It is common knowledge when the coalition Government came into power in 2010, the Security Intelligence Agency was given special focus. As is the established pattern, Reshmi Ramnarine was put in charge not necessarily because of her technical competence and extensive experience but perhaps because she was considered trustworthy given her close relationship with the political elite.
What is not commonly discussed is within the administration there were those who openly voiced concerns the coalition Government's actions were systematically weakening the national security infrastructure. I am reliably told these concerns were voiced and they were subsequently dismissed as it is common knowledge the weakening of the national security infrastructure continued.
The most recent instalment in this ongoing saga is the $1 billion hole left by the apparently mishandled OPV deal. In 2010 and 2011, there were sensational drug related headlines in Trinidad and Tobago. Most remember the $2 million in drugs hidden among car parts and the $34.6 million in drugs hidden among chicken parts in another container. To date, I am unaware of anyone being convicted of these crimes.
But perhaps, the biggest headline for 2010 should have been the investigation by British and Spanish police into the 1.5 tonnes of cocaine, worth close to $1 billion, that left Chaguaramas aboard a yacht headed for Spain. The yacht was traced across the Atlantic Ocean by satellite after it left Trinidad until Spanish police intercepted it. It was reported this drug haul showed similar signs to one of the biggest drug cases in Ireland in 2008, which also had strong links to T&T.
Again, I am unaware of anyone in Trinidad and Tobago being convicted in connection with this crime. In August 2012, officers from Malta's Security Services played a major role in an Interpol seizure of an estimated tonne of cocaine on board a luxury private jet in the Canary Islands that had previously landed in Trinidad and Tobago.
Was it a coincidence also in August 2012, just days after this incident with the private plane, 15 "small fish" were quickly rounded up so as to give the impression something was being done to stem the flow of illicit drugs? I say "small fish" because according to the press reports, most were held on between one and three felony counts of distributing a controlled substance.
Hardly the kind of "big fish" that could hire a private plane and pack it with a tonne of drugs. Despite the many many missteps however, history will remember this administration for one thing and one thing only–Section 34. Section 34 will forever define this administration. Even the most devoted apologist for the present administration is unable to defend the depth of corruption suggested by the Section 34 fiasco.
If certain allegations surrounding this Section 34 fiasco are true, it may be the single most corrupt act in 50 years of the nation's Independence. Please do not misunderstand me. It is not my intention to point fingers at the administration. I have said many times in the past and I will continue to say politicians were not, are not, and will never be the source of any problem.
A population gets the Government it deserves and if there is need for any focus, the focus should be on the ill-informed electorate who install into positions of trust, individuals who fail to live up to unrealistic expectations time and time again. All too often we seem to forget the great advances of mankind do not come from governments but from ordinary men and women.
So as we wave goodbye to 2012 and welcome 2013, it is as good a time as any to remember the problem as well as the solution lies in the people, not in any particular government.
Even the Congress of the People (COP's) 2013 priority is not to address allegations of corruption or the failure to implement all the findings of the Uff Enquiry or to publish the findings of the Piarco Airport Enquiry or to ensure the accused political financiers wanted by the United States Government are extradited.
No–that would be too easy. Their priority is constitutional reform. One can guess central to their draft constitution would be a form of proportional representation that assures their organisation a place at the feeding trough no matter which party wins the majority at the next election?
Regardless, it is important voters in the upcoming THA election ensure they cast a vote against corruption. It is also important voters in Trinidad hold their elected representatives to account and should they continue to fail–vote them out come the next general election.
• Despite our current challenges, I continue to have the audacity of hope that we will all enjoy a brighter tomorrow. Read more on derrenjoseph.blogspot.com