Commentary: Cover Ups but Not in Church

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By ALICIA CHAMELY

Cover ups, cover ups everywhere; except in the Cathedral where there was not one to spare.

It’s been an exceptional week in the news for Trinidad and Tobago.

Bum bums were all up in God’s house; Darryl Smith seems to be wanting to speak but can’t, according to the AG; H1N1 or swine flu is back; and Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh accuses the former PP Government of covering up their swine flu problems.

It has been a week of cover ups and lack thereof. Let’s break it all down shall we?

But first, Father, please forgive me because I know not what is going on in my beloved country.

It has been almost a week since a series of scantily dressed and very hungry models strutted down the aisles of the Holy Trinity Cathedral, and God has yet to exact his revenge. Although it could be argued God has been “smiting” TT for quite some time now, but that’s a story for another day.

There must have been dress rehearsals, no? So unless some sneaky designer pulled a fast one on them, the church was responsible.

Honestly, if I was a church member and I saw the first model make it one foot down the aisle I was pulling the plug. My house, my rules. I have a strict no-shoe policy in my house, no entry is granted unless those germ-tracking sickness magnets are removed from your feet.

The deacon responsible on that day should have done the same. No cover up? Get out! And here have a sandwich.

Cover ups aren’t working so well either for the Government and for former minister of sport Darryl Smith. It was determined by three hard as nails women, appointed by the prime minister, that there was a cover up involving matters pertaining to Smith.

For those who don’t know a former ministry employee who reported Smith for certain behavior was dismissed and paid a hefty $150,000 of taxpayers’ money in a settlement.

And, just like the models in the cathedral, these things don’t stay covered up for long, as certain documents on the Smith affair were leaked to the media.

Now everyone’s favorite crime fighter Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith is on the case…dum…dum…duuummm. Griffith has rallied the DPP, launched his own investigation into Smith and the allegations.

Maybe one good thing that could come out of this scandal is for a sexual harassment policy to be institutionalised in all workplaces across the country.

I remember some years ago, working as a news reporter, being called by a then Minister. Homeboy proceeded to tell me he thought I was the sexiest woman at the press conference and grossness, grossness, gross.

I remember feeling extremely embarrassed and frankly disgusted when I hung up the phone. I couldn’t understand what gave him the right to talk to me like that.

Now that I think about it I probably should have recorded the call and gotten myself a nice big settlement… don’t judge me I have school fees to pay.

Hopefully our AG lays some legislation that holds all office nasty men and women accountable. Being a woman is hard enough without having to deal with creepy men who think they have some smidge of power over you.

Speaking of power, election time is drawing nigh and naturally this comes with lots of allegations of cover ups!

Our Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh accused the People’s Partnership of covering up the amount of H1N1 deaths under their tenure. Shocking! I know!

Deyalsingh came to this conclusion, after he was accused of covering up an H1N1 outbreak.

So to shift tensions I can only imagine he went looking into the past hoping the previous government did worse and BA! BAM! Mysteriously the figures for H1N1 deaths between 2013 and 2015, under the PP administration, were nowhere to be found.

Hum, while I don’t doubt some slackness on the PP’s part, I think if they were going to execute a massive cover up of something they should have chosen Life Sport or Glenn Ramadharsingh.

Regardless, Deyalsingh boasted of 100,000 H1N1 vaccines landing in the country, in the middle of flu season not at the start when it would have made more sense and as such redeemed himself as a savior to the stuffy-nosed population.

All-in-all it was bit of a ridiculous week. Uncle Gary is still saving TT, Kams and Keithos keep pointing fingers, God is still watching over us and the avuncular Bas, Trinidad’s most loveable old uncle, is to be bestowed with an honorary doctor of laws.

Till next week folks.

(Alicia Chamely was last seen covering up her children and kissing them good night.)

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