By Prior Beharry
NEWLY-nominated Police Service Commissioner Maxine Attong is declining comment about her Facebook post stating she was black and not starving.
She was one of five people whom Parliament approved to be on the Police Service Commission on Wednesday. The others are retired Justice of Appeal Judith Jones, criminologist Ian Ramdhanie, accountant Maxine King and attorney Rajiv Persad.
Attong’s post on August 6, 2020 stated, “I’m black. I’m Not starving. I’m educated and always worked. All the black people I know are just like me. #MissMeWithThatBS”
Contacted on Thursday, Attong said, “I have no comment to make about anything really in the news.
“Thank you so much for reaching out to me for clarification, checking with me, I really appreciate what you are trying to do but I don’t have any comments on anything.”
Told that AZPNews.com was running a story and wanted to get her comment, she said, “I appreciate that. I understand completely and I know what your job is like and I would always respect that you reached out to me for comment. I am not in any position now to make any comment.
“I am still grappling with the new (nomination). It’s a new position and new territory.”
The post and comments below it have been circulating online.
It has had 52 comments and 52 shares.
One of Attong’s comments was, “Thanks (name deleted) for inspiring me.”
She also commented, “Can’t believe that the black men and women in the party have not protested this narrative. So very sad. Self hate is real.”
Another person commented, “It is extremely sad to hear ah … with all that bs. How come the same black people begging for hampers? Some want to be humans only care about me myself and I…”
Another person wrote, “Max!!! Craziness girl! Don’t understand how people not seeing through these supposedly veiled messages.”
To which Attong replied, “…more like vile because the messages are definitely not veiled.”
Attong’s post also caused human resources consultant and executive coach Shane Ram to private message her on Facebook back in August 2020.
Ram told AZPNews.com on Thursday that he indeed sent the message a photo of which was also circulating online.
He said he was concerned about the post by Attong who at the time was the president of the Human Resource Management Association of Trinidad and Tobago (HMRTT).
Ram said as a past member of the executive he was concerned about the post since unemployment did not know any race.
In his message, he wrote, “So as the head of the Human Resource Management Association, are you saying that you are unaware of the high unemployment rate, the level of unemployment with graduates, the dire social challenges that people face, the amount of children that are not in schools and the dropout rates, the amount of kids that cannot go to school as they don’t have shoes and money to buy school uniforms or don’t even have money to buy food.”
Ram said the only response he got from Attong was “thank you, best wishes.”
He said the post was just before the general elections on August 10, 2020 and showed clear political bias.
Ram said, “Now she is appointed to an independent position which should not have any bias.”
The United National Congress Senator Wade Mark at a press conference on Sunday showed a photo of Attong as chairman of the HMRTT meeting then labour minister Jennifer Primus-Baptiste and asked if Attong used her office to solicit any work for her association or her private company.
During the motion to approve the nominations on Wednesday, Couva South MP Rudranath Indarsingh said Attong’s curriculum vitae showed that recent clients were two state companies – the National Gas Company and National Petroleum and Marketing Company of T&T (NP).
He wanted to know how she came to have benefited from getting those contracts. But Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George said that Indarsingh was speculating.
What did she say that was so wrong? I have seen countless posts from Indian people telling us that it is us who always begging for hampers and eating grass. Good for her that she is helping to set the record straight and defending her people.