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Dizzy28 wrote:Udecott probably on a paper shredding spree right now just like when they got busted last time under Hart and Rampaul.
Doesn't help that the Chair is part of a bigger PNM inner circle.
Give citizens their due
Paula-Mae Weekes takes ‘stern auntie-tantie’ approach in Parliament address:
Ria Taitt
PEOPLE are hurting and they feel parliamentarians are not listening.
So said President Paula-Mae Weekes as she delivered a diplomatic bouff to Members of Parliament, namely the Government and Opposition.
Addressing a joint session of Parliament in the House Chamber, on the occasion of the reopening of the Red House in Port of Spain, yesterday, Weekes said: “While Parliament and other leaders in the country are dabbling in semantics about whether we are a failed State or in a crime crisis, our citizens are being murdered at an alarming rate, they lack opportunities for employment or are losing their jobs, food prices are spiralling beyond the reach of many, and more and more of our children are failing into the ‘at-risk’ category.”
Said the President: “Citizens are entitled to look to you for, and demand of you, solutions to alleviate their pain. They want you to work together for their good. Even the most desperate understand the nature of politics and that some degree of toeing the party line, posturing, old talk and picong come with the territory, but at the end of the day, fidelity to the people—our vulnerable women, our defenceless children, our angry young men—must be the primary and paramount concern of parliamentarians.”
Weekes apparently excluded presidential appointees (i.e., the Independent bench) from her criticisms, heaping praise on them and thanking them for their service.
“By their probing, testing and questioning of proposed legislation, they, devoid of partisan interests, bring to the table a necessary, even-handed approach,” she said.
People are hurting
However, for the Government and Opposition, she adopted the “stern auntie-tantie” approach.
She said she received on a daily basis correspondence from members of the public complaining bitterly that existing laws do not address their serious concerns and that some laws appear to benefit narrow sectarian interests rather than the interests of all.
She added she suspected citizens wrote to her in the “mistaken belief” that she had the jurisdiction to take action directly or to issue orders to the powers that be.
“And so I deliver their message— a message which they feel that neither Government nor Opposition is hearing, or if hearing, ignoring. And the message is as simple as it is poignant—they are hurting.”
Weekes also pointed out that Parliament set the tone for the average man in the street.
“If you are seen to treat each other with respect, courtesy and good humour, there can be a trickle-down effect and eventual cascade. But when acrimony, contempt and divisiveness is the example you set, you cannot be surprised when those attitudes and behaviours are replicated on the nation’s roads, in our schools and homes and on social media.”
Weekes stressed that “awesome power” resides in the chambers of Parliament, and citizens were entitled to expect parliamentarians to work together to give them not only their constitutional due but also the blueprint for national conduct.
“Law and order, truth and justice, morality and decency,” are the values which should be associated with the nation’s Parliament, she said.
The President’s address, her first to Parliament, was of less than ten minutes duration.
Crisp, short and delivered in her imitable style.
“A well-established columnist, in an article shortly after my inauguration, commented that I reminded him of a stern, long-time, Creole auntie-tantie. I accept that as a badge of honour since in my experience, auntie-tanties are usually proponents of sober thinking, discipline, good behaviour and deep reflection.”
This was the second time that a President has given such a brief address.
Former president Arthur NR Robinson, the country’s third president, had delivered an even shorter address as a mark of protest at a time of tension between himself and former prime minister Basdeo Panday.
Weekes left the Parliament as soon as she delivered her address and did not stay for the reception in the Rotunda, which was addressed by the Opposition Leader and the Prime Minister.
It was a departure from the programme which had said she would arrive in the Rotunda accompanied by the presiding officers.
Following the addresses by the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader, a toast was given by the Speaker.
Asked to comment on the President’s address, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said: “I am not in a position to comment on the President’s speech. I have to learn, have to listen and I have to do.”
It is not the first time a woman has addressed a joint session of Parliament.
The first occasion occurred when acting president Dr Linda Baboolal was required at the last minute to step in for then-president Robinson, who had suddenly fallen ill.
At yesterday’s function, noticeable absentees were Dr Fuad Khan, who requested leave, and Marlene McDonald.
Among those present were former presiding officers Nizam Mohammed, Barry Sinanan, Michael Jay Williams and Timothy Hamel-Smith; members of the judiciary; former ministers Hazel Manning, Joan Yuille Williams and Overand Padmore; members of the diplomatic corps, T&T’s High Commissioner to London, Orville London; THA Secretary for Finance Joel Jack; Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith, Calypsonian Dr Hollis Liverpool (Mighty Chalkdust); Designer Meiling and former Miss Universe Wendy Fitzwilliam.
‘An insult to the people’
Anna Ramdass
The move by President Paula-Mae Weekes to introduce a lottery for public access to the President’s House, which was refurbished and restored at a cost of $89 million, has been met with outrage and questions.
The Office of the President on Wednesday posted the entry form to a competition on Facebook, which invited citizens to “win a tour of the public areas inside the President’s House”.
Only citizens of Trinidad and Tobago who are 18 years and over qualify to play the lottery.
Entrants must drop off completed forms to select Massy Stores, and Penny Savers outlets in Tobago. The competition ends on February 17, 2020.
The lottery system has however provoked the ire of the public, with the majority of comments being negative.
It also angered political leader of the Progressive Party Nikoli Jean-Paul Edwards, who issued a release demanding an apology from the President for the “treasonous” system.
Edwards said the decision to move forward with a lottery system for citizens to visit the President’s House is insulting to the people whom the President claims to be an emissary of.
Public betrayal he people of our great nation, then she would have been aware that her New Year’s Day message was not well-received, especially her announcement of the lottery system to visit the edifice that required $89 million of the people’s money to repair,” Edwards said.
He added it was “public betrayal” for the President to have allowed or directed the Office of the President to involve private companies—Massy Stores and Penny Savers—to be involved in the competition.
“Even in moving forward with this decision, the Office of the President should have used public offices as drop-off points for entry. Additionally, it must be noted that this competition is a form of gambling involving a public space.
“The President and the Office of the President cannot be seen as a source of national pride for all citizens when large segments of the society whose religious beliefs or history of addiction deny them an opportunity to participate. This is disrespectful to such persons,” he said.
“I therefore call on President Weekes to put an end to this competition and immediately apologise to the nation for the insensitivity displayed by her and the staff of the Office of the President. President’s House should be accessible to all citizens and visitors who pass necessary security checks and who wish to visit within prescribed hours on prescribed days.
“The President must acknowledge that she has erred in her judgment and shall seek to do better as one entrusted to hold the nation’s highest office.” said Edwards.
Unusual move
The Express contacted historian Brinsley Samaroo and former head of the Public Service Reginald Dumas, who said the President and her office should provide the rationale for such a move.
Samaroo said the idea to allow the public access is a “very good idea”, and this should be applicable to all historical sites and buildings in the country.
However, he said it was strange to have a lottery system, noting this was not the case internationally.
“What is the rationale for the lottery system? One has to find out from the Office of the President. It is very unusual, bearing in mind how things are done internationally,” he said.
Samaroo said schoolchildren should also be allowed to visit the President’s House as he lamented he does not believe the children today have knowledge and understanding about the country’s historical monuments.
“The ignorance is very pervasive,” he said, adding this is why the education sector needs to become more involved.
Please explain
Dumas told the Express the President should explain.
“It will be helpful if the President can please explain what is the rationale for this lottery system and how it is proposed to work,” he said, noting the competition is free and, therefore, no revenue would be generated from such a move.
Dumas said if tours were offered to the President’s House, then it would relieve some burden on taxpayers who just spent $89 million in renovations and who pay for all maintenance costs.
He pointed out people can pay for tours of the Buckingham Palace in England and the White House in the United States, and questioned why a similar system cannot be adopted for the President’s House in St Ann’s.
“I see no reason why ordinary tours should not be arranged for people not to trample all over the House but as in the case of Buckingham Palace and the White House, to confine the tours to certain public areas on a non-lottery basis,” he said.
Dumas noted President Weekes does not own the President’s House, and it is a public building that may fall under the purview of the National Trust. He questioned whether the National Trust was consulted or even recommended this lottery system.
Let the President decide
The Express contacted chairman of the National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago Margaret McDowall, who replied: “No, we don’t need to be consulted. There can be several types of tours. We plan to ask for an audience with Madam President to discuss our ideas as well, but it’s her prerogative.”
The Express also reached out to historian Bridget Brereton, who said she was in full support of the public having access to the President’s House, and the system on how to do so should be left to the President.
“I do think that the public, in some orderly and sensible way, should be given the opportunity if they wish to visit President’s House. I myself would love to tour President’s House, but I can easily say we should leave it up to Her Excellency to decide how to organise this,” she said.
Brereton said she can assume the lottery system was to avoid hundreds of people turning up.
The Express sent questions on the issues being raised to the President’s communications adviser, Cheryl Lalla, but there was no response up to last night.
Public outrage
The Office of the President posted about the lottery system on its Facebook page and it was met with a barrage of comments in opposition to the initiative. The following are some:
• It’s against my religion to gamble.
• Now imagine, taxpayers have to enter a competition to get a chance to tour a building that they paid to restore. Slavery is alive and well.
• It’s a good thing I got to explore it, before the bacchanal.
• I respect the office of the President, truly. But there needs to be some clarification as to why this lottery exists, instead of just having standard visiting hours and a fee. By far and large, this rubs the public the wrong way and continues to give the impression of elitism. Just my 2 cents.
• One must also ask why is the entry boxes at Massy groceries (a private entity) as opposed to public offices.
• The Office of the President of the Republic of T&T, I’m not sure who sat down and came up with this idea but I firmly believe it is ill-conceived as is now being put forward.
This should have been a collaborative effort between your goodly office and National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago where a fee is charged and citizens can view the public areas as an ongoing tour from time to time.
• Create sustainable employment by hiring tour guides and providing daily tours for a fee? Provide schools with special prices and provide the history behind the architecture?
Add it on our tourism brochures for visitors to see when visiting PoS? No? A lottery instead? Ok!
• I love my country. I have an appreciation for all things Trinbago. Our history is rich and diverse. Our responsibility as a people is to ensure our next generation has the same appreciation in the years to come.
I am speaking for myself when I say I would appreciate this gesture more if the people of this republic, who monetarily invested in the renovation of our President’s House, be able to view it for free.
Have a pride month or something...where we can see our national treasures and have a better appreciation. Within other countries, tour groups are booked, and ppl pay to come. Use that money for upkeep.
• This is quite reprehensible, frivolous, absurd and nothing short of an insult to the populace who have contributed significantly to the restoration of the President’s House.
This should be rescinded and careful consideration be given to charge a fee for viewing (adults) and free to future generations (children).
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