THE EDITOR:
I WILL like to express and convey best wishes to the Board and members of the Morvant Laventille Improvement Organisation (MLIO) for the very bold and positive step they have taken in resuscitating their community-based training programme in the overall interest of Laventille and environs.

While most of us concede that this effort is a government responsibility, we can only be overwhelmingly grateful that the community has once again assumed the leading role in the fight against the manifold social and economic decadence that have beset our beloved Laventille.

The government believes in talking about social relief, while making Laventille a veritable garrison for police and soldiers -- a situation which does not make the average resident feel any safer than before.

Laventille has the talent and ingenuity to address its own problems; how else could we have survived this long?

Our apparent impotence started when smart-man politicians from both the People’s National Movement (PNM) and the United National Congress (UNC) began to interfere with the delicate balance of “good and evil”, which we managed on our own since independence.

The PNM refused to fund genuine community-derived social intervention programmes in any meaningful way, while the UNC tried to disrupt the community by placing State resources in the hands of persons traditionally living on the fringes in Laventille, a policy that was continued by the current PNM Government with devastating consequences.

I don’t know if the efforts of MLIO will be “too much too late”.

The window of opportunity seems to be rapidly closing for addressing the problem of a youth culture that accepts age 30 as the “life expectancy” barometer.

As if this was not enough, they are saddled with the prospects of a shortened life due to the prevalance of HIV/AIDS, abject poverty, family disintegration, pervasive licentious conduct and poor exemplars -- from politicians to senior family members.

A dismal and disquieting picture indeed.

Leaders are no longer respected, parents are defied and the churches are overwhelmed.

It is against this background that MLIO has taken the challenge to make a difference.

From what I have read, so far, government has been approached, but have not yet responded.

I am afraid that with the best of intent in the world, without State, private business, State enterprises and local donor institutions, this new MLIO venture will have limited success or longevity.

I advise the MLIO administration not to be discouraged.

With good people such as Terrence Bannister, Joan Latapy (Russell Latapy’s mother), Carol Garraway, Horace Raymond and others with an impeccable track record of service to Laventille and environs, the effort is worthwhile.

Let me warn these people to expect very little tangible assistance from government and business; they are more concerned with political imagery, office and keeping the Laventille community in a state of dependency and absolute need.

It’s more about power and control for them.

All the sweet talk of poverty eradication, full employment, crime concerns are just that, sweet talk.

Remember the public apology made to Laventille by the PNM when they were campaigning at the St. Barbs Basket Ball Court!

Remember the promise to replicate the Rock City Project all over Laventille.

Remember the deep pretentious outpour of concerns for the plight of “hell yard” (Beetham)!

Not-with-standing the deception that CEPEP, Civilian Corps, URP and the Laventille Education Continuation Centre will produce the panacea to eradicate the many social problems that now plague us.

The community is now collapsing under the weight of broken and half-pick-duck promises.

We find ourselves with self-imposed curfews, higher cost of living when we face neighbourhood shops and an uncertain future for the community as a whole.

Lives are threatened daily by either the bandits or the security forces themselves.

A tragedy in the making.

No wonder the youths are so rebellious.

Yes, parents must play their part.

So, too, genuine leaders and other neighbourhood institutions of social indoctrination such as the church, healh facilities and schools.

This has not been possible because of the biased and discriminatory distribution of State and private sector financial support to Laventille and “behind the bridge”.

In the warning words of the venerable Laventille activist, Lennox Smith, to successive administrations since the NAR, “Laventille will be an active participant in any social upheaval in this country”.

We have seen it in 1970 and 1990.

This is so because it possesses, according to Smith, all the necessary ingredients -- abject poverty, negative attitudinal rigidity, high levels of illiteracy, higher than national average unemployment rate and proximity to seat of power in Trinidad and Tobago (Port of Spain).

Inspite of the odds, all of Laventille wishes Ms. Latapy and the others at MLIO all the success in the world for bringing to the community its computer-aided literacy and business development training programme.

A tremendous bite indeed.

May God Almighty guide you.

THE EDITOR:
FIRST of all, may I wish everyone, regardless of race, colour, class, creed or nationality, a very bright, progressive and prosperous New Year.

Regardless of differences of opinions, at the end of the day, we must all consider ourselves as brothers and sisters.

We all are God’s children, and must always be conscious of that.

When I was in the States in my late 20s (now I am 67), I used to visit a library.

You could have read as much as you wanted, but you dared not take away any books.

I remember putting my hand on a book entitled The Secret of The Pyramids, by US Anderson.

I read most of the book, took notes but not the address of the author nor where it was printed.

I took some notes on Hindusim.

Page 142 of the book said: “December 25, Christmas Day, is the day the sun begins to move north after resting motionless for three days on the tropic of Capricorn.”

In the northern hemisphere, the ancients celebrated the date of the sun.

On page 98, it said: “Christ’s resurrection is celebrated on Easter, which is celebrated in the birth and resurrection of the Persian God -- Mitras.”

Archaeology tells us that the worship of the sun is the oldest religion of man.

Page 145 said: “The mysteries of the sun and the mysteries of the moon made up the ancient pyramid mysteries.”

Page 196 said: “The ideals of ideals must be that ideal forever hidden in the sun of the perfect person beyond male and female who has risen above storm and strife.”

The said page said: “Paul says Jesus was a priest after the manner of Melchizedek.”

I do not know what that means.

These notes were found while I was doing some general clean-up for the New Year.

It’s a long time now, but if anyone should get a copy of this book -- The Secret Power of the Pyramids by US Anderson, please sell me a copy.

THE EDITOR:
CHILDHOOD memories of playing with starlites (fireworks) came to me as a bullet from a gun and lasted, as my mother would say, as long as “Chin fire”.

The childish joy and pleasure that starlites brought to us as children has been pushed aside by a more sophisticated cousin that is both more powerful and dangerous.

The thought crossed my mind on many occasions as to how things are now done in Trinidad and Tobago.

I stand to be corrected by this statement, but I do not think there is any place in the world that the discharging of “fireworks” is treated with such a “laisser-faire” attitude.

Untrained, civilian personnel releasing fireworks as entertainment can only be seen as courting disaster.

On the eve of 2006, it became apparent to all concerned that the regulations which govern such situations are grossly inadequate, or the authorities under which influence this activity falls are powerless to prevent this “dangerous” entertainment.

If ever there was a wanton disregard for the sensibilities of the aged, very young (babies), sick and pets (dogs and cats) was on Old Year’s night and New Year’s morning.

It seemed as though “Dante” himself was walking the streets of Trinidad and Tobago.

In almost all the areas that illegal fireworks were discharged, the housing populations are dense.

The risk of descending fireworks alighting on top of one’s house, raises the scenario of property damage or loss.

Then there are those “devices” that are set-off for their noise value, another irritant.

The purpose of this short observation is to attract attention to a situation that many a citizen endures in quiet dis-satisfaction.

However, to those who enjoyed their pyrotechnic display/fun, I say “kudos” to you, but to those of us who had to endure their “fun”, it was a night of pure terror.

What can we look forward to in 2007?