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Civility allows us to disagree without disrespect. It facilitates social interaction which enables us to look past our preconceptions and arrive at better solutions.
In political discussions we provide information to persuade action. Unfortunately, some contributors seek to troll perceived adversaries; and personal attacks sometimes prove counterproductive, as they demotivate public political participation—although the intent may have been to consolidate one’s base and attract discontents in the first place.
(Courtesy Caribbean News Service)
With respect to the release of the telephone numbers of senior governmental figures, we should ask: does the public expect or have the right to expect access to the mobile numbers of our political leaders?
Implicit in serving the public as a career is that the usual right to privacy is more limited. We saw this in the release of health information on the late prime minister Patrick Manning and the incumbent, Dr Keith Rowley.
But this does not totally remove one’s right to control the flow of his or her personal information. While Dr Rowley indicated that his phone number was available to some people, there is no evidence that he campaigned for office based on free access to him via this phone number.
If he had, then he can be justifiably accused of hypocrisy. This is unlike Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith’s invitation to use his text-based phone number as part of his public persona in his drive to assert leadership of the change in the police service.
Our response to the disclosure of these numbers demonstrate the depths to which the base elements sink. It includes threats of murder.
It appears that the Opposition—whose political leader, Kamla Persad-Bissessar has endorsed Maharaj’s releases—is attempting to pass the job it was elected to do on to the public.
(Courtesy i95.5fm)
The United National Congress (UNC) can confront the perceived sloth and misguided actions of the Government through the use of the Prime Minister’s Questions and Joint Select Committees. They can hold them accountable through parliamentary presentations, while their access to media resources should be better utilised to give voice to the public’s distress.
The Opposition’s focus should be ensuring equality of opportunity and social and economic justice for all.
Does Maharaj’s releases help this cause? Do they help us assess fitness for public office?
How does unleashing unconstrained comment help us get to good governance?
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Right now pnm looking for a new villain after d closure of Petrotrin and d sending of d tstt workers.
Noble, I have a personal and pertinent answer to what I assume was your rhetorical question at the end of the text: It ensures that no right-thinking citizen will vote a party which can knowingly make a minister of government a man like Devant who has demonstrated NO qualities to recommend him for any important job. a minister of government.
Alas, there are about 15 constituencies where the right-thinking citizens are ritually outvoted in each succeeding election so that your question remains effectively rhetorical.
You made an error. You mean’t 41 constituencies but put 15 instead.
It obviously isn’t policy. It’s politics
A cell phone paid for by taxpayers is not a private number. But it obviously can’t handle a wave of phone calls at once from thousands of citizens; and it certainly should not be used to harass.
So Devant was classless there. And the PNM was absurd with talk about sedition too.
Devant was classless and the stunt actually doesn’t deserve as much attention from PNM.
How much is “much attention”? How were they supposed to respond to that dangerous act, from a dangerous man?
If you want to make Devant into the bogey man, that’s on you. It was stupid. That’s it.
Yeah, but the media is asking questions of the ones whose numbers were given out, they responded. What’s so “wrong” about that?
The media are who’re giving Devant attention.
But it cannot be treated as something trivial.
My reason for describing Devant “The Devil” as a “dangerous man”, is because his thoughts are evil.
This is a man who suggested that “all Muslims should be killed”. He then gives out the PM’s number, to definitely incite people to harass the man, It was threatening calls as well.
He’s exploiting the ignorant and the illiterates, and it doesn’t take him anything to go further, to say “Rowley should be killed”. Some fool will believe him and may want to volunteer.
Sometimes we can point-blank criticize the UNC or their operatives, without the juxtaposing. No need for any “balance”, every time.
Feel free to show me the link from a creditable source that shows Devant called for death to Muslims or otherwise and we can continue that conversation.
Has he ever denied saying it? He’s been accused of saying it (publicly), on a number of occasions. You have yuh doubts that he’d say that? A lunatic will do and say anything. Just like how he said “16 people died” from the flooding at Greenvale. Is Devant Maharaj we talking bout.
he really said it
i saw it but i aint going to try to find that evidence lol
Kyon you saw him say all Muslims should be killed?
i read it years ago
https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/devant-mum-rowley-s-bigotry-talk-6.2.445602.ba9d991638
Kyon your proof is an article that says Maharaj denied ever saying it and the Statutory Authority AND the High Court BOTH ruled in Maharaj’s favour?
(I’m glad you found the article btw. Good research work).
Lasana Liburd you see how fake news and rumors go around. The burden of proof stands with the accuser. The man who accused say well he never deny it, the another jump up and say he heard it. Lol Trinidadians yes weyy! I dunno nah.
i read that years ago on some profile as i said i did
thats the only archive i found of it
Kyon Esdelle reading it on a profile means he said it?
considering the profile was a unc supporter i believed it then
the person was upset
…. you going deeper in that rabbit hole?
whats your point?
The point is you’re accusing someone of racism based on hearsay… and furthering that claim without evidence?
no i said i read that he said it
then i looked for evidence and i found evidence that refuted it and i posted the evidence that refuted it
so how am i furthering it?
Kyon Esdelle that’s not what i read above lol but okay.
well u need to learn to read
apparently u want me to change my recollection of what i read years ago
Repeating hearsay is not evidence of truth and is slanderous.
multiple years after the unc supporter whos muslim was asked how he could support devant after that and he didnt refute it so i took it to be true
Not to mention it is called libel.
Would any us politician give the public a us president phone#????
For security reasons that’s a no, no
Urmmm…how many phone calls did the PM receive? And didn’t Akin James release it first? Just arksing questions eh, not defending
Joel, Rowley is an MP and it is normal that constituents have a contact number for you. Just for instance.
The issue isn’t that Rowley’s taxpayer funded number is in the public domain. It is that Devant is asking people to use it to harass him which is not only unfair to the PM but also to the people who have legitimate reason to call the PM.
Lasana Liburd well with that said,he should be charged
Kyon Esdelle his point is it’s hearsay and he’s right.
Lasana Liburd apropos I find it naive that Rhoda seemingly believes that the PM doesn’t have 2 numbers just because he answered her on WhatsApp on the publicized one. For quite a few reasons.
Lasana Liburd did Drvant really say to harrass the pm?
Gerard he didn’t. That would be the assumption based on the reason he wanted people to call the PM.
Lasana Liburd my information is that a woman who asked the pm.for help via his cell phone was blocked and she posted his number in FB and devant buy over the cause. Regardless of the backstory it’s still intriuging politics that has allowed the UNC to control the narrative. The on don’t listen and the on don’t care. A narrative that the on response has. Reinforced
Not supporting the tactic but I respect it. Well played
Why people keep saying he should be charged? If there was a basis for charging him, he would have been. Duhh. Lol there is no law preventing people revealing ur phone number. There was a Data Protection Act I believe but it has not been proclaimed.
Keston, apart from the fact that a phone number fully funded by taxpayers is not private.
To reiterate, it is a nuisance to try to have people flood that phone with calls. And like Noble says, that’s a stupid stunt that has nothing to do with good governance or holding the Govt accountable.
But that’s about as far as it goes.
Being a nuisance can be good politics
Gerard Llanos how does being a nuisance to the Prime Minister serve the public of Trinidad and Tobago?
Politics has nothing to do with service does it?
Of course you know that
It has to do with votes or lack theroff
Smh. It should go without saying that I would not applaud or in any way encourage any such behaviour.
Lasana Liburd the game doesn’t stop being the game because you disagree. It’s astute albeit accidental politics. I support and empathise with the pm but this ball was poorly played in my opinion. Making a debacle out of a nothing issue
Lasana „how does being a nuisance to the Prime Minister serve the public of Trinidad and Tobago?…“ Americans can’t seem to get that either.
Lasana Liburd you didnt answer mu question ^^^, how many persons contacted him on the number?
A very enlightening discussion ☝
Damn. Hema totally lost control of that interview. Rhoda, you were the co-host that morning! Lol.
She was at sea as an interviewer
Theresa, ent that the truth! Lol.
Lasana Liburd hahahahahahaha. I just wanted to be pellucidly clear.
Poor Hema would have nightmares… Rhoda that was like Kanye vs Taylor Swift oui! ??
Rose-Marie Lemessy-Forde good grief as usual, Rhoda is the only one who can make assumptions. I’m not extremely impressed with Hema but Rhoda also never truly allowed her to finish her own questions hahahaha.