Soca Warriors Online Discussion Forum
Sports => Football => Topic started by: Sam on February 03, 2021, 08:41:39 AM
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Fenwick have a lot of options he just need de support and de finances to make things better.
One lose and man here talking shit, de man admit he mess up, now give him de chance to fix it.
He have been in T&T a long time now and he knows de Trini culture and some ah de cry down mentality people around like Angus Eve have who will bad talk everybody just to get de T&T head coach position.
Terry was very successful for T&T clubs, he is organized and have a strong discipline, something we players lack now and in de past.
These players can make a instant improvement on T&T side, but Terry have to start now.
Joevin Jones, Khaleem Hyland, Daneil Cyrus, Levi Garcia, Aubrey David, Triston Hodge, Sheldon Bateau, Jomal Williams, Curtis Gonzales, Greg Ranjitsingh, Nathaniel Garcia, Judah Garcia, Mekeil Williams, Nicklas Frenderup, Kevin Molino, Leston Paul, Ataullah Guerra, Cordell Cato, Carlyle Mitchell, Kevan George, Marcus Joseph, Marcus Joseph.
Terry have to do everything in his power to get these guys because they can't make no other international team like, Desevio Payne, John Bostock, Shaquell Moore, Ryan Inniss and maybe Nick De Leon and Rory McKenzie.
Apart from Duane Muckette, Jamal Jack, Neveal Hackshaw, Alvin Jones and Ryan Telfer.
I feel Andre Fortune, Michel Poon-Angeron, Federico Pena, Leland Archer, Noah Powder worth a second and third look and keep a eye on Jonathan Jimenez, Michael DeShields, Ajani Fortune, John-Paul Rochford, Brent Sam, Justin Araujo-Wilson and Kobi Henry. Good players for the future.
We have so much players to choose from and most of them young and decent. The TTFA need to find a way to see these players and keep them in training somehow.
Jordan Riley, Akeem Garcia, Luke Singh, Daniel Carr, Shannon Gomez, Keston Julien, Shaqkeem Joseph, Andre Rampersad, Kathon St Hillaire, Kristian Lee-Him, Aikim Andrews, Che Benny, Molik Khan, Antwoine Hackford, Kierron Mason, Dante Sealy, Tyler David, Daniel Phillips, Jaiye Sheppard.
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Boss post :beermug: :applause: :salute: :notworthy:
The only issue is availability of these players right now due to Covid restrictions and fitness.
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I agree with the post. It is on point. I must say the one thing I like about Fenwick is that he admits to his errors which is a great attribute. As I stated in my earlier post it felt like a C team versus the US Olympic team. I noticed you left out Woo Ling on the list. Is he not worthy? Nice post though!!
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Maybe Matthew Woo Ling. He couldn't do much vs USA because by de time he came on de team was under pressure and already down about 6 love.
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I could have lived with a Woo Ling penalty. For a brief second, I thought it was in the cards.
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It is so funny that a post like this that made so much sense and actually offered actual names and viable options.....no one is commenting on it. But the posts cursing the coach and the players from the game against the USA have pages of comments.
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It is so funny that a post like this that made so much sense and actually offered actual names and viable options.....no one is commenting on it. But the posts cursing the coach and the players from the game against the USA have pages of comments.
Tell me a coach who eh get a tongue lashing on this forum. Terry Fenwick have a lot of INSTANT options, he needs the support.. That applied to all previous coaches. They have the support, but TTFA eh have money. Or they have the money, but the man in charge of TTFA at the time, either, don't like coach and want to fire him or want his hand picked coach or both. I don't see TF getting fired as long as Haddad is there. But if we keep getting that kind of results, he go have to work the plank.
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It is so funny that a post like this that made so much sense and actually offered actual names and viable options.....no one is commenting on it. But the posts cursing the coach and the players from the game against the USA have pages of comments.
For me at least, the main squad Sam call out here look a lot like the one that collect 6 from the US last time and a good amount pass their prime and were found lacking (and Fenwick ent really show to be any better tactically than Dennis, yet). The "players for the future" and "young and decent talent" should really be proving themselves somewhere before we throw them en-masse on our senior national team (I am absolutely for the one or two who are proving themselves here and there -- ala Dwight) -- Don't know if that means more games for this "U23 squad" against the Bangladeshes and Kuwaits of the world (Similar to how the US used us in this game ...TTFF don't have that kinda money), or what, but in an ideal world the youths would be getting contracts in good leagues and developing within good club structures.
Fenwick talk for months and months about youth and young squad, so I hope this was a publicity stunt to get the TT football public vex, to then show what the real squad of youth could do in a build-back-up to that level, bringing the joy to T&T football public again. But most likely I dreaming, and Hadad secret money tree will dry up and Angus will be the coach and we'll be talking about 2038 for sure.
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It is so funny that a post like this that made so much sense and actually offered actual names and viable options.....no one is commenting on it. But the posts cursing the coach and the players from the game against the USA have pages of comments.
Is just names. We have those in abundance on the site. What's missing is context and supporting data. The same thing that Fenwick is missing. For example, what club are they playing with? Are they even attached to a club? What league? What is the league's level? Is the player a regular starter or even regularly in the matchday squad? What are their stats (appearances, goals, assists, tackles, clearances etc.)? Are they injured? Are they in form? When last they played? Are they indeed eligible for T&T? Do they have a valid T&T passport? What is their CV? Are they professionals? Those in university, what division they playing?
About half the names don't have any club or haven't played in ages or not playing at any kinda level to talk about. In terms of bringing in foreign-base/born players. If they not above and beyond what we have home, or they not improving the quality of the squad by brining something different, then leave them alone. In the same way clubs don't typically offer contracts to international players unless they noticeably better than what they can get locally.
We have to be more scientific and data driven in our approach. This operating by vaps eh cutting it.
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It is so funny that a post like this that made so much sense and actually offered actual names and viable options.....no one is commenting on it. But the posts cursing the coach and the players from the game against the USA have pages of comments.
Is just names. We have those in abundance on the site. What's missing is context and supporting data. The same thing that Fenwick is missing. For example, what club are they playing with? Are they even attached to a club? What league? What is the league's level? Is the player a regular starter or even regularly in the matchday squad? What are their stats (appearances, goals, assists, tackles, clearances etc.)? Are they injured? Are they in form? When last they played? Are they indeed eligible for T&T? Do they have a valid T&T passport? What is their CV? Are they professionals? Those in university, what division they playing?
About half the names don't have any club or haven't played in ages or not playing at any kinda level to talk about. In terms of bringing in foreign-base/born players. If they not above and beyond what we have home, or they not improving the quality of the squad by brining something different, then leave them alone. In the same way clubs don't typically offer contracts to international players unless they noticeably better than what they can get locally.
We have to be more scientific and data driven in our approach. This operating by vaps eh cutting it.
:beermug: :beermug:...ok. 1 :beermug: for kounty too
We always had plenty players ( and yes some names).. is the observation, selection, mix and management where we hardly get it right... maybe to many average players to choose from ?
Add:
Check the experience and mix below, which clubs they were able to make (besides previous experiences), compared with our current best local and expats, and their experience. Not considering the US game but our best possible picks now. This was our best team with the some measure that was able to get by, BARELY... I think only Levi might be kinda playing close to anything in Europe... we had man who win treble, men who play EPL, a man who survive Germany. US top league men, Scottish top league men. Ah Aussie top league man, goal scorers. T&T top league men.
Now ah few IPL, a couple US, a couple Central america.etc.. The guys good, don't get me wrong..but Latas, Yorke, Shaka, Cornell, Whitley, Stern, a young KJ they were all special, all in that list..Like Me Mum, not the greatest, but it's what they brought, how they were combined, even if not all used to our liking all the time. And we barely get thru..barely get shots, but represented like champions. They weren't worried about eat ah food, food was already ate. You didn't have to wonder how they were doing, they were in the news, local and foreign. We didn't depend on Flex,TM and associate to pull a clip, couple of them guys was live. Now papers mostly just have Molino and Levi, barely...
Yet we have what we have, and Yes, we must support, regardless of the result. However, we cannot set OUR expectations so high, and then dump on them when they don't play to our past exalted standards, because we know the game oh so well, from behind a screen. I think our guys now, don't need a coach, not at this level, they need a manager. Tactics isn't rocket science, defend, attack left, middle or right. team organization, selction and setup is what's important. getting the individuals to do what they do best, and combining and tweaking it to suite a team and to play against the teams you must face. That is what i hope to see from our current manager, this is where he MUST earn his money. We don't need him to teach his best Ntl selections how to play football. This is where I will get my support.
Hey, I have some padnas look real good on youtube and facebook too. :devil:
1 GK Shaka Hislop 22 February 1969 26 England West Ham United
2 DF Ian Cox 25 March 1971 16 England Gillingham
3 DF Avery John 18 June 1975 58 United States New England Revolution
4 DF Marvin Andrews 22 December 1975 98 Scotland Rangers
5 DF Brent Sancho 13 March 1977 42 England Gillingham
6 DF Dennis Lawrence 1 August 1974 65 Wales Wrexham
7 MF Chris Birchall 5 May 1984 21 England Port Vale
8 DF Cyd Gray 21 November 1976 41 Trinidad and Tobago San Juan Jabloteh
9 MF Aurtis Whitley 1 May 1977 26 Trinidad and Tobago San Juan Jabloteh
10 FW Russell Latapy 2 August 1968 66 Scotland Falkirk
11 MF Carlos Edwards 24 October 1978 53 England Luton Town
12 FW Collin Samuel 27 August 1981 19 Scotland Dundee United
13 FW Cornell Glen 21 October 1980 37 United States Los Angeles Galaxy
14 FW Stern John 30 October 1976 97 England Coventry City
15 FW Kenwyne Jones 5 October 1984 30 England Southampton
16 MF Evans Wise 23 November 1973 17 Germany Waldhof Mannheim
17 DF Atiba Charles 29 September 1977 19 Trinidad and Tobago W Connection
18 MF Densill Theobald 27 June 1982 40 Scotland Falkirk
19 FW Dwight Yorke (c) 3 November 1971 56 Australia Sydney FC
20 FW Jason Scotland 18 February 1979 25 Scotland St Johnstone
21 GK Kelvin Jack 29 April 1976 32 Scotland Dundee
22 GK Clayton Ince 13 July 1972 63 England Coventry City
23 MF Anthony Wolfe 23 December 1983 4 Trinidad and Tobago San Juan Jabloteh
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Yet we have what we have, and Yes, we must support, regardless of the result.
The problem I have is our willingness to just accept that and not do any inquiry to find out why we are in such a mess. It is not just the 7-0 licks. We getting all kinda licks at de youth level too. Our players not lighting up de US colleges. Hell, we hardly going to any recognizable schools. We have 20 and 21 year olds still playing Intercol, and is not like we have. John D and Tech like long time. Wha kinda madness is that? Is jackassness across de board. We have basically taken a page out of the Windies book.
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Yet we have what we have, and Yes, we must support, regardless of the result.
The problem I have is our willingness to just accept that and not do any inquiry to find out why we are in such a mess. It is not just the 7-0 licks. We getting all kinda licks at de youth level too. Our players not lighting up de US colleges. Hell, we hardly going to any recognizable schools. We have 20 and 21 year olds still playing Intercol, and is not like we have. John D and Tech like long time. Wha kinda madness is that? Is jackassness across de board. We have basically taken a page out of the Windies book.
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Agree. Yet doh accepted, I don’t think it’s willingly.
It seems when it come to football the ppl who are in a position to make a difference are either themselves or surrounded by ppl who suffer from untethered ‘Crabs in the Barrel’ syndrome.
Always seem to have a pull down and disagreement, until in the final analysis and all reports are in...2 months later, nothing is done, no action, no program. What we see is mud (or something more smelly) all over everyone faces. It’s washed off, someone else throws their hat in, and the whole mess starts all over again.
Many ppl do observe, but for years they get so much tata thrown at them or they observe their colleagues do, they eventually surrender to being pelted with it. They try to stand quiet and close their eyes and do nothing. They would tell you about the good old day, without realizing the mud they standing in.
The younger ppl saying them have old heads and not up with modern strategies , and the older ppl saying the young ignorant and inexperienced.
Even though I think I understand it, I’m not sure what to do about it. Don’t have an answer.
However, if you remember in the early years I said we needed a socio-economic change. The society needed to change, not just for football but for the good of the Country. A cultural change as I think AB suggested. Still don’t have an answer as to how.
We don’t just have facsimile Trumpers we have tens 1000’s of mini-Trumps. They care about no one but themselves. Very recent events keep re-enforcing this in my little mind and I can’t figure it out. My bud reminded me “ Max, you away to long, you don’t know the situation, you don’t know the ppl, you can’t live there.” My point to him was, I won’t mind dying to do what I know is best for most of my ppl. Is why my parents post my ass away.
The ppl on the ground in football will have to figure it out themselves sooner or later. Only then will they work as one. Nothing we say making any changes to that football issue.
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People don't want to ask questions they won't like the answer to - I think it was in a Field of Dreams episode - everyone wants to have their own academy, no joined up thinking. Where's the development path for our youngsters?
Without players getting first team experience, without that competitive edge, our players will die on the vine.
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Tallman, as far as I know, John D and Sando tech did not have overage players. They had the advantage of picking players from other schools who did not or could not repeat from their respective colleges. Brewster(Benedicts), Sutherland(Pres.), Mervyn Serju(Iere ??) went to Tech. They were not overage. John D. did the same thing later on when they got promoted. They did not have overage players. Benedicts is the only school to officially(correct me on this) caught doing this. Not to say that players have not slip thru the overage cracks after that Benedicts fiasco.
We have argue over this again and again. A club or clubs with very deep pocket can have their own academy. But we need to clarify what kind of academy we are talking about. Will it be an after school academy, or a resident academy. A resident academy requires plenty money. You will need to tutor the players and prepare them for GCE or the technical school equivalency. Outside of the protective services, NONE of the clubs has the ability to have an inhouse academy. Now the clubs with the collaboration of the TTFA can have a joint inhouse academy like the USSF has in Bradenton, Florida. But present something right now, that we will say ... YES!!!! that can work. I can't see it.
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A resident academy requires plenty money. You will need to tutor the players and prepare them for GCE or the technical school equivalency. Outside of the protective services, NONE of the clubs has the ability to have an inhouse academy. Now the clubs with the collaboration of the TTFA can have a joint inhouse academy like the USSF has in Bradenton, Florida. But present something right now, that we will say ... YES!!!! that can work. I can't see it.
The funny thing money is not a problem in trinidad ... lets take a look at our rival Deeks. This club mount plesant even has an academy prinicipal an all...
Official Announcent of Mount Pleasant Academy - CVM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CesGDFAdaY
TVJ Sports News: Mount Pleasant Academy Opens New Field
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H63UKEo2zQY
Mount Pleasant Changeing Jamaica Football Landscape
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhOVkgjavE4
Mount Pleasant Covid-19 Protocols At Mount Pleasant Academy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tzLJEC2hdw&t=318s
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Money is a problem in T&T football because it is not being placed into football, even if it abounds in the country. Football doesn't even capture the attention of money launderers.
Not significantly.
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A resident academy requires plenty money. You will need to tutor the players and prepare them for GCE or the technical school equivalency. Outside of the protective services, NONE of the clubs has the ability to have an inhouse academy. Now the clubs with the collaboration of the TTFA can have a joint inhouse academy like the USSF has in Bradenton, Florida. But present something right now, that we will say ... YES!!!! that can work. I can't see it.
The funny thing money is not a problem in trinidad ... lets take a look at our rival Deeks. This club mount plesant even has an academy prinicipal an all...
Official Announcent of Mount Pleasant Academy - CVM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CesGDFAdaY
TVJ Sports News: Mount Pleasant Academy Opens New Field
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H63UKEo2zQY
Mount Pleasant Changeing Jamaica Football Landscape
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhOVkgjavE4
Mount Pleasant Covid-19 Protocols At Mount Pleasant Academy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tzLJEC2hdw&t=318s
Dred, money is the problem. Leh me put it this way. The people who have the money have no interest. Comparing us with JA eh go work. We may have more similarities than less, but somehow we see and approach things differently. The economic and racial dynamic are different. Somehow JA get all the stakeholders(govt and business) to put out money for football, netball and TF. In TT we split along racial and ethnic lines. And unfortunately the people who play the most of the football in the country are at the bottom of the economic ladder. That is why football, basketball, netball depend on the govt too damn much. I see Panama is a multi racial and ethnic country. But the stakeholders(govt and business) pore money into their program. I see TT destroy Panama in the Oval. Dennis Lawrence made a solo run and scored a beaut. We won about 4-0. Now we struggle to beat them. They way past we now. Breds, I don't know what to tell you again. It is what it is. Until Afro Trinis come up with their own money to develop players, I see the sport heading the way of netball, basketball. In the doldrums. All talk and no substance
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It is so funny that a post like this that made so much sense and actually offered actual names and viable options.....no one is commenting on it. But the posts cursing the coach and the players from the game against the USA have pages of comments.
Is just names. We have those in abundance on the site. What's missing is context and supporting data. The same thing that Fenwick is missing. For example, what club are they playing with? Are they even attached to a club? What league? What is the league's level? Is the player a regular starter or even regularly in the matchday squad? What are their stats (appearances, goals, assists, tackles, clearances etc.)? Are they injured? Are they in form? When last they played? Are they indeed eligible for T&T? Do they have a valid T&T passport? What is their CV? Are they professionals? Those in university, what division they playing?
About half the names don't have any club or haven't played in ages or not playing at any kinda level to talk about. In terms of bringing in foreign-base/born players. If they not above and beyond what we have home, or they not improving the quality of the squad by brining something different, then leave them alone. In the same way clubs don't typically offer contracts to international players unless they noticeably better than what they can get locally.
We have to be more scientific and data driven in our approach. This operating by vaps eh cutting it.
:beermug: :beermug:...ok. 1 :beermug: for kounty too
We always had plenty players ( and yes some names).. is the observation, selection, mix and management where we hardly get it right... maybe to many average players to choose from ?
Add:
Check the experience and mix below, which clubs they were able to make (besides previous experiences), compared with our current best local and expats, and their experience. Not considering the US game but our best possible picks now. This was our best team with the some measure that was able to get by, BARELY... I think only Levi might be kinda playing close to anything in Europe... we had man who win treble, men who play EPL, a man who survive Germany. US top league men, Scottish top league men. Ah Aussie top league man, goal scorers. T&T top league men.
Now ah few IPL, a couple US, a couple Central america.etc.. The guys good, don't get me wrong..but Latas, Yorke, Shaka, Cornell, Whitley, Stern, a young KJ they were all special, all in that list..Like Me Mum, not the greatest, but it's what they brought, how they were combined, even if not all used to our liking all the time. And we barely get thru..barely get shots, but represented like champions. They weren't worried about eat ah food, food was already ate. You didn't have to wonder how they were doing, they were in the news, local and foreign. We didn't depend on Flex,TM and associate to pull a clip, couple of them guys was live. Now papers mostly just have Molino and Levi, barely...
Yet we have what we have, and Yes, we must support, regardless of the result. However, we cannot set OUR expectations so high, and then dump on them when they don't play to our past exalted standards, because we know the game oh so well, from behind a screen. I think our guys now, don't need a coach, not at this level, they need a manager. Tactics isn't rocket science, defend, attack left, middle or right. team organization, selction and setup is what's important. getting the individuals to do what they do best, and combining and tweaking it to suite a team and to play against the teams you must face. That is what i hope to see from our current manager, this is where he MUST earn his money. We don't need him to teach his best Ntl selections how to play football. This is where I will get my support.
Hey, I have some padnas look real good on youtube and facebook too. :devil:
1 GK Shaka Hislop 22 February 1969 26 England West Ham United
2 DF Ian Cox 25 March 1971 16 England Gillingham
3 DF Avery John 18 June 1975 58 United States New England Revolution
4 DF Marvin Andrews 22 December 1975 98 Scotland Rangers
5 DF Brent Sancho 13 March 1977 42 England Gillingham
6 DF Dennis Lawrence 1 August 1974 65 Wales Wrexham
7 MF Chris Birchall 5 May 1984 21 England Port Vale
8 DF Cyd Gray 21 November 1976 41 Trinidad and Tobago San Juan Jabloteh
9 MF Aurtis Whitley 1 May 1977 26 Trinidad and Tobago San Juan Jabloteh
10 FW Russell Latapy 2 August 1968 66 Scotland Falkirk
11 MF Carlos Edwards 24 October 1978 53 England Luton Town
12 FW Collin Samuel 27 August 1981 19 Scotland Dundee United
13 FW Cornell Glen 21 October 1980 37 United States Los Angeles Galaxy
14 FW Stern John 30 October 1976 97 England Coventry City
15 FW Kenwyne Jones 5 October 1984 30 England Southampton
16 MF Evans Wise 23 November 1973 17 Germany Waldhof Mannheim
17 DF Atiba Charles 29 September 1977 19 Trinidad and Tobago W Connection
18 MF Densill Theobald 27 June 1982 40 Scotland Falkirk
19 FW Dwight Yorke (c) 3 November 1971 56 Australia Sydney FC
20 FW Jason Scotland 18 February 1979 25 Scotland St Johnstone
21 GK Kelvin Jack 29 April 1976 32 Scotland Dundee
22 GK Clayton Ince 13 July 1972 63 England Coventry City
23 MF Anthony Wolfe 23 December 1983 4 Trinidad and Tobago San Juan Jabloteh
But ent Gally had a semi-pro team in 1989 and came within one point of qualifying for a WC compared to all the other teams at the time?
How about the team from 1973 in Haiti, were they pros at the time?
I guess it all boils down to the investment from the TTFA in grassroot football and the heart and desire of our players.
;D
Building a local team could be a step in the right direction. (https://www.socawarriors.net/forum/index.php?topic=65231.msg949731#msg949731)
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But ent Gally had a semi-pro team in 1989 and came within one point of qualifying for a WC compared to all the other teams at the time?
How about the team from 1973 in Haiti, were they pros at the time?
I guess it all boils down to the investment from the TTFA in grassroot football and the heart and desire of our players.
;D
Building a local team could be a step in the right direction. (https://www.socawarriors.net/forum/index.php?topic=65231.msg949731#msg949731)
That is 32 and 48 years ago respectively. Times have changed and continue to change, but we standing still and in some cases going backwards. Right in the Caribbean, look at what Curacao is doing, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and so one. If we don't get our shit together, all we will be doing is reminiscing about de good old days. We are so far behind, it ent funny.
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But ent Gally had a semi-pro team in 1989 and came within one point of qualifying for a WC compared to all the other teams at the time?
How about the team from 1973 in Haiti, were they pros at the time?
I guess it all boils down to the investment from the TTFA in grassroot football and the heart and desire of our players.
;D
Building a local team could be a step in the right direction. (https://www.socawarriors.net/forum/index.php?topic=65231.msg949731#msg949731)
That is 32 and 48 years ago respectively. Times have changed and continue to change, but we standing still and in some cases going backwards. Right in the Caribbean, look at what Curacao is doing, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and so one. If we don't get our shit together, all we will be doing is reminiscing about de good old days. We are so far behind, it ent funny.
This, Dominican Republic's league is way beyond ours right now - they're pulling in Argentinians, Colombians, and other Latin's - hell they even attracting Spanish players and coaches from time to time. Their game is professional for all intents and purposes, but still on a precipice as they need to bed in their SR growth. Curacao and Suriname are convincing excellent players in the Dutch league to play nationally. Hell Cuba will rise due to their national team players finally getting professional football overseas. Even Antigua and Barbados are on the up.
Our trajectory is straight down as it stands. The local game is on life support and there seems little interest in moving past reliance on a few rich men. Corporate engagement is DOA and MIA, community engagement is more a Super League thing, and youth players would rather play ball at school.
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A resident academy requires plenty money. You will need to tutor the players and prepare them for GCE or the technical school equivalency. Outside of the protective services, NONE of the clubs has the ability to have an inhouse academy. Now the clubs with the collaboration of the TTFA can have a joint inhouse academy like the USSF has in Bradenton, Florida. But present something right now, that we will say ... YES!!!! that can work. I can't see it.
The funny thing money is not a problem in trinidad ... lets take a look at our rival Deeks. This club mount plesant even has an academy prinicipal an all...
Official Announcent of Mount Pleasant Academy - CVM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CesGDFAdaY
TVJ Sports News: Mount Pleasant Academy Opens New Field
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H63UKEo2zQY
Mount Pleasant Changeing Jamaica Football Landscape
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhOVkgjavE4
Mount Pleasant Covid-19 Protocols At Mount Pleasant Academy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tzLJEC2hdw&t=318s
Dred, money is the problem. Leh me put it this way. The people who have the money have no interest. Comparing us with JA eh go work. We may have more similarities than less, but somehow we see and approach things differently. The economic and racial dynamic are different. Somehow JA get all the stakeholders(govt and business) to put out money for football, netball and TF. In TT we split along racial and ethnic lines. And unfortunately the people who play the most of the football in the country are at the bottom of the economic ladder. That is why football, basketball, netball depend on the govt too damn much. I see Panama is a multi racial and ethnic country. But the stakeholders(govt and business) pore money into their program. I see TT destroy Panama in the Oval. Dennis Lawrence made a solo run and scored a beaut. We won about 4-0. Now we struggle to beat them. They way past we now. Breds, I don't know what to tell you again. It is what it is. Until Afro Trinis come up with their own money to develop players, I see the sport heading the way of netball, basketball. In the doldrums. All talk and no substance
Jamaica has something that TT does not have its called democracy Eric Williams and the PNM regime destroyed democracy in TT it will take generations to fix until the people of TT change there way of thinking things will never run properly in TT.
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Jamaica has something that TT does not have its called democracy Eric Williams and the PNM regime destroyed democracy in TT it will take generations to fix until the people of TT change there way of thinking things will never run properly in TT.
Explain to us how Eric and PNM destroy democracy in TT. The fact is that there is different degrees of democracy. Democracy in TT is feisty and divisive due to the multi racial composition of the country. Each racial group want to take TT in a direction which suits their vision. JA is a predominantly Afro and culturally Afro-centric country. There are East Indian, Chinese and others in all walks of life there. But politically Afros dominate the country. Hence there is more conformity in the way JA think and do things. One thing I can say that the two major ethnic groups in TT have never fought pitch battles in the streets against one another. But I have doubts what could happen in the future. What we need to do is stop raising the ethnic and racial heat in the country. It easy to call for blood. But it hard to stop it when it begins to flow.
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Jamaica has something that TT does not have its called democracy Eric Williams and the PNM regime destroyed democracy in TT it will take generations to fix until the people of TT change there way of thinking things will never run properly in TT.
Explain to us how Eric and PNM destroy democracy in TT. The fact is that there is different degrees of democracy. Democracy in TT is feisty and divisive due to the multi racial composition of the country. Each racial group want to take TT in a direction which suits their vision. JA is a predominantly Afro and culturally Afro-centric country. There are East Indian, Chinese and others in all walks of life there. But politically Afros dominate the country. Hence there is more conformity in the way JA think and do things. One thing I can say that the two major ethnic groups in TT have never fought pitch battles in the streets against one another. But I have doubts what could happen in the future. What we need to do is stop raising the ethnic and racial heat in the country. It easy to call for blood. But it hard to stop it when it begins to flow.
For democracy to work you need a strong opposition Eric Williams destroyed the opposition party in TT he created a 1 party system in TT he and his cronies was able to do what ever they want it was not until ANR Robinson and Basdeo Panday did democracy return to TT.
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For those that don't know events and situations and just like to parrot other ppl words. Read the person's own words, then understand the times and processes before choosing to disparage. Then use that history to make a change for the better. How did the milk spill, and putting things in place, is so much more beneficial than sitting on the pavement and crying for 60 + years on the milk being spilled. Or arguing and fighting about milk that has evaporated into nothing.
"Williams was the author of a number of books, among which were The Negro in the Caribbean (1942), Capitalism and Slavery (1944), History of the People of Trinidad and Tobago (1962), British Historians and the West Indies (1964), Inward Hunger: The Education of a Prime Minister (1969), and From Columbus to Castro: The History of the Caribbean, 1492–1969 (1970)."
"As prime minister, Williams practiced what was called “pragmatic socialism,” which stressed social services, improved education, and economic development through the cautious attraction of foreign investment capital. The policy was fruitful in making Trinidad and Tobago the wealthiest Commonwealth Caribbean nation. He was successively reelected and served as prime minister until his death."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Williams
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Eric-Williams
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Eric Williams was a great book writer but a poor leader people in TT need to stop mixing up the 2 he was giving a country with great wealth and potential but left TT broke because he was a failure as a leader.
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Eric Williams was a great book writer but a poor leader people in TT need to stop mixing up the 2 he was giving a country with great wealth and potential but left TT broke because he was a failure as a leader.
Well now you just talking shit. Slide on. Sorry for interrupting.
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Eric Williams was a great book writer but a poor leader people in TT need to stop mixing up the 2 he was giving a country with great wealth and potential but left TT broke because he was a failure as a leader.
Well now you just talking shit. Slide on. Sorry for interrupting.
The truth hurts and socialism sucks until the people of TT get rid of the PNM party they will never succeed on the international stage.
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The truth hurts and socialism sucks until the people of TT get rid of the PNM party they will never succeed on the international stage.
Come back to the shallow end of the pool. You are conflating notions of a welfare state with that of socialism. In any event, the country whose capital is POS is not socialist. The truth would hurt if you would familiarize yourself with it, but as it stands you are merely bouncing yuh head on hollow nonsense because your real target is the PNM.
Anyhow, dahis ABTrini's beat, not mine. According to your proposition, many developing states would be socialist and that is about as far from the truth as M Woo Ling is Maradona.
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Jamaica has something that TT does not have its called democracy Eric Williams and the PNM regime destroyed democracy in TT it will take generations to fix until the people of TT change there way of thinking things will never run properly in TT.
Explain to us how Eric and PNM destroy democracy in TT. The fact is that there is different degrees of democracy. Democracy in TT is feisty and divisive due to the multi racial composition of the country. Each racial group want to take TT in a direction which suits their vision. JA is a predominantly Afro and culturally Afro-centric country. There are East Indian, Chinese and others in all walks of life there. But politically Afros dominate the country. Hence there is more conformity in the way JA think and do things. One thing I can say that the two major ethnic groups in TT have never fought pitch battles in the streets against one another. But I have doubts what could happen in the future. What we need to do is stop raising the ethnic and racial heat in the country. It easy to call for blood. But it hard to stop it when it begins to flow.
For democracy to work you need a strong opposition Eric Williams destroyed the opposition party in TT he created a 1 party system in TT he and his cronies was able to do what ever they want it was not until ANR Robinson and Basdeo Panday did democracy return to TT.
In a democracy it is the duty of the Opposition to be loyal, but it is not the duty of the ruling party to sustain or maintain the viability of the Opposition. In any event, the NAR would not have emerged had the decimation you have imagined been fully realized or achieved.
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Jamaica has something that TT does not have its called democracy Eric Williams and the PNM regime destroyed democracy in TT it will take generations to fix until the people of TT change there way of thinking things will never run properly in TT.
Explain to us how Eric and PNM destroy democracy in TT. The fact is that there is different degrees of democracy. Democracy in TT is feisty and divisive due to the multi racial composition of the country. Each racial group want to take TT in a direction which suits their vision. JA is a predominantly Afro and culturally Afro-centric country. There are East Indian, Chinese and others in all walks of life there. But politically Afros dominate the country. Hence there is more conformity in the way JA think and do things. One thing I can say that the two major ethnic groups in TT have never fought pitch battles in the streets against one another. But I have doubts what could happen in the future. What we need to do is stop raising the ethnic and racial heat in the country. It easy to call for blood. But it hard to stop it when it begins to flow.
For democracy to work you need a strong opposition Eric Williams destroyed the opposition party in TT he created a 1 party system in TT he and his cronies was able to do what ever they want it was not until ANR Robinson and Basdeo Panday did democracy return to TT.
In a democracy it is the duty of the Opposition to be loyal, but it is not the duty of the ruling party to sustain or maintain the viability of the Opposition. In any event, the NAR would not have emerged had the decimation you have imagined been fully realized or achieved.
Had the 1970 coupe been successful TT would have been much better off today.
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Jamaica has something that TT does not have its called democracy Eric Williams and the PNM regime destroyed democracy in TT it will take generations to fix until the people of TT change there way of thinking things will never run properly in TT.
Explain to us how Eric and PNM destroy democracy in TT. The fact is that there is different degrees of democracy. Democracy in TT is feisty and divisive due to the multi racial composition of the country. Each racial group want to take TT in a direction which suits their vision. JA is a predominantly Afro and culturally Afro-centric country. There are East Indian, Chinese and others in all walks of life there. But politically Afros dominate the country. Hence there is more conformity in the way JA think and do things. One thing I can say that the two major ethnic groups in TT have never fought pitch battles in the streets against one another. But I have doubts what could happen in the future. What we need to do is stop raising the ethnic and racial heat in the country. It easy to call for blood. But it hard to stop it when it begins to flow.
For democracy to work you need a strong opposition Eric Williams destroyed the opposition party in TT he created a 1 party system in TT he and his cronies was able to do what ever they want it was not until ANR Robinson and Basdeo Panday did democracy return to TT.
In a democracy it is the duty of the Opposition to be loyal, but it is not the duty of the ruling party to sustain or maintain the viability of the Opposition. In any event, the NAR would not have emerged had the decimation you have imagined been fully realized or achieved.
Had the 1970 coupe been successful TT would have been much better off today.
Really. Well, Had Abu succeeded in 1990, would TT be a better country ?
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The truth hurts and socialism sucks until the people of TT get rid of the PNM party they will never succeed on the international stage.
Who says socialism(govt programs don't work. The number 1 capitalist country in the world (US) has various socialistic programs they implement when needed to help their citizens. Read and educate yourself. Sorry for putting political stuff in this football thread.
http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/syndicated/false-profits-farmers-despise-socialism-depend-tax-payer-funded-government-handouts/
Federal subsidies to the rescue
In 2018, the Trump administration created a subsidy program intended to mitigate farmers’ losses related to the trade war. Breaking from tradition, the administration let the U.S. Department of Agriculture spend the money without first getting approval from Congress.
Under the program, farmers and ranchers received $8.5 billion for 2018 losses and $14.3 billion for 2019. No trade-related subsidies have been distributed for 2020 except for the remaining third tranche of the 2019 payments.
As Trump put it during a recent rally in Iowa, “Some of the farmers were making more money the way I was doing it than working their asses off, all right? They were very, very happy.”
Since the costs of the program are financed by all taxpayers, states with large urban populations such as California, Texas and New York are footing the bill – and spending more money than they are getting in support. California farmers, for example, received just $106 million in payments – despite the $6 billion in losses – even as the state’s taxpayers contributed $2 billion to the program.
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For democracy to work you need a strong opposition Eric Williams destroyed the opposition party in TT he created a 1 party system in TT he and his cronies was able to do what ever they want it was not until ANR Robinson and Basdeo Panday did democracy return to TT.
Eric Williams never destroyed the opposition. The opposition destroyed itself. Eric was able to keep the PNM in line. Very few deviated. Robinson disagreed with him, left and formed his own party. How is that Eric's fault. In TT you are free to form your own party, or join any party you want. The issue is, if your party can convince enough people to give your party the benefit of doubt. This has happened twice(Panday and Robbie) and (Kamala and her coalition, with Jack and Abdullah). What happened to them? They all fell out of favour with the voters. The US is the number 1 democracy and two parties vie for the spoils all the time. So I am asking you, why is TT not a democracy?
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Although it's not my intention to be part of the Hijack of this thread, I feel ppl need to understand perspective, respect, and history only then we can determine from where we come, understand where we are, and plot a course that we do not go full circle and repeat our mistakes.
This would be my last post on this subject. Moderators, I'm sorry.
add: Maybe through this, we will understand why certain coaches are so revered and our own are discarded with disdain, in spite of their successes. One mistake is just what our born Trinis need to be thrown out, whereas outside of TT, they themselves are promoted and themselves revered. We don't respect ourselves.
Not because we disagree with a current system or process, we must disparage or disrespect the individual's accomplishments.
--------------------------------------------
Eric Williams and the Anticolonial Tradition
The Making of a Diasporan Intellectual
Maurice St. Pierre
New World Studies
Caribbean & African Literature
A leader in the social movement that achieved Trinidad and Tobago’s independence from Britain in 1962, Eric Williams (1911–1981) served as its first prime minister. Although much has been written about Williams as a historian and a politician, Maurice St. Pierre is the first to offer a full-length treatment of him as an intellectual. St. Pierre focuses on Williams's role not only in challenging the colonial exploitation of Trinbagonians but also in seeking to educate and mobilize them in an effort to generate a collective identity in the struggle for independence. Drawing on extensive archival research and using a conflated theoretical framework, the author offers a portrait of Williams that shows how his experiences in Trinidad, England, and America radicalized him and how his relationships with other Caribbean intellectuals—along with Aimé Césaire in Martinique, Juan Bosch in the Dominican Republic, George Lamming of Barbados, and Frantz Fanon from Martinique—enabled him to seize opportunities for social change and make a significant contribution to Caribbean epistemology.
https://www.upress.virginia.edu/title/4621
___________________________________
Eric's Curse Haunts Politicians
October 28, 2001
By Raffique Shah
THE alternative to the PNM in government, the late Dr Eric Williams boasted many years ago, is chaos. At the time, many of us laughed at the notion that the PNM was the only organised political party in the country, that there was no other group that was capable of building a political structure that could be democratic and could endure. Today, decades after he made that statement, we need to ponder on his psychic-like prediction. Or, if I may put it another way, we must examine the deficiencies of the politicians who followed Williams, all of whom seem to have deliberately set out to prove him a veritable prophet of doom.
I recall this often-quoted Williams statement against the backdrop of what's happening in the current political scenario, which can best be described as being close to chaotic. Indeed, ever since the PNM was almost annihilated in the 1986 general election, we have seen Eric's successors work hard to make the PNM look good. The NAR, an amalgam of disparate forces whose only goal was to remove the PNM from office, crashed in less than two years. True, the alliance-it was never really a party-boasted of lofty goals like "uniting our rainbow people", of fighting against corruption that had thrived under PNM rule, and of promoting good, democratic governance.
That close to 400,000 out of 577,000 who voted in that election believed in the ideals promoted by the NAR, said something about our people yearning for unity, for an end to the politics of race. Interestingly, the man who almost single-handedly dismantled the NAR was one Basdeo Panday. Because he could not have his way in the Cabinet, he took up his marbles, meaning most of the Indians who supported the alliance, and walked. The NAR soon crumbled, falling victim to an attempted coup and a return to racial polarisation. In the 1991 election, the party polled 127,000 votes, 25,000 less than Panday's newly formed UNC. But like the ONR in the 1981 election (that party attracted 91,000 votes to the ULF's 62,000), it failed to win a seat in Trinidad.
In rapid succession after that, we saw Eric's prediction come to pass. His own PNM, under the leadership of Patrick Manning, dismantled itself from government in less than four years after being returned to office. Which leads me to ask if Eric, in making his famous statement, had not meant, "After me (and not the PNM), it will be chaos." Manning made a number of blunders, and by the time he was forced into calling an early election in 1995, he had lost ground, and was ousted from power by a coalition between two enemies-of-yesterday, Ray Robinson and Panday. That sweetheart "contract" lasted as long as a sno-cone in the hot sun, and only the defection of Vincent Lasse and Rupert Griffith from the PNM saved Panday's neck.
Today, six years after he had brokered a deal that saw him achieve his life-long ambition of becoming Prime Minister of the country, Panday's party is in shambles and his future in politics looks grim. Over the next few days, he'll be fighting to retain the UNC's name and symbol. In the meantime, some of his key ministers are literally fighting over the allocation of ETP (formerly URP) 10-day jobs, proving what political observers had known for quite some time. The ETP, like all its predecessor programmes in which patronage is dished out, is a potent political tool over which ministers will trade blows if they feel short-changed. And with an old brawler and boxing promoter like Arnim Smith sitting atop this manure heap, Panday could well end up pulling larger crowds at his free-fist-fights.
In the meantime, rumblings in the ranks of the PNM are threatening to undermine the core support of the party. The perception among the party's 270,000-odd supporters is that the delay in confirming Colm Imbert for Diego Martin East and Fitzgerald Hinds for Laventille, is linked to differences between Manning and Keith Rowley (who, incidentally, was confirmed as the candidate for Diego Martin West). So once more, even as the PNM is being offered power on a platter, there seem to be people in the party who are working overtime to ensure that its already disgruntled supporters stay away from the polls. And while, thus far, there have been no defections from the Ramesh Maharaj camp, power is yet another potent weapon in Panday's arsenal that could make the morally weak buckle at the knees.
Back in 1958, after only two years in power, Williams told PNMites: "We have to build our party organisation from the bottom up. We have to reorganise our system of education so that, through the party, it penetrates into the deepest masses of the people." Without doubt, Williams failed in his mission to build the well-structured party he had envisioned in those early days. Until the day he died, he had himself used power and patronage to perpetuate PNM's domination of local politics. But at least there was something the PNM had that other parties did not, and this came from work done by committed party activists who ensured that constituency groups and other organs of the party functioned.
In the run-up to the 1976 election, Williams had branded several of his sitting MPs "millstones", and when they were nominated, he had the nominations returned to the respective groups, asking them to find new candidates. The constituency groups bucked Williams, insisting that their nominees be accepted (a point Manning should note very carefully). The great Williams, a small-time dictator in his own way, bowed to the will of the party. The five men were returned to office, although Williams snubbed them thereafter.
On the eve of what will be the 11th general election since Williams entered the political arena in 1956, we are sitting on the edge of a political precipice. And it's all because no one or no group has taken the time to properly structure a party. Today, Panday holds what he has dubbed "an assembly" of his party, which he intends to expel Ramesh and company from the UNC. That "assembly", however, is really a free-for-all, a crowd that will have some legitimate members, but many more freeloaders who ride with the political wind. It's the political tragedy of our time that almost 50 years after Williams put his curse on those who opposed the PNM, no one has proved him wrong. And the irony of it all is that only Manning has the power to so do.
http://www.trinicenter.com/Raffique/2001/Oct/282001.htm
http://www.trinicenter.com/Raffique/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
More readings from a Raffique Shah perspective 1970
https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/shah-recalls-role-in-revolution-6.2.1101556.6a43492c4a
http://www.trinicenter.com/1970/
http://www.trinicenter.com/Raffique/indianleaders.htm
General current reading blogs by Shah
https://www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog/?tag=raffique-shah
----------------------------------------------
Critique of Shah
https://icdn.today/dr-eric-williams-to-raffique-shah-i-am-not-going-to-have-a-mutineer-for-my-opposition-leader/
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For democracy to work you need a strong opposition Eric Williams destroyed the opposition party in TT he created a 1 party system in TT he and his cronies was able to do what ever they want it was not until ANR Robinson and Basdeo Panday did democracy return to TT.
Eric Williams never destroyed the opposition. The opposition destroyed itself. Eric was able to keep the PNM in line. Very few deviated. Robinson disagreed with him, left and formed his own party. How is that Eric's fault. In TT you are free to form your own party, or join any party you want. The issue is, if your party can convince enough people to give your party the benefit of doubt. This has happened twice(Panday and Robbie) and (Kamala and her coalition, with Jack and Abdullah). What happened to them? They all fell out of favour with the voters. The US is the number 1 democracy and two parties vie for the spoils all the time. So I am asking you, why is TT not a democracy?
Anyone who thinks Eric Williams did not destroy democracy in TT is living in denial once Eric Williams got Rudranath Capildeo a job in England he had gotten rid of the only leader in the country that had the ability to stop him from doing what he wanted Eric Williams now had control of the house and there was nobody to stop him he basically sabotage the opposition party democracy was over in TT until Anr Robinson and Basdeo Panday was able to form a strong opposition party to stop the PNM party them other partys was just making up numbers them elections in TT use to be rig.
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For the love of cornmeal deeks, why do you waste precious time with this troll? this bloke is never here to share and bond, but rather to annoy and distract. go through all his threads and show me one time where he ever vibes with the forum. From observing this bloke he strikes me as a pest who enjoys ruffling feathers with his only reason for being here is to fish hoping to catch fool so he could waste your time with foolish banter. good luck mate. i for one would never waste my time with argumentative miserable folks.
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okay, pullstones. I done with the politics. But we should pressure the govt to help the FA to form a bubble like what they did for cricket. It is only right and fair because this is for the TT NATIONAL team.
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okay, pullstones. I done with the politics. But we should pressure the govt to help the FA to form a bubble like what they did for cricket. It is only right and fair because this is for the TT NATIONAL team.
I don’t mind politics mate, it’s the rubbish topics that goes no where that throws me in a pile. take for instance the controversial chap and this ffisback bloke, these two nutters will take up a couple of pages saying the same thing over and over again if you allow them, then after all is said and done you’re totally drained because they stay hard on their point of view never relenting an inch, and in the end you’ve learned absolutely nothing from engaging them but instead they leave scratching your head. no thanks mate, I’m here for the vibes and the opportunity to learn something new.
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okay, pullstones. I done with the politics. But we should pressure the govt to help the FA to form a bubble like what they did for cricket. It is only right and fair because this is for the TT NATIONAL team.
I don’t mind politics mate, it’s the rubbish topics that goes no where that throws me in a pile. take for instance the controversial chap and this ffisback bloke, these two nutters will take up a couple of pages saying the same thing over and over again if you allow them, then after all is said and done you’re totally drained because they stay hard on their point of view never relenting an inch, and in the end you’ve learned absolutely nothing from engaging them but instead they leave scratching your head. no thanks mate, I’m here for the vibes and the opportunity to learn something new.
Cool, Breds!
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okay, pullstones. I done with the politics. But we should pressure the govt to help the FA to form a bubble like what they did for cricket. It is only right and fair because this is for the TT NATIONAL team.
I don’t mind politics mate, it’s the rubbish topics that goes no where that throws me in a pile. take for instance the controversial chap and this ffisback bloke, these two nutters will take up a couple of pages saying the same thing over and over again if you allow them, then after all is said and done you’re totally drained because they stay hard on their point of view never relenting an inch, and in the end you’ve learned absolutely nothing from engaging them and you’re left scratching your head. no thanks mate, I’m here for the vibes and the opportunity to learn something new.
Cool, Breds!
-
Although it's not my intention to be part of the Hijack of this thread, I feel ppl need to understand perspective, respect, and history only then we can determine from where we come, understand where we are, and plot a course that we do not go full circle and repeat our mistakes.
This would be my last post on this subject. Moderators, I'm sorry.
add: Maybe through this, we will understand why certain coaches are so revered and our own are discarded with disdain, in spite of their successes. One mistake is just what our born Trinis need to be thrown out, whereas outside of TT, they themselves are promoted and themselves revered. We don't respect ourselves.
Not because we disagree with a current system or process, we must disparage or disrespect the individual's accomplishments.
--------------------------------------------
Eric Williams and the Anticolonial Tradition
The Making of a Diasporan Intellectual
Maurice St. Pierre
New World Studies
Caribbean & African Literature
A leader in the social movement that achieved Trinidad and Tobago’s independence from Britain in 1962, Eric Williams (1911–1981) served as its first prime minister. Although much has been written about Williams as a historian and a politician, Maurice St. Pierre is the first to offer a full-length treatment of him as an intellectual. St. Pierre focuses on Williams's role not only in challenging the colonial exploitation of Trinbagonians but also in seeking to educate and mobilize them in an effort to generate a collective identity in the struggle for independence. Drawing on extensive archival research and using a conflated theoretical framework, the author offers a portrait of Williams that shows how his experiences in Trinidad, England, and America radicalized him and how his relationships with other Caribbean intellectuals—along with Aimé Césaire in Martinique, Juan Bosch in the Dominican Republic, George Lamming of Barbados, and Frantz Fanon from Martinique—enabled him to seize opportunities for social change and make a significant contribution to Caribbean epistemology.
https://www.upress.virginia.edu/title/4621
___________________________________
Eric's Curse Haunts Politicians
October 28, 2001
By Raffique Shah
THE alternative to the PNM in government, the late Dr Eric Williams boasted many years ago, is chaos. At the time, many of us laughed at the notion that the PNM was the only organised political party in the country, that there was no other group that was capable of building a political structure that could be democratic and could endure. Today, decades after he made that statement, we need to ponder on his psychic-like prediction. Or, if I may put it another way, we must examine the deficiencies of the politicians who followed Williams, all of whom seem to have deliberately set out to prove him a veritable prophet of doom.
I recall this often-quoted Williams statement against the backdrop of what's happening in the current political scenario, which can best be described as being close to chaotic. Indeed, ever since the PNM was almost annihilated in the 1986 general election, we have seen Eric's successors work hard to make the PNM look good. The NAR, an amalgam of disparate forces whose only goal was to remove the PNM from office, crashed in less than two years. True, the alliance-it was never really a party-boasted of lofty goals like "uniting our rainbow people", of fighting against corruption that had thrived under PNM rule, and of promoting good, democratic governance.
That close to 400,000 out of 577,000 who voted in that election believed in the ideals promoted by the NAR, said something about our people yearning for unity, for an end to the politics of race. Interestingly, the man who almost single-handedly dismantled the NAR was one Basdeo Panday. Because he could not have his way in the Cabinet, he took up his marbles, meaning most of the Indians who supported the alliance, and walked. The NAR soon crumbled, falling victim to an attempted coup and a return to racial polarisation. In the 1991 election, the party polled 127,000 votes, 25,000 less than Panday's newly formed UNC. But like the ONR in the 1981 election (that party attracted 91,000 votes to the ULF's 62,000), it failed to win a seat in Trinidad.
In rapid succession after that, we saw Eric's prediction come to pass. His own PNM, under the leadership of Patrick Manning, dismantled itself from government in less than four years after being returned to office. Which leads me to ask if Eric, in making his famous statement, had not meant, "After me (and not the PNM), it will be chaos." Manning made a number of blunders, and by the time he was forced into calling an early election in 1995, he had lost ground, and was ousted from power by a coalition between two enemies-of-yesterday, Ray Robinson and Panday. That sweetheart "contract" lasted as long as a sno-cone in the hot sun, and only the defection of Vincent Lasse and Rupert Griffith from the PNM saved Panday's neck.
Today, six years after he had brokered a deal that saw him achieve his life-long ambition of becoming Prime Minister of the country, Panday's party is in shambles and his future in politics looks grim. Over the next few days, he'll be fighting to retain the UNC's name and symbol. In the meantime, some of his key ministers are literally fighting over the allocation of ETP (formerly URP) 10-day jobs, proving what political observers had known for quite some time. The ETP, like all its predecessor programmes in which patronage is dished out, is a potent political tool over which ministers will trade blows if they feel short-changed. And with an old brawler and boxing promoter like Arnim Smith sitting atop this manure heap, Panday could well end up pulling larger crowds at his free-fist-fights.
In the meantime, rumblings in the ranks of the PNM are threatening to undermine the core support of the party. The perception among the party's 270,000-odd supporters is that the delay in confirming Colm Imbert for Diego Martin East and Fitzgerald Hinds for Laventille, is linked to differences between Manning and Keith Rowley (who, incidentally, was confirmed as the candidate for Diego Martin West). So once more, even as the PNM is being offered power on a platter, there seem to be people in the party who are working overtime to ensure that its already disgruntled supporters stay away from the polls. And while, thus far, there have been no defections from the Ramesh Maharaj camp, power is yet another potent weapon in Panday's arsenal that could make the morally weak buckle at the knees.
Back in 1958, after only two years in power, Williams told PNMites: "We have to build our party organisation from the bottom up. We have to reorganise our system of education so that, through the party, it penetrates into the deepest masses of the people." Without doubt, Williams failed in his mission to build the well-structured party he had envisioned in those early days. Until the day he died, he had himself used power and patronage to perpetuate PNM's domination of local politics. But at least there was something the PNM had that other parties did not, and this came from work done by committed party activists who ensured that constituency groups and other organs of the party functioned.
In the run-up to the 1976 election, Williams had branded several of his sitting MPs "millstones", and when they were nominated, he had the nominations returned to the respective groups, asking them to find new candidates. The constituency groups bucked Williams, insisting that their nominees be accepted (a point Manning should note very carefully). The great Williams, a small-time dictator in his own way, bowed to the will of the party. The five men were returned to office, although Williams snubbed them thereafter.
On the eve of what will be the 11th general election since Williams entered the political arena in 1956, we are sitting on the edge of a political precipice. And it's all because no one or no group has taken the time to properly structure a party. Today, Panday holds what he has dubbed "an assembly" of his party, which he intends to expel Ramesh and company from the UNC. That "assembly", however, is really a free-for-all, a crowd that will have some legitimate members, but many more freeloaders who ride with the political wind. It's the political tragedy of our time that almost 50 years after Williams put his curse on those who opposed the PNM, no one has proved him wrong. And the irony of it all is that only Manning has the power to so do.
http://www.trinicenter.com/Raffique/2001/Oct/282001.htm
http://www.trinicenter.com/Raffique/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
More readings from a Raffique Shah perspective 1970
https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/shah-recalls-role-in-revolution-6.2.1101556.6a43492c4a
http://www.trinicenter.com/1970/
http://www.trinicenter.com/Raffique/indianleaders.htm
General current reading blogs by Shah
https://www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog/?tag=raffique-shah
----------------------------------------------
Critique of Shah
https://icdn.today/dr-eric-williams-to-raffique-shah-i-am-not-going-to-have-a-mutineer-for-my-opposition-leader/
Raffique Shah was the last great army general TT ever had these people had the vision to see what was going on in TT and to make a stand its unfortunate that the people of TT was sleeping and is still sleeping.
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quote author=ffisback link=topic=66779.msg997591#msg997591 date=1613422491]
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Critique of Shah
https://icdn.today/dr-eric-williams-to-raffique-shah-i-am-not-going-to-have-a-mutineer-for-my-opposition-leader/
Raffique Shah was the last great army general TT ever had these people had the vision to see what was going on in TT and to make a stand its unfortunate that the people of TT was sleeping and is still sleeping.
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Correection: Raffique Shah's highest rank was Lieutenant.
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quote author=ffisback link=topic=66779.msg997591#msg997591 date=1613422491]
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Critique of Shah
https://icdn.today/dr-eric-williams-to-raffique-shah-i-am-not-going-to-have-a-mutineer-for-my-opposition-leader/
Raffique Shah was the last great army general TT ever had these people had the vision to see what was going on in TT and to make a stand its unfortunate that the people of TT was sleeping and is still sleeping.
Correection: Raffique Shah's highest rank was Lieutenant. As a lieutenant in the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment, he led an army mutiny in 1970
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Yuh joking right? The last great------ yuh really need to qualify greatness.