I find it hypocritical that the Prime Minister is moaning about crime at a regional forum when her Government has been setting such a poor example with the Machel Montano affair.
Imagine Montano being accused of such a serious crime, yet the Government continued to woo and endorse him. They even gave him $5 million to produce what? A piece of rubbish that has been of no benefit to taxpayers.
Even after he was convicted, he boasted that he'd be keeping all his Carnival commitments. How could he be so sure he wasn't going to jail? Now he makes a strategic apology and its printed as front-page news. Why is everyone so eager that this convict not face the full brunt of the law? He is not sorry about what he did. If so, he would have apologised a long time ago, not after he was found guilty. He is only hoping that the apology gets him a reduced sentence. I trust that the magistrate would see through this fake apology.
Even after he was convicted, state-owned TSTT did not see it fit to drop Montano until after public pressure was brought to bear. Compare that with "Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius in South Africa. As soon as he was charged, his sponsors dropped him like a hot potato. Can you imagine their prime minister or their minister of planning dishing out untold millions to Pistorius to be a role model for them? But I guess that's the difference between the first world and the third.
A Charles
Mount Hope
