La Horquetta native Squeezy Rankin is standing by the government and law enforcement officials as they engage in a limited state of emergency in T&T. He admits that the situation has hindered any and all opportunities to make money locally as an artiste on the island's nightlife circuit, but says that according to the police and those in authority, the action is necessary and so, he stands by it. On Tuesday, Rankin-real name Anthony Al-Fleu-released a single track he called, Day Time Party. It was quite the unexpected release. In fact, he told the T&T Guardian that he'd gone to Studio 53 to record another single and in chatting with the guys there, he was compelled to start rhyming about the issue on a riddim provided.
"I know this will affect everybody in the entertainment industry-party promoters, DJs and artistes, because they all work more in the night. "This is just a suggestion to promoters to have parties in the day in the meantime," said Squeezy, highlighting that parties could kick off from noon and end at 6 pm.
The track, he explained was more on the upbeat side as he refused to add more agony to the situation by expatiating on the issue itself. "It's a light, happy song. It's a song to make people laugh; there's a solution to all problems. "We party in the day for carnival, so why we can't party in the day now? Bring two water trucks, people walk with their coolers and pay at the door," he suggested.
It's Squeezy's way of injecting a bit of lightheartedness into the situation. He knows that what's happening in T&T at this time is serious but he says he's not one to sing a lot on social issues."I will write a track though on what will happen next, after this has ended," he assured, suggesting that the limited state of emergency leaves room for questions about what will be done by police and security officials at the end of the 15-day period. The Rainy Weather singer, who is known for his fiery lyrical content, said that in the area of La Horquetta where he resides, the first night of the limited state of emergency brought with it no untimely occurrences.
"There wasn't much of a heavy police presence and one or two youths were outside after 9 o'clock just to say they break the curfew, yuh know?" he laughed. He said his father got home after 9 pm and there were no reports by him, of any hindrances. Squeezy disclosed that his community falls under the Tunapuna/Piarco regional corporation and as such, he wasn't entirely sure as to whether there'd be a very strong presence on his side as the activity progressed. Nevertheless, the artiste said all criminal elements needed to be rooted out and T&T needed to be a paradise once again.
"When we were growing up, we had more respect for the elders. The youths nowadays different; we grew up under different morals. These days, the youths don't care about anybody or anything," he said.
Admitting that it was tough to pinpoint exactly what he believed was at the root of the problem with today's young people, Rankin pointed out that most of the homes today are single parent homes and most parents work daily to provide for their families, so young people are left to fend for themselves in most instances. "Their minds real fragile too so in being exposed to all different kinds of violence on TV, they sometimes want to try these things out," he explained. He said long ago there were extended families to take care of children even when mothers and fathers weren't around but in the same breath he lamented that today's youths are left in the care of the Internet and cable television.
Additionally, he said out of every 100 parents, he felt there were 65 illiterate caregivers as most were young, inexperienced and lacked the proper understanding when it came to being strong parental figures. "When a young couple make a child, they are still children and they don't know how to bring up this child. "Plenty of the men who act out, when you check their background you realise that their parents had them when they were real young too so it's just a cycle," he noted.
Stop the violence
The artiste who himself is a father of two, said that to repair the problem of criminal activity in T&T citizens must stop fooling themselves and take the initiative to stop it. Admitting that the past regime could not fix the problem, he said he knows that a lot of people were fed up and yearn to see a better tomorrow. He said he hoped that this initiative would work in some way but also noted that patrols on the streets, highways and byways should never stop. "When police let the petty crime pass, they are just leaving room for bigger crimes to take place. "The government needs to get stern with everything from littering to jaywalking to everything else.
As a people we don't obey our own laws. We need a level of order as a society," he said. On a final note, Squeezy emphatically condemned violence, saying, "we need to stop the violence!" He said that he would, in his own way try his best to make a difference. He admitted that while in the beginning of his career he was skeptical of the words "role model," he now understands that no matter how he perceives himself and his duty as an artiste, he will always be a role model in the eyes of the young and impressionable. His message to the youths is simple, "Stop the violence and let's make T&T a paradise again."
