree with him or not, supporting the principle behind his stance will benefit us all. You don’t have to agree with him OR his methods, but you should at least respect him for having the courage to stand up for something he believes in. Those who want to see the highway built without further delay and don’t think the issues raised are any cause for concern have every right to voice their opinions and should do so, but ridiculing this man and speaking of him in such a callous manner is not standing up for what you believe… it is small-minded, cowardly and contemptible. It’s time for all of us to free our own minds and recognize that it’s OUR responsibility to change our circumstances, and that all the power to do so lies in our own hands, not the government. They can only do what we allow them to do…. that is what Dr Kublalsingh is reminding all of us.
Posted on: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 00:14:38 +0000
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