Letters to the Editor

One does not have to travel as far as South Africa to learn from the example of a great and humble man. In the midst of the freeness, bacchanal, low blows and cheap tricks that constituted the TT 2007 Election, the quiet strength, humility, respect, integrity and genuine desire for the communal healing of "our country" demonstrated by Winston Dookeran stood out above all.

Elspeth Duncan,
St. Augustine

*

I wrote that letter the morning after elections. It appeared yesterday in the Guardian and Newsday. (For some strange reason my letters to the Express always bounce back saying "cache full"). One of my best friends also wrote a letter that morning, as did my sister and another friend and, no doubt, countless other people who had never even written to the editor before. Emotions were high, with tears and anger for many as their manifestation.

Last night I checked my voice mail and there was a message from a woman I don't even know. She had read the letter (or 'article' as she called it) in the papers and perhaps looked up my name in the phone book. "I read your article on page 28 of the Guardian," she said. "It was so comforting. Thank you and God bless you." She sounded like an older woman. The emotion in her voice told me that she had obviously been devastated by the news of 'zero seats for COP' and was being comforted by anything written in support of them. Who knows ... maybe she called up and thanked everyone who wrote supportive letters and used real names that she could look up in the phone book.

Now that my emotions have abated, I can step back, see clearly and calmly accept that the results, just the way they are, are a good thing. Zero says something about the COP: their values are in such a different league that not even in gaining seats could they be classified or grouped with the likes of the two other parties. Let those two and their followers bicker among themselves. COP has more support than they know. As FA said in her comment on yesterday's post, the 'runt', even though a late developer, is capable of great surprises. (Example of a great runt).

My emotions temporarily surged again yesterday as I drove down to Point Fortin to continue work on the HIV project. Upon approaching San Fernando we saw massive victory billboards featuring mid-shots of the smiling PM. The photo is unflattering and makes him look like an oversized chipmunk or, as Katie said, "a rodent". The 'winning party' is celebrating victory based on the illusion that 'the majority' wants them. How far from the truth ... when one counts the numbers who voted against them ... plus those who did not vote at all.

Anyway ... enough politics. Back to normal programming from tomorrow.

The Perfect Mate

(Letter sent to the three dailies this morning)

The Editor:

The Perfect Mate?

A new ad for the Subaru Legacy carries the headline: "Sexy, Smart and Completely under your control". The subhead goes on to say: "And you thought the perfect mate didn't exist."

A large image of an attractive Indian woman fills much of the page. In the lower right corner is a small, dark, hazy image of the car being advertised. Clearly this ad is targeting men and the creators of the ad probably thought they were being clever with their concept and wording. Regardless of this, what kind of message is being projected when it comes to the image of the woman as a 'perfect mate'? There is nothing wrong with being sexy and smart, but who wants to be under any other human being's control?

The perpetuated myth that women must be 'completely under the control' of men is partly responsible for many of the problems we see in our society today. I don't need to list these problems. Just read the papers, look at or listen to the news, look at popular music videos and walk down the street.

Elspeth Duncan,
St. Augustine

Letter to Editor(s)

*
(Yesterday I sent the following letter to the three daily newspapers)

The Editor:

I recently returned to Trinidad after spending six weeks abroad. A few days after my return, I got an e-mail from a friend which simply said:

Dear Spec,
Good to have you home. Be careful on the roads. Alot of carnage.
Love ,
Debs

A strange little welcome back, I thought ... but unfortunately it is true. Another friend, speaking to me on the phone when I returned also told me something similar: "Be careful on the roads, Specky. There's a lot of carnage."

Indeed there is. When seven people can die in different auto accidents in one weekend (or was it one day?), something is wrong. This happens (too often to be acceptable) and has become 'commonplace'. The shock is no longer based upon the number of people who have died or the fact that they have died all 'in one go'. Gradually, the shock factor comes with the realisation that the face of someone you know/knew is staring at you from the newspaper. Thus far for me it's been (very rarely) people I know 'of' ... rather than people I know well. God forbid that it reaches to that. I'm sure others reading this will agree.

The same day I got that e-mail from my friend, I decided to hop in my car and go for a drive. It was an early weekday afternoon. As I reached some traffic lights just past Arima on the highway, the lights turned amber. I slowed down. They turned red and I stopped. Out of nowhere, a car (or maybe it was an aircraft - it was going too fast for me to make out what it was) flew past me. I had glimpsed it in my rear-view mirror speeding towards the light even as it was red. I've never seen any vehicle go at that rate before. Straight through the red light and out of sight in no time, causing my car to shake with the pressure it created as it passed. Not even an ambulance or fire engine goes at that speed.

When the light turned green, I found the next turning spot and came right back home.

One cannot look at that kind of driving and brush it off as some 'young boy' who just got his license or some drunk person returning from a fete. It cannot be glibly excused as "well, de road was empty" (which it often isn't these days/nights) or "well, dat's how dey driving now, yes."

In the Newsday (12 June), I read that Deputy Police Commissioner Winston Cooper 'expressed concern over the carnage'. Quoting the paper: "Cooper said drivers must exercise responsibility and avoid drinking and driving. Cooper also advised persons to stop talking on their cell phones while driving." In my view, this is too serious a matter to be simply 'advising' people to not drink and drive or talk on cellular phones. As it is, many people here already blatantly disregard the laws of the land. Will they listen to and follow concerned advice?

Concerned advice is something we can expect to get from loved ones. Not from our police force and 'those in power'. I (and others, I'm sure) want to see the relevant authorities get moving on seriously addressing this issue of 'road carnage' and enforcing strict laws as swiftly as they can. As swiftly as 'those drivers'.

Elspeth Duncan,
St. Augustine