Trin | Surviving life in Trinidad and Tobago: February 2009

I once read that it is a waste of time to read about crime, poverty, hunger and injustice. You should stop reading about it and instead just start doing something about it.

This year I’m going to try to do more and say less. I'll ask myself every single day – Did I make progress today? If the answer is no, I will try harder tomorrow.

Speaking of progress, doesn’t the election of President Barack Obama make you think that Americans are cool again? Journalists and political pundits the world over said that President Obama’s inaugural speech was even better the second time around – meaning that when you heard it the first time it was good, but when you read it a second time you felt the power of his words, you believed in his vision.(Some amazing pictures from that day can be found here.)

In his speech, Barack Obama said “America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents. So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.”
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.”

I empathized with the older community of African Americans who shed tears when Obama was elected - honestly, I don’t think I will see a Trinbagonian leader that says he will fulfill our “God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness”, and lead by example to boot anytime soon.

Evidently, with enough hope miracles can happen.

What was the vision of Trinidad and Tobago’s forefathers, and has that vision served us well? I sometimes think that Eric Williams was misguided when he urged us to forget Mother Africa and Mother India - how can you can pursue your future without careful examination of your past? Yes, we have created a rich and wonderful culture that is unique to Trinidad and Tobago, a culture that unites us all in our diversity, but sometimes I wonder if we are just waiting for the bottom to drop out – if the right approach to our dark history isn’t there, if we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes generation after generation as it seems we’re doing still with education, crime and government policy. I wish that my children would not have to ask the same unanswered questions that I asked my parents, that we would know with certainty all the details, all the answers, but in a society like ours, one that is not part of the center of the world, perhaps that is asking for too much and we just need to move forward as best as we can.

Speaking of miracles - I still can’t believe that at long last, Robert Mugabe is sharing the reigns of power with Morgan Tsvangirai. Zimbabwe’s new Prime Minister spoke out against the political violence that destroyed Zimbabwe under the leadership of that demonic bastard Mugabe. Tsvangirai's speech can be found here. Obama’s magic fairy dust must be hanging in the air over Harare as MDC supporters quietly thank the Lord for a day they never thought would come. That’ll be me when the PNM has a leader that is not an utter egotistical moran with a religious agenda, when COP party executives care less about who has the bigger BMW and the biggest degree and can show some respect for the not-so-educated and for tradition, and when the UNC can sort itself out.