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Former Sport Minister Anil Roberts made a surprise return to the public eye today at the memorial service for beloved television host Marcia Henville. No doubt it was not the funeral Roberts had hoped to attend.
Roberts was accompanied by his beautiful young wife and, by all accounts, they were able to make it in and out of the church without any major incident, inconvenience or sordid indiscretions. Even the priest was probably disappointed. Sigh. Just when you think you know people…
It was the worst comeback since “Hangover Two.”
Roberts’ low-keyed appearance capped a bizarre week in which former Prime Minister Patrick Manning and Ministry of Sport PS Ashwin Creed both decided to test the attention span of the populace by asking for their old jobs back.
Those might seem like ridiculously brazen requests if not for the fact that current Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar plans on keeping her portfolio later this year as well.
There is no easy way to say this, Prime Minister but there is a really cool movie called “We’re just not that into you” that you should probably watch.
Then there was a police shooting at soca star Benjai who violated protocol by speeding through the President’s escort. Which begs the obvious question: does the President’s office still have protocol?
Police Service Social and Welfare Association general secretary Michael Seales commended the policemen for shooting at an unarmed civilian. Or missing. Or both.
“The President of this country was being escorted at that point in time and these officers, the ones who are escorting him,” Seales told the Trinidad Express, “are trained to shoot into the car at a chest level, in order to neutralise any targets who could potentially be a threat to the dignitary who is being escorted at that point in time.
“So hats off to them (the police escort), I mean, these officers did breach their training protocol, but at the same time, today, the persons who may have suffered in that regard are now alive to tell the story.”
(Courtesy Peppertt.com)
So, the policemen were either bad at doing a stupid thing—slaying someone who was not a risk to the President at the time—or good for doing wrong while trying to do right. Either way, their inability to follow procedure, despite their best efforts, means Benjai will continue to thrill his female fans this Carnival season.
And it is not every day you can say that incompetence saved a life. So Live Wire would like to join Seales in congratulating the officers for not shooting an unarmed civilian.
Of course, it would have been difficult for lawmen to convince the public that, in keeping with the tired police cliché, Benjai was gunned down while attacking them with a knife during the course of their duties. But let’s not look too closely at that gift horse.
Rather, how about the real scandal this week: Attorney General Anand Ramlogan’s alleged misguided efforts to ride West in his Section 34 related lawsuit against Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley.
Ramlogan, according to Police Complaints Authority (PCA) director David West, suggested that his employment opportunities within the public sector might be greatly enhanced if he did not file a witness statement.
If it was meant to be an offer that West could not refuse, Ramlogan needs to brush up on his Godfather routine. West did the right thing by promptly waiting three months for the media to leak the whole episode before remembering his civic duty to report an attempt to pervert justice.
And this is no little pervert we are talking about here. This is Anand Ramlogan!
(Courtesy T&T Mirror)
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar called the allegations “troubling.” Mr Live Wire thinks troubling is not being able to find the television remote. An attorney general supposedly treating Lady Justice like an extra in a Lurbz video is something else entirely.
Bissessar said Ramlogan would remain attorney general “until whenever he’s no longer attorney general.” Which is as perceptive and useful as the weatherman saying that you should expect sunshine until it starts raining.
She followed that up with: “I’m not saying that that is the plan of action…”
What is not the plan of action, Prime Minister? That the Attorney General would remain the attorney general until he is no longer attorney general? Does the Prime Minister even listen to herself anymore?
Where is a policeman with a breathalyser gizmo when you need one?
Somehow, by the time the Prime Minister’s message reached to Facebook, it was reported as: The PM is going to sack Ramlogan and Gary Griffith and buy a large order of char siu kai fan, which was surely a textbook case of Chinese whispers.
Meanwhile, acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams confirmed to the media that Deputy CoP Harold Phillip—not to be confused with the COP leader that cannot spell his name—has been asked to investigate allegations of Ramlogan’s perversion.
Mr Live Wire has another question: Since Ramlogan is now “a person known to the police” and “of interest to the police”, can Superintendent Johnny Abraham shoot him?
Elsewhere, House Speaker Wade Mark and Finance Minister Larry Howai must have breathed a sigh of relief as the media attention turned West.
The bacchanal season is in full swing now.
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I disagree completely Debbie. Freedom of speech still exists otherwise a number of journalists – including Lasana – would be jailed or dead. Healthcare is available and so is education. Democracy is still alive as we have voted out governments repeatedly in recent times and voter fraud is not a widespread issue. Poverty is not completely pervasive either.
Clearly your definition of a failed state varies from mine and the classical version.
http://library.fundforpeace.org/fsi13-troubled10
Not too far Kendall. If the current situation isn’t handled promptly and according to law then we definitely reach failed state status. Ian Ragoonanan could not be more explicit with his run down of where this Country has degenerated since 2010. His list is in a previous post. Never in my lifetime i ever thought we could reach this far and i would live to see this day. I fear not for myself but for my Children and Grandchildren. What’s to become of them when we ourselves are afraid to speak out or march or just exercise our democratic right to free speech? My heart is bleeding for this once beautiful country of ours.
We have issues but we are far from being a failed state.
Failed long before that illegal SoE. 1990 began the real fail. We did not demand accountability then, we did not demand proper anything. We selfishly showed how relieved we were to have survived, to hell with the fallen few.
Rhoda, like you i was never in favour of that SOE and the circumstances surrounding it just like i was totally pissed off when Manning put Town on an SOE without actually coming outright and saying so during the infamous Summit when town was on lock down.
We made the turn towards failed state in 2011, when the government announced an illegal SoE and the country welcomed it with open arms…happy to see thousands of black people locked up daily without evidence or proper procedure. Back then I said we had started on the path to failed state and people said I was alarmist.
We gave the govt the right then to target and abuse citizens with impunity and vex now when they abusing everybody?
Lasana would you say due to all that has happened in the past two weeks that we are fast approaching a failed state or are we already there? Would like to get feedback from others on this thread as i think we are spiraling out of control and imho things are damn scary.
Thanks Rhoda, very important, did not sound like Bunji to me. I was about to write him.
Sums up the way I’ve been feeling about everything and everyone in the news lately…it seems to me like the word “integrity” has no meaning in Trini English
Benjai….not Bunji….they are not the same.
Brilliant satirical piece, you continue to make me laugh & cry loudly. Got all the news in one fell swoop, wish we could clean up the mess in one clean sweep too. Didn’t know Marcia passed, I’m so sorry. And Bunji, not a good move that. Your driver, ( I imagine it was not actually you driving) must play by the rules…even if no one else does.
and no article on alturas or calabar….hmmmmm we can see where the allegiance lies
Don’t think we there yet LS.
I am making a placard ” THE END IS NIGH !! “
So slowly! Like watching paint dry!
Lasana, I cyar wait for August; I nominating you right now for a national award for not-so-long but definitely meritorious service in the field of journalism… I hoping that Anand eh read this piece because if he read it you might get your award posthumously.
I feel we are changing Kendall. But slowly…
Out did yourself with this one bro… excellent reading…
We as a people stand for nothing so we fall for everything.
When I see people expressing outrage at Anil walking around and enjoying the life of a free man, my mind ran on Abu Bakr. This is Trinidad life.
And the allegations against the AG with regards to perverting justice is scary because it shows how even the judicial system can be manipulated. So when we wait on the court there is no guarantee of justice. That is really serious.
As a country, we are remarkably restrained in the circumstances.
Next topic
Wouldn’t it be the driver and not Benjai to be charged? I had the impression he was a passenger.
“And this is no little pervert we are talking about here. This is Anand Ramlogan!”
That Johnny Abraham reference was priceless lol, On the subject of Bejai though it still hasn’t been established that he was the driver of the car, all we know is that he was in the car also comparing the security level of the president of the US with the president of Trinidad and Tobago is absurd! also from viewing “The Video” which i’m sure many who are commenting never took the time to, there is nothing (to me) that demonstrate that the car was speeding through the convoy but rather (which is dumb but rather common) not pulling aside or driving behind the escort. Just my two cents, but again great read Lasana.
They were not fast on the drawers ?
fortunately for these bunch of misfits, square dingalings in wrong holes… very serious scandals are overshadowed by even more serious scandals and the popcorn-eating population watching on at the “Old and Reckless” soap opera just can’t keep up. and so, the carpet is bulging with dirt and a whole lot of dung shoveled under it.
Well done and on point as usual!!!!! Thanks for taking the time to summarize and showcase the blatant and disturbing happenings of the present. I always look forward to your posts!
Thank you Savitri Maharaj
Haha! You too creative for Sports yes…. Only you could think like this
O lord!!!
It will all change by next week
Thanks LL, you continue to excel, in this movie called Trinidad and Tobago if you don’t laugh, you could end up taking your self serious – like Prakass- and Santa Kamala……..
Keep sharing the laughs.
Not only the US Kendall but most other first world countries. What is also baffling is how Benjai was allowed to get away without being charged. But then again this is TnT where lawlessness stems from the top so as the old adage goes “if the priest could play who is we”
I agree Debbie. If someone did that in the US, they would have been killed with extreme prejudice.
One thing though Benjai was asking for trouble. While i agree it was a parody of errors on the police part, cause i feel they miss, he was in the wrong for speeding through a police escort. The Senior Superintendent’s explanation while quite hilarious, was correct. I may not hold much brief for the President but he is still our President and the police escort did not have X Ray vision to know that it was Benjai in the car and not someone who could have been a threat to the President’s life. Benjai should consider himself lucky that the police could only shoot straight when it is in your back.
🙂
Lasana!!! You de boss oui!!!! Ah cyah stop laughing. Learie Joseph eh have nuttin on you.
I wonder if there’s a link between Gary Griffith’s Lone Ranger and the AG’s Range Rovers?
U r just like a breath of harsh reality for everyone who likes a good read. Funny with It But I Must Commend the writer on a Awesome read as usual.
Investigation is a charge?
What a week indeed!
Lol. Gary wouldn’t even give Embau the nod as Tonto self…
Lasana, you still have time to do something about that.
And I missed Gary Griffith’s Lone Ranger rant as well as Newsday ponging West for speaking up… What a week!
Babylon! Thy Kingdom is falling!!!!!! We’re really deep into the silly season now; bacchanal for so!!!!!!
And I see you just couldn’t resist a Lurbz reference, could you?
Nice one!
Always a good read
“We’re just not that into you” , lol
He knows who has “The Powers” Now!!!
Well-written, you continue to outdo yourself.