EVERYTHING seems to be falling apart in this country and the Government is turning a blind eye while the country is being decimated, one sector after the next.
There seem to be attacks on our democracy, as EBC approves another three seats in Tobago. There is now three more electoral districts in Tobago giving a total of 15.
Currently, the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) has 12 seats split evenly between the People’s National Movement (PNM) and the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP).
Tobago is expected to head back to the polls to resolve the deadlock once the date of elections is announced. How and why this decision was forced down our throats is mind boggling.
The electoral districts selected are largely reconfigurations of existing seats and no right thinking person can understanding EBC’s rationale in arriving at the three additional reconfigured districts.
It appears in creating these new electoral divisions were considered in only heavily populated areas that has been traditionally PNM strongholds.
Put simply in the absence of any actual voting data, it is a deliberate attempt to create those new electoral divisions in the heavily populated areas that are loyal to the PNM.
This appears to be a blatant way to give the PNM an edge because these are traditional PNM areas where other areas with high density population were not considered.
Now look at the property tax being forced on us during this time where many people cannot catch themselves. This is another harsh plan implemented by the Government that is being forced down our throats.
The property tax is just another way to beat us down and for the Government to take every last dollar out of the hands of the hard working citizens. Now in the middle of a pandemic where citizens can’t even put food on the table they are implementing back property tax. All because this Government has mismanaged our energy sector, mismanaged the reopening of businesses, the restaurant, the bars, the cinemas, the casinos and our economy. It just looks like everything they put their hands on turns out badly.
Now look at the fiasco developing with their attempt in handling the filling of the vacancy of the office of the commissioner of police. We cannot seem to get a proper answer on what’s going on.
One commissioner, Courtney McNish, tendered his resignations already and with all the rumors, misinformation and back and forth going on, the end result is that the public confidence in the Police Service Commission (PolSC) is being eroded.
We do not understand how Gary Griffith was appointed to act as police commissioner, then went on vacation, then suspended and now hurling allegations of conspiracy theories to remove him from office.
The Bliss Seepersad-led PolSC seems to have mishandled the whole process and the whole situation reeks of political interference.
It is difficult to see how we reached here as many citizens thought they were doing the right thing for Trinidad and Tobago in August 2020 by handing the reign of power to a PNM led Government again in August 2020.
Now all we see is hash implemented rules and regulations, mistrust, despair, disappointment, with no way to extract ourselves from this mess.
It will be a long time before we see anyway forward, any clarification or hope. The next couple of years look bleak.
(Neil Gosine is an insurance executive, the North East Regional Coordinator of the United National Congress and a former chairman of NP. The comments and opinions expressed by him in this column are not necessarily those of AZPNews.com, a division of Complete Image Limited.)
Commentary: Things Falling Apart
EVERYTHING seems to be falling apart in this country and the Government is turning a blind eye while the country is being decimated, one sector after the next.
There seem to be attacks on our democracy, as EBC approves another three seats in Tobago. There is now three more electoral districts in Tobago giving a total of 15.
Currently, the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) has 12 seats split evenly between the People’s National Movement (PNM) and the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP).
Tobago is expected to head back to the polls to resolve the deadlock once the date of elections is announced. How and why this decision was forced down our throats is mind boggling.
The electoral districts selected are largely reconfigurations of existing seats and no right thinking person can understanding EBC’s rationale in arriving at the three additional reconfigured districts.
It appears in creating these new electoral divisions were considered in only heavily populated areas that has been traditionally PNM strongholds.
Put simply in the absence of any actual voting data, it is a deliberate attempt to create those new electoral divisions in the heavily populated areas that are loyal to the PNM.
This appears to be a blatant way to give the PNM an edge because these are traditional PNM areas where other areas with high density population were not considered.
Now look at the property tax being forced on us during this time where many people cannot catch themselves. This is another harsh plan implemented by the Government that is being forced down our throats.
The property tax is just another way to beat us down and for the Government to take every last dollar out of the hands of the hard working citizens. Now in the middle of a pandemic where citizens can’t even put food on the table they are implementing back property tax. All because this Government has mismanaged our energy sector, mismanaged the reopening of businesses, the restaurant, the bars, the cinemas, the casinos and our economy. It just looks like everything they put their hands on turns out badly.
Now look at the fiasco developing with their attempt in handling the filling of the vacancy of the office of the commissioner of police. We cannot seem to get a proper answer on what’s going on.
One commissioner, Courtney McNish, tendered his resignations already and with all the rumors, misinformation and back and forth going on, the end result is that the public confidence in the Police Service Commission (PolSC) is being eroded.
We do not understand how Gary Griffith was appointed to act as police commissioner, then went on vacation, then suspended and now hurling allegations of conspiracy theories to remove him from office.
The Bliss Seepersad-led PolSC seems to have mishandled the whole process and the whole situation reeks of political interference.
It is difficult to see how we reached here as many citizens thought they were doing the right thing for Trinidad and Tobago in August 2020 by handing the reign of power to a PNM led Government again in August 2020.
Now all we see is hash implemented rules and regulations, mistrust, despair, disappointment, with no way to extract ourselves from this mess.
It will be a long time before we see anyway forward, any clarification or hope. The next couple of years look bleak.
(Neil Gosine is an insurance executive, the North East Regional Coordinator of the United National Congress and a former chairman of NP. The comments and opinions expressed by him in this column are not necessarily those of AZPNews.com, a division of Complete Image Limited.)