Of Balance and Balansingh by Alvin Narine

We live in a Democratic society where as citizens we have freedom of choice governed by law. I take this to mean that should I decide I want to pursue a particular career, a particular calling I am free so to do within my capacity. In our society our peoples pursued many different careers as per their choice but dictated to some extent by the geography of the land where they lived. These career pursuits had nothing to do with ethnicity or religion in the main but parents had a great influence in the direction.

I am fortunate to have lived in this, my homeland, in various geographical areas at various times which stemmed from even our pre-Independence days, those Colonial days. My observations as recorded here have nothing to do with my politics or that of my parents. I saw in the country areas that the land was mainly agricultural and so cultivated by the residents for home use and in the canefields owned by themselves or the factory for eking out a living. This was menial and backbreaking work, seasonal and soothy. No right thinking parent wanted such a living for their sons. Sacrifices were made so that the eldest son would gain a profession, preferably a Lawyer or a Medical Doctor.

Following this the Professional’s obligation was to ensure his next brother is given the same opportunity. And so there were families with lawyers or doctors or a combination of both. Of course there were the situations where the son would return with a ‘white’ wife – the studies were usually in England. In these ‘country’ areas the population was mixed but the career drives were the same regardless of race.

My sojourn in the City made me become aware that the trend was different where jobs or careers were concerned. There was always the public service where one can become employed with job security but also where training was possible for future advancement. For those who failed to make the grade there was the Police Force where one can have promotions and be highly respected in one’s district. There was the power of authority. No matter the ethnicity, the residents of the City mainly comprised though of persons of African descent. The trend was the civil service, the police force or fire brigade. In those days there was no Army except for those who opted to join the RAF or British Army. I can recall a unit or station situated in Point A Pierre on the Hill crossing over to the oilfields and into San Fernando, there was no Highway in those days.

Having looked at this background one would conclude that there is a reason for the imbalance of ethnicity in those government jobs. The qualifications for entrance into the Police Force was stringent and persons of African descent because of the physical build filled the requirements easier. One fact must be understood. These were situations existing BEFORE Independence and while we were under the Colonial rule. Thus there was a continuation of this after Independence.

So now, do we seriously want a ‘balance‘of ethnicity when there is the consideration of free will and choice belonging to the Individual? Do we want a Panel to select an even number of ‘Indians’ and ‘Africans’? So what about Chinese or Syrians and to complicate it even more what about mixed? And what about those looking Indian but the genes say African and vice versa? How ridiculous can we get if we strive to go this way?

In our society there is equal opportunities laid out for all. On the question of government employment, that is left up to the citizens to respond. Employment will be based on examination results and if there is an Interview needed there would be a panel. But do we select the panel on ethnicity – six of one and half a dozen of the other? Do we ensure an equal percentage of passes for each race with a one or two percent for ‘other’.

This is getting really ridiculous the various computations needed etc. I am getting fed up. I must recall my stay in the Telephone Company there were a few Narines. My brother and myself looked as typical East Indians. There were two other brothers not related to us who were of obvious African descent. All of us carried ‘Christian’ names. All four of us were ‘mixed’! Well was there ‘balance’?

To my mind, no matter what is put in place there will always be protests and accusations, some bordering on the ridiculous. In employment we choose the best no matter the ethnicity. If there appears to be an imbalance, well some persons who applied were brighter than others. Did ethnicity have anything to do with that or was it parental training or tutorage? Next thing someone will appeal because he/she was tried by someone of East Indian ethnicity when he/she was of African ethnicity and was prejudiced. Then the police must pair off as African/Indian so if an Indian the Indian police will lay the charge and if African the African police will lay the charge.

I know the solution – For next year Carnival ah go write ah calypso on dat so we cud see how chupid we cud be wit dis ting. If is mas we want, well we go play mas’. ©

Please note that this was composed not by Lord Strange of T&T but by a very distinguished gentleman by the name of Alvin Narine. (All other posts without credits listed are the material of Lord Strange of T&T unless otherwise stated.)

The Truth About Black People

If you are genetically of African descent in any minute way, if you are ‘dark skinned’ or not of pure Caucasian bloodlines, I would strongly suggest that you ensure that you are seated comfortably, have a glass of water and some pain killers before you proceed to read this blog. What I am about to tell you will rock the very foundation of your ‘reality’ (or should I say the reality that was GIVEN TO YOU?). What I am about to tell you will unearth, crumble, crack, crease and shatter millenniums of ‘falsehoods’ imparted to peoples of colour, particularly to peoples of African descent. Falsehoods that have been securely passed on to generations after generations as a poisonous societal inheritance which is designed to ensure you ‘know your place’ in this crafty system of subconscious racism and bigotry.

My dear brothers and sisters and other enlightened individuals, the truth about black people is the fact that you are in fact not black! And I question you, if you are not black then why should you feign ‘black pride’ and accept a label that has been stuck onto your head decades before you were even born? Today we live in a world where a man whose mother was Caucasian and whose father was African is described as the ‘first black president of the United States of America’. Today I challenged some of my co-workers, I pulled out my literally black wallet and asked them what colour was my wallet to which they replied black. I then asked does Obama look like this colour? A resounding no was the answer. I then asked do I look this colour? A resounding No. I asked do you guys look this colour? A resounding No.

I then ask so why do you call Obama the ‘first black president of the United States’ and why do you call yourselves black? But they couldn’t grasp the simple commonsense analogy, so entrenched is the system of inferiority flowing through the veins of the children of slaves. I pointed at my wallet and said this colour is what you have been taught to be black from the day you were in Primary School when you were now learning about primary colours was it not? So why then after learning the fundamentals of colours, society then teaches you to believe with outmost conviction that people who are not Caucasian are in fact black?

And if in primary school when you mixed the colour white with black the resulting colour was not black but ‘gray’, why then are we taught that a man whose mother was white (i.e. Caucasian) and whose father was as they say ‘black’, he is in fact not considered white, not brown, not grey but is instead.....BLACK? Even Obama looks at his face in the mirror every single day, has been looking at that brown caramel face for 40 plus years every single morning, and so strong is the concentrated potion of racial inferiority flowing through his mental consciousness that he declares himself a ‘black’ man. One of my ‘fair skinned’ co-workers of East Indian descent felt she had a point to prove so she jumps into the fray and declares “But I would be black too if I go to the US.” So I look at her, I show her my wallet and I ask her if this is the colour of her skin. She does not answer my question but merely repeats that she is ‘black’. I ask who told you that? She replied “‘they say so, and that is how I was born.” I asked who ‘they’....she replies ‘they’.

She then declares that if she goes to the United States she wouldn’t say she’s black or Indian anyway (footnote....noticed she didn’t say she wouldn’t say she is African or Indian....she said ‘black or Indian’) she would say she’s a Trinidadian. At this point I recognise the thick coat of ignorance that has all but embalmed her consciousness, poor soul she doesn’t even know the difference between nationality and ethnicity. So I then asked her, if you say that when you go to the US if your ethnicity is questioned you would say you are a Trinidadian why do you and others refer to Obama as a ‘black’ American President? Why isn’t he just an American President full stop? Silence....no answer. (Footnote ... historically George Washington is listed as the first American President, it is of great importance to note that according to history there never was a first ‘white’ American President there has only been a first American President .....hmmmmm)

When the truth I spoke started to unravel the centuries of falsehoods in their subconscious I was then asked the typical question of denial, “So what does it matter anyway”. After millions of our ancestors and generations have been lost due to them being considered racially inferior it is of no consequence to their descendants as to why they are called ‘black’, when every single minute of every single day of their lives there has always been a brown face staring back at them in the mirror. The question alone suggests that we as a people do not know where we came from nor do we know and understand the pain suffered by our forefathers. We do not fully comprehend and appreciate the sacrifices of people such as Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther and Malcom X.

I was then asked the question ‘Wha happen you not proud to be black?’ And my response to that is a) I am not the colour ‘black’ and b) I am not proud to be black because the description of my people as being ‘black’ is in fact derogatory and has always been a derogatory term used by the Caucasian slave master. The word ‘black’, used to describe people of African descent was never used in a positive manner so why should I now adopt the derogatory labels which was used to psychologically maim my ancestors? When Nelson Mandela was fighting apartheid in South Africa he and the other indigenous South Africans who at that time and even today make up 90% plus of the population were dubbed as ‘blacks’. Before the abolition of slavery in the United States and throughout Europe, people of African descent were labelled ‘blacks’. When Rosa Parks demanded to sit at the front of the bus she was taken to court because as a ‘black’ she was to be in the back of the bus. Both Martin Luther and Malcom X were murdered because they challenged the system of oppression and discrimination levelled against the ‘blacks’.

That is the history of ‘black’ people, that is where the definition originated and the definition never lost its meaning. To willingly call yourself a ‘black’ person is to defend a system that is designed to keep you enslaved mentally, to make you believe that you are inferior by fooling you into thinking you should have pride in being labelled in a derogatory manner. To willingly call yourself a ‘black’ person is to act like a woman who despite being beaten mercilessly by her husband, defends her abuser and accepts the abuse as her entitlement in life. Why are we so proud to push our chests out and accept and maintain this crafty psychological abuse?

When people can look at a man with the skin complexion like Obama and say that he is ‘black’ is one of the reasons why I’m always amused when people claim to be fans of Bob Marley. Good ole uncle Bob had the opportunity to leave us a profound message before he passed.....”Free yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds”. Currently it is still okay to refer to British citizens of African descent as blacks but it is highly offensive to refer to a growing population of Indian immigrants as ‘Paki’......food for thought my friends......food for thought................... ©

National Awards Politically Motivated

While Devant Maharaj and dem odder boys who obsessed with race try to pollute the minds of the uneducated and ignorant in this country Panday, Manning and all their Indo, Afro, Chinee and Syrian big boy friends tiefing de money of the poor TRINIDADIAN!

There is something extremely sinister on the horizon when people start to talk about STATISTICAL MAJORITY in a multi-ethnic society! - Oke Zachary ©

"Last week, the Indo-Trinbago Equality Council, which is headed by Maha Sabha executive member Devant Maharaj, issued a statement claiming that with "Indians constituting a statistical majority of the national population of over 43 per cent as compared to the 38 per cent for their African counterpart, it is inconceivable how and why Indians only receive a mere 10 per cent or 25 per cent of the national awards handed out annually." (Maharaj's population figures are inaccurate: according to the 2000 census, persons of Indian descent make up 40 per cent of the populace, and persons of African descent 37.5 per cent.)

But, says Dumas, "I don't know that we should go on the basis of giving awards on the basis of racial quotas." As to whether there is racial bias in the awards, he suggests, "I would like to see what happened under the Panday regime." In fact, during the UNC's five-year tenure, only 29 per cent of the National Awards went to Indo-Trinidadians. As Table 1 shows, there was no systematic racial pattern in the awards given out between 1996 and 2000, when the UNC held office."

Read the full story at Trinidad Express

Of Race, Politics and Perpetual Opposition

"The attempt to create ethnically homogeneous geographic areas through the deportation or forcible displacement of persons belonging to particular ethnic groups. Ethnic cleansing sometimes involves the removal of all physical vestiges of the targeted group through the destruction of monuments, cemeteries, and houses of worship." The preceding paragraph was quoted in verbatim from the Encyclopedia Britannica as the definition for the term ethnic cleansing. One can imagine my utter confusion upon hearing Dr. Tim Goopeesingh's claim that Indo doctors in Trinidad and Tobago were victims of ethnic cleansing at the hands of the PNM government. I had to take a double take the following day when I saw it emblazoned on the front page of the Express and I asked myself, does Dr. Goopeesingh really know the meaning of the term ethnic cleansing?

And why ethnic cleansing of Indo doctors? Why would the PNM commit such an act against Indo doctors and not against Indo teachers, or Indo doubles vendors or Indo police officers? Is it that Indo doctors are a different type of Indian to the others of different professions in this country? And since when does ethnic cleansing focus on a person's profession? If this is the case then shouldn't there be a new definition, 'ethnic profession cleansing' perhaps? But I digress, the fact remains that Dr. Goopesingh is only reminding the voting population in this country why he and by extension the UNC is and will continue to be in Opposition. It's as if the UNC is always trying to compete with itself on making the most irresponsible and stupid statements. How can this man stand up in our country's highest office, the Parliament and utter this foolishness? After reading his claim and watching his charade on the evening news I envisioned a foreigner coming across these news headlines on the internet, and out of curosity as these things often generate I could imagine the foreigner reading further to find out how many millions of Indo doctors were displaced and violently chased out of Trinidad and Tobago due to this ethnic cleansing, only to realise that no such thing exist in Trinidad and Tobago and what we do in fact need is an idiot cleansing of our Parliament!

It is truly amazing how the UNC sees race in everything, the most uttered word by UNC representatives is the diminutive "Indo". So as someone of Non-Indo background I ask myself, do these people seriously expect me to vote for them come election time when they, by their own deeds, actions and utterances are doing the very same thing they accuse the PNM of i.e. as the Opposition they simply ignore the other ethnic groups in this country and are not concerned about us or what bothers us as citizens of this multi-ethnic country! You would swear the UNC is an Opposition party in the Republic of India and not the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago! How come the UNC does not see ethnic cleansing in the granting of billion dollar contracts by the PNM government to Indos like Hafeez Karamath, contracts which were the subject of a commission of inquiry? How come they don't see ethnic cleansing in the granting of billion dollar contracts to people like Emille Elias granted he is not an Indo, or is it that anytime the PNM government does not hire or grant an Indo a contract it is automatically construed as being ethnic cleansing and racial discrimination?

Would I be guilty of ethnic cleansing if I do not vote for an Indo centric political party in a multi-ethnic society? And now certain members of certain Indo groups are calling for a Commission of Enquiry into Dr. Goopesingh's claim. Well I buckled with laughter at the folly of these people, tears in my eyes. Don't they know that a Commission of Enquiry does not have the authority to prosecute? Ethnic-Cleansing is a war 'crime' and as such it has to be investigated by an International Body such as the United Nations and the perpetrators are to be tried by International Courts. In addition the first thing to quelling an act of ethnic cleansing is the deployment of international troops to the affected area, so my question to good ole Tim is, are you also going to request the presence of the "boys in blue helmets"? Can I look forward to relaxing by the fountain at the Hyatt whilst watching a UN armoured tank roll by languidly on Wrightson Road? Do these jokers really think a Commission of Enquiry can do all of this? And who is going to appoint the Commission of Enquiry, the same PNM Government that they are accusing of the ethnic cleansing? Clearly some people's ignorance knows no bounds! The UNC is a dead weight to itself and that is why it will forever rot in perpetual Opposition because instead of presenting themselves as a viable alternative for governance, they're only concerned about dividing this country and spreading racial hatred. ©