Noble: A nation at war with itself—why behaviour of Padarath, Jeremie, Elder et al affects everyone

This last week, those of us who follow cricket witnessed a South African batsman and stand-in captain refuse to chase Brian Lara’s world record.

Wiaan Mulder was batting against Zimbabwe, a much weaker side. He explained his decision in these words:

“Lara got 401 or whatever it is (400) against England, and for someone of that stature to keep the record is pretty special. You never know what is destined for me, but I think Brian Lara keeping that record is exactly the way it should be.”

He also acknowledged speaking with his coach, Shukri Conrad, about the decision.

It was a controversial decision for many. But Sportsmax hosted Fazeer Mohammed to discuss the context. (This interview makes one realise what a tremendous loss the region has suffered with the shuttering of the Sportsmax channel.)

Fazeer was at his best and gave a very nuanced interpretation.

The conclusion? What was important? To win the match? To break the record? To preserve Test Cricket?

The BBC subsequently reported that Brian Lara called Mulder to let him know he should not have declared, but should have gone ahead and broken the longstanding record.

Despite gaining Lara’s blessing, Mulder said he would not have changed his decision.

“That was an interesting point of view from his side, but I still believe I did the right thing and respecting the game is the most important part for me.”

Why do I cite this incident? Principally, because our local politicians have lost the plot. They are selfishly engaged in a ‘scorched earth’ battle and do not care for us, the citizens or the future of the nation. They do not consider the global issues that will impact us, nor do they envision a future where we can prosper.

The obtuse individual, Anil Roberts, opened the attack.

“I am getting news from inside Angostura that all, all, all PNM board members have finally let go with their toenails and their fingernails, all have now resigned as they should have done on April 29 to allow the new Government to put people in place who believe in the policy and espouse the heart, soul and care of Kamla Persad-Bisses­sar.

“So Terrence Bharath is now gone, Sterling Frost is now gone, and Franka Costelloe, you now gone? I wonder if you wanted to stay there for a lifetime of roofing (my emphasis)?”

It is evident that Ms Costelloe, a young entrepreneur in a family business, has business acumen. She was first appointed to the First Citizens Board by the UNC administration in 2014 and remains on the board to this day.

The PNM administration then appointed her as chair of InvestTT and subsequently added her to the Angostura board.

Ms Costelloe embodies the type of young entrepreneurial energy our country desperately needs to forge its future. Instead, the coarse chatterer sought to doxx her and denigrate her service to this country. Her family business be damned.

To whom is the allegiance owed? “People… who believe in the policy and espouse the heart, soul and care of Kamla Persad-Bissessar!”

Then, to his eternal shame, in the first sitting, the new Attorney-General, Senator John Jeremie, bellowed at the Opposition Parliamentarians: “I will go to war with you!”

Alleging misconduct by unnamed persons against Government members, he thundered—as Government MPs pounded their desks in support: “There is damage to us there, there is wastage of money over here, and there is potential criminal wrongdoing.

“When criminal wrongdoing is alleged, I don’t mind you looking at me; I am happy. But when you look at the Prime Minister and Political Leader of the United National Congress, a grandmother who has served this country for however long, never had one standard raised against her, I will go to war with you!”

These intemperate words do not represent the best of behaviours by an attorney-general. The courts exist for settling such issues.

That show was not an act of political banter nor a display of maturity. We are witnessing the creation of a party loyal to a specific individual rather than representing the nation’s interest in the hallowed Parliament.

These actors understand that their careers depend not on upholding constitutional principles or following protocol but on implementing what is seen as the party leadership’s vision—however self-seeking that vision may become.

Has it not entered the mind of our distinguished Attorney-General that hosting of Cabinet meetings, meetings of foreign diplomats and business people, etc, do not constitute a fit and proper use of our Parliament building?

This egregious breach of protocol goes unremarked by all.

The theme of war continued with the current Minister in the Ministry of Public Utilities, Clyde Elder, describing the loss of jobs by Cepep workers as ‘collateral damage’.

The phrase ‘collateral damage’ is a most unfortunate way of speaking. Prime Minister Patrick Manning used it to characterise the sad death of Jilla Bowen at MovieTowne.

Concerning Elder’s diatribe, the Guardian editorial had to explain:

“Rather than implementing a well-structured and strategic plan that would have directly addressed the contractors’ issues while protecting those beneath them, however, there has been a haphazard approach that adversely affected some of the nation’s lowest-income earners.

“As an individual who has devoted much of his professional career to advocating for workers’ rights, it is, therefore, disheartening to see how swiftly Minister Elder has made a complete 360-degree shift (180 is the correct designation), demonstrating a stark lack of compassion for those bearing the brunt of his Government’s inadequate management of this situation.”

Is Comrade Elder a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde?

Mr Elder alleged, as a means of justification for the action, that contracts had been handed out days before the 28 April general election to satisfy people with political agendas. But it does appear that, as a trade unionist, he has not been paying attention over the years.

This tug of war between the parties dates back to 2011. Minister Roodal Moonilal expressed concern over the company’s use of contractors, noting that they had been employed for eight years.

On August 2016, Cepep reported that: “Currently, 90 per cent of the existing contractors have been engaged by the programme for more than five years. Most of this group of contractors have six teams of ten persons per team and have earned in that period over $3,500,000 (per contractor) in management fees.”

The statement noted that some contractors signed new contracts in the weeks leading up to the last general election on 7 September 2015 and, in some cases, on the day of the election.

It was also noted that contractors engaged in the programme were not paying health surcharge, NIS, VAT or Green Fund Levy to the State on behalf of their employees, as required by their contracts with Cepep and by law.

Are not Ministers Elder and Padarath displaying a case of pot calling kettle black?

By 26 January 2022, the Public Service Association newsletter was reporting that 60 workers had been released. Then Couva South MP Rudranath Indarsingh described this move as a continuous attack on the working class, as single parents will be directly affected and placed on the breadline:

“I think it reeks of a sense of callousness and insensitivity on the part of this government to take this position.”

Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal suggested that the loss of jobs would be closer to 6,000. No such estimate or deed emerged.

Yet, Indarsingh thundered: “From day one, you cannot trust this government, this government operates with a sense of insensitivity and callousness, and it has been anti-worker, anti-union and anti-people, so I expect nothing better.”

Hmm…

The questions must be asked: If both political parties agree that the jobs should be for three years, what is being done to provide new skills to empower workers? If the release of 60 persons is equal to ‘callousness and anti-people’, what is the equivalent of the release of 10,000 persons?

Why do Ministers Elder and Padarath not use the VAT and NIS receipts to substantiate their allegations? Most importantly, what is our education system doing to produce more capable individuals, not dependent on Cepep?

Does Minister Elder cower before his line minister, Barry Padarath?

Did Minister Elder cringe when Marvin Gonzales cornered Minister Padarath in a blatant lie? Or is this par for the course?

In Parliament, Minister Padarath accused Gonzales of leasing a building for $3 million. Padarath described this office as a “slush fund”.

The Express, to their credit, contacted Gonzales and asked for a copy of the lease. Gonzales shared a copy of a document where an agreement was made on 25 July 2023, between Bushido Ltd and Wasa for the rental of the 2,500-square-foot space (upper floor) to Wasa, at $14,000 per month for 12 months.

The document was signed by Wasa’s former chief executive officer (CEO), Kelvin Romain, and corporate secretary Dion Abdool. When confronted, Minister Padarath pivoted away to another accusation.

What does the Express or any other media house do? They remain silent. They allow Padarath to ramble on.

Our media train their readers to treat all such exchanges as standard political communication. They lack moral clarity. Arthur Posenby (1928) reminds us: “The first casualty of war is truth.”

There has been a significant quarrel over the Independent Senators. The Government spokespersons launched broadsides against all who spoke up. Even the Prime Minister entered the fray.  No holds barred!

The period between ANR Robinson’s end of political career and assumption of duties as president (February 1997 – March 1997) was infinitely shorter than the time (seven years) for Ms Christine Kangaloo’s appointment.

What about Independent Senator Mary King? She was on that bench from 2001 to 2007 and then became the UNC/PP Minister of Planning, Economic and Social Restructuring and Gender Affairs in 2010!

How does one explain the sudden resignation of Erik Keskula as chief executive officer of state-owned oil company Heritage Petroleum Co Ltd? He previously held senior roles at ConocoPhillips across the globe, including president of ConocoPhillips Malaysia.

Why was there an obnoxious Facebook page appearing on the same day of the announcement? That page is supportive of the current administration.

Are we aware that Petrotrin’s debt and legacy obligations, including bondholder liabilities, pension exposure, and environmental cleanup costs, were isolated within Trinidad Petroleum Holdings Limited (TPHL)?

Or that the revenue-generating assets, including upstream oil fields, drilling infrastructure, and production licenses, were vested in Heritage?

Do we know that if Heritage stumbles, the credibility of the nation is at risk?

It represents an $11 billion risk. Who will replace Keskula? A lackey who swears loyalty to our Prime Minister?

Will we be exposed to incompetence and excuses? Can we afford the $11 billion debt to come crashing down?

What should we say about the prolonged impasse over the naming of the chair of the National Gas Company? It is as though we did not learn our lesson the last time. Do we not recall the comparative performance of Indar Maharaj and Mark Loquan?

Our business leaders are as quiet as church mice about the importance of these developments in the energy sector. These industries represent the bulk of our national assets. They are as significant as our vaunted Heritage Stabilisation Fund.

Yet, we pretend we can decide whether to reopen the Petrotrin refinery in four months?

We, like Mulder the South African batsman, have decisions to make? What is our goal? To score political points or to carry the nation to a higher place? To please Mrs Persad-Bissesar?

What national values will guide our choices? How will we characterise a ‘win’?

How do we manage our economy? How do we build and grow it? Where do we get leaders who can cast a large vision of the future and navigate the shoals of the global economy?

How do our decisions in these issues affect our foreign exchange situation? What are our vulnerabilities as we look ahead?

We will attempt to answer these questions in another column.

Here is a quote to consider: “Unhappy is the land that has no heroes”, comments a character in Bertolt Brecht’s Life of Galileo (1943).

“No”, replies another, “unhappy is the land that needs heroes.”