Letter to home: The Jackass Brigade


One year to go. Take comfort. This week should have been the week to redefine the political landscape once and for all. There was ample room for it too. Is not often that Ministers involve in illegal activities and happen to allow accompanying video too, with audio intact. That is like winning the mega millions lotto in the United States; with the powerball.

The video is hilarious and sad at the same time and it should have been the political version of suicide. I have never seen a Minister beg to be fired until that video went viral. This has to be the straw that finally allows the camel’s back to call it quits.

Photo: Sport Minister Anil Roberts.
Photo: Sport Minister Anil Roberts.

Of course I am hoping and there is no PP track record that would allow me to place reliable bets on the matter. And voters sometimes have amnesia.

I saw the video. I heard the ugly loud mouth brute in it. I heard him; boastful and disgusting. I heard confirmation of his drinking abilities and how it contrasted with the piss-poor smoking one’s he possessed.

We all heard that two pulls was his limit; but he could drink as if there was no tomorrow. We heard. We saw. We cringed. Well, most of us; the smart ones. The ones who understood the implications of a matter like this, concerning a Government Minister.

We expected that he would be fired, of course. There are prison yards filled with people accused of similar crimes. Arrested and charged and without supporting video or audio. But we know that youth men on the corner have no power like Ministers in three-piece suits, loud mouth aside. And all we can do is wish his mother could see his video and make her own. Social media-publishing optional.

Photo: Is it okay for Ministers to receive corporal punishment?
Photo: Is it okay for Ministers to receive corporal punishment?

The situation, as bad as it is already, is made worse when not only does the Minister in question deny his starring role in illegal activities, but his Boss-Lady believes him. Stevie Wonder, of course, could see that the mannerisms are the same. The activities and attitude of the man in the video could have very well been the Minister of Sports on any given day; minus the two girls, the weed and the dubious location.

I have a reporter friend who noted that if you add the fact that the said Minister can’t run his ministry and the man can’t roll the weed, we see a pattern where both men are unable to complete the task at hand. And instead of focusing on the matter and giving it his best shot, we are bombarded by shouting and useless boasting of other skills that doesn’t pertain to the relevant matter.

But all that may just be coincidence. Of course. The present matter, set to make the Ringling Brothers Circus look like amateurs, puts the blame for the video going viral at the doorstep of the PNM. The idea that there is at least one responsible person sitting on government benches is to test the very limits of the greatest imagination. To hope that a minister accused of any wrong-doing would apologize and resign from his position is to imagine the sky full with pigs and cock with more teeth than crocodile. When people talk about things one would never see, apologetic, sincere politicians should head the list. And take second place too.

Photo: Chagaunas West MP Jack Warner (left) and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar share a light moment. (Courtesy FIFA.com)
Photo: Chagaunas West MP Jack Warner (left) and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar share a light moment.
(Courtesy FIFA.com)

So blame the PNM; even after four full years in office. Blame the opposition for every mis-step, every mishap and every mistake. About the only thing left to blame the PNM for is the missing Malaysian airline; and German measles. As I write this, PP supporters are probably busy printing “Is Rowley Fault” placards.

On the same press, in the same back-room they print the bogus racist ones as well. Between that and patting themselves on the back for doing the little things an elected government should be doing, the last four years has been a full circus. And voters have front row seats.

Meanwhile, the Minister still employed; still loud and disgusting, uncouth and uncivilized and a disgrace to the word “Honorable.” And, if he is to be believed, then we have been cursed twice. Because then there is another man from that video who is just as bad.

It is difficult to imagine a country burdened with someone like the current Minister of Sports. It is even worse to imagine that he may have a twin.

So now we wait. And we hope amnesia doesn’t kick in the way it usually does when election hampers start flying around and the air gets hot and sticky with fresh-laid pitch and sweet lies.

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
Photo: Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

One year to go before we head back to answer a Government who has routinely pissed on the very hope that gave them their mandate to lead.

One more year and I dare supporters to re-install the jackass brigade. I dare them.

But, least we forget, every time you hear about the video, every time you see Anil Roberts’ face and hear his voice, remember: the loud-talking, non-preforming, heavy drinking but poor weed smoking, unapologetic, ugly brute without remorse or regard for the very public who elected him, is indeed a perfect snap-shot of your current elected government.

We deserve so much better. Accept my condolences…

 

Editor’s Note: The writer of this piece is a US-based Trinidadian who is not apologising to anyone who happens to resemble the Minister of Sport and other stuff.

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About Kirk A Inniss

Kirk .A. Inniss is a Trinidad-born, New York-based author of The Black Butterflies and Lessons for My Children. Sometimes he works with the Writers and Poets Union, to write for his supper. He absolutely refuses to sing though.

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40 comments

  1. I know that I will do a better job than that Anilus!

  2. You could be the Minister of Sport, Philip. 🙂

  3. lol – ‘Kala’ too close to ‘Kamla’ lol – but i would certainly give it a shot haha. WIth Lasana Liburd as my deputy lol

  4. Or woman, Philip Ignacio SC.

  5. Courage is contagious when a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened! So who will be that man?

  6. And there will be no such restoration under this government led by Ms Kamla Persad-Bissesar.

  7. What we need is a restoration of law and order

  8. T&T needs a break from these two unsavoury alternatives. I lost hope in 86. That’s a long time. We are definitely overdue for a revolutionary approach.

  9. Soyini, if it looks like a jackass and brays like a jackass then er…it must be a jackass. Yes they are bad, or even arguably worse than anything we have ever known. But surely citizens should stop siting on their hands and waiting for Godot Rowley and his lads to deliver without asking dirfficult questions of what alternatives they might be offering too. We can’t replace one set for another, surely.

  10. I don’t think the gates of hell is the place for slow long term planning, but I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree on that. All I see is how close we are to complete dissolution and instability. We let the point where we had the luxury of patience pass a long time ago. Anyone would be better and Lord we need a break from worse.

  11. I really think we need to find a system vet the people who become our politicians because the political parties seem patently unable to do that. Too many dubious types inside, while the good people are outside watching and waiting for transformative miracles from these frogs.

  12. Ah Ha! Kala you hit the nail on the head they are not forward thinking only thinking about today! They need to wake up before it is too late and think about the future I see far too little commentaries about the future generational impacts that these policies and wrongdoings will have on our future generations.

  13. I hear you, Soyini Denise but I still believe that we are not addressing teh roots of this problem but merely plucking the leaves …we need root and branch change. Yep Phillip. I almost feel guilty about being too critical and i know people are fighting their own daily battles to really think about the country and their kids’ long-term futures in the land. But what we really would have benefitted from now is a mass movement of concerned citizens who are prepared to challenge the parites on policies. We have never been really good at that.

  14. Kala Trini people are too docile for that, we only like to FETE, as you see it is only the ones outside who are commenting on the goings on in the land! WHY is that please do tell?

  15. I would have been all for shutting it down and forcing new elections if possible. Trinis for whatever reason have decided to ban dey belly and wait for the end of term. But please let the next term be with a government who wants to improve conditions. Just that desire. Bare minimum. That would be progress.

  16. Imagine it’s not one, two or three or four …. big time criminals … ministers (interchange both words). Yes there were scandals before, but which past government had as many or as many persons in government implicated? I’ll wait

  17. I’m sure. But I do remember the mega scandals of the 70s and early 80s. Ancient history now. it got so bad that Desmond Cartey was forced to defend the Government and all he could manage was ‘all a we tief’. SO not much has changed. But if is in fact so much worse, heres the dilemma (I’m only wondering aloud here so don’t shout me down lol): why aren’t people on the streets spontaneously, banging on saucepans for change from across all sectors of society? People are undoubtedly suffering. Crime is out of control. Yet Trinis have not hit that point? It just seems rather odd. Maybe people just fed-up. What about people power and Egypt and Arab Spring? Where’s out Spring. Now would have seemed as good a time as any.

  18. Kala things have gotten way worse with government intentions. In the past we had governments who actually tried to work for the good of the country. Now they have dispensed with that altogether and are focused solely on pillaging. This cannot be compared with any government that has gone before, not one, not any UNC, NAR or PNM

  19. Definitely agree on the early elections. My language might be strong but I am frustrated actually by my hunt for stronger language! We don’t have ministers, we have jackals feeding (greedily, anxiously and territorially!) on the flesh of this country! And the sad part is Kamela lacks the ethics to even call an early election unless forced to. We both know this. Worst government ever without question in the history of Trinidad and Tobago and there will be no early elections (unless certain people start to fall but I won’t even go there). Words cannot describe.

  20. None of our political parties have EVER been engaged in nation-building. That’s the sorry fact. So we’ve been singing from this hymnsheet for as long as i can remember. The NAR was the one glimmer of hope T&T had and the men rats saw to that. So we’re back to the tribalists and, er….its not going to take us far. It is truly a depressing reality. This is why I started by asking about whehter we desire genuine long term alternatives or whether we want more or the same old, same old. A depressing thought indeed.

  21. Pretty strong language there. I keep fully abreast and no, I’m not signed up member of the PP or a closet supporter either. I have never flinched from seeing and calling out the incompetence, the corruption, the endless scandals, the bacchanal. Itdefinitely has gotten worse. The point about needing breathing space for alternatives is a moot point. When’s a good time. I agree that the Pm should really – like Manning, call an early election. No doubt Mr R and his crew wil win. Will that put an end to the looting of the Treasury, the parlous state of our health services, the poorly performing education system, the non-existent social care system, adequate provision for the elderly and disabled and a whole myriaid of problems? I think not.

  22. This is not about scandals too, this is about scandals ONLY and zero government. I don’t know if you’ve been under a rock but the madness has gone beyond anything we have ever dreamed about in our worst nightmares. They came in prepared to execute scandals only, not government.

  23. Genuine alternatives are great but “we are in crisis, we need out of this” is a valid message all on its own. What we have right now is not a government. The behavior is like a dictatorship, impunity from crimes and crimes with impunity. The only difference and saving grace is elections. It’s not like the “government” is doing bad, it does not exist. If it was in any shape or form workable then alternatives would be a fair framework but it is not. We need to get out of this and on to a government that can actually function. That’s all we can hope for within a year. Once we have that it would give us some breathing room to talk about alternatives. It is criminal to distract from the discussion of how bankrupt this government is ethically and that’s what you’re doing. You are not looking good doing it at all. 2/3 years ago maybe but this government has fallen way too far to give it the respect of an “alternatives” discussion. We need to get out and in any direction (except parties formerly allied with this one)

  24. Missing the point, Soyini. T&T is at a fork in the road. Where are the genuine broadbased alternatives? All that he says is true, but is nothing new. A bit more scandalous perhaps, but I think I can remember all too well the PNM scandals too Maybe I’m older enough to see that 5 yrs from now we’ll probably be having the same conversation. We need some original ideas on how to move forward now…even as the good ol shipT&T continues to drift listlessly.

  25. Lol Kala Ramnath, everything you quoted is actually 100% true. With the utter cesspit that is this government can you really give marks for originality on the list people make of their crimes?? Are you for real?? Nowhere did he say that PNM is “good” but I would vote for a monkey, a goat and a turd in the road before the current government ever again. It’s not irresponsible to say get we out of this by any means. You mad?

  26. It is amazing how personas who lives outside of Trinidad, don’t contribute in any way to our development have all the answers.

  27. I really hope so….but you know trini people….you never know what they going to do next….hahahahaha

  28. Not seeing any evidence that he’s calling for something approaching a genuine alternativein this long essay. Can be summarised as ‘This bunch is awful. Elections are next year. They blame the PNM. The end. Not v original.

  29. Why do you say he seems to think the PNM is a decent alternative?

  30. These fools gave away next year’s election.

  31. God could never be so cruel Melville Foster.

  32. The most terrifying thing about this whole affair is,if the tape is fabricated,that there must be a clone resembling him at large.The mind boggles,what have we done to deserve this ?

  33. Complete eeeediacy is a rare non communicable disease that anil was born with. It cannot be duplicated – even by a twin sibling or look alike. However if one has an inclination to eediacy and associates with a complete eeediaaat …boom u get it (to wit the PPP). And we have so many examples of this. Oh and btw the only treatment is total isolation(read banishment) from all members of the public and all public offices. Whatcha gonna do TT when is election time???????

  34. The rant is OK if a little disappointing as he seems to think that the PNM are a viable and decent alternative. I was hoping to read some call to national rescue with some broadbased mass movement to reconfigure our national politics, recapture our kids’ future from these two sets of supposed alternatives. Otherwise we remain hapless to the charms of jackass brigadery forever.

  35. Well written commentary Kirk, it seem that it is easier for us on the outside to see with clear eyes what is happening in T&T! ENT?

  36. Apt description Lasana ‘Jackass Brigade’.

  37. Well put, my friend. Very well put!

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