No need to descend into the jungle

March 27, 2002
By Bukka Rennie

One knows, given our most cherished traditions, that subsequent to the arrest of six people, six citizens of substance, arising out of the airport investigations, that due process will be allowed to take its natural course.

There will never be any question about that in this land. And those who may try to paint a different picture may do so only because of partisan politics, legal acrobatics for financial gain, or, simply put, they may be the ones who, according to the old folks, "have cocoa in the sun!"

What one needs to hope, though, is that the whole scenario of court appearances and all it entails are not allowed to degenerate into a maddening circus and that some measure of dignity would be allotted to all parties concerned.

It is nothing new to be requesting such. It has nothing to do with whom they are. But there has always been a distaste for any lack of civility to be bestowed on whomsoever by the judicial system.

There is absolutely no need to descend into the jungles of the arena-type modus operandi when civilisation to date has left us such heavy legacy of decency in the affairs of jurisprudence, and moreso, jurisdiction.

Once human dignity is respected in all manner, then, we say, let the chips fall where they may.

We feel it is important to make the point precisely because we recognise that at the moment, people all over the world are becoming more and more incensed with white collar crimes and the corrupt dealings of political and social elites who do everything in their power to defraud the masses of people of what is essentially their birthright and that of many generations yet to come.

Only recently we were reading of events in Argentina, where the people have developed such tremendous hatred for all "politicians" that they are chasing them in the streets, refusing to serve them at restaurants and "booing" them at airports.

It is so bad, that known politicians have taken to disguising themselves in order to go out for dinner in peace.

What is most astonishing is that the people of Argentina have gotten so fed-up with politicians and their corrupt practices that they, the people, are no longer making any qualitative distinction between politicians, despite the pleas of some individuals to the contrary.

It is that bad? The question is where will this new socio-political consciousness of the people of Argentina lead?

Will the whole landscape change as a result? Will it all lead to the people demanding that they be empowered, in new political structures, to make the decisions and govern themselves?

Shall we see here the eventual culmination and dissipation of the concept of "representative government" or "representative democracy" sometimes described as "limited participatory democracy"?

It was a similar kind of situation that led to the emergence of Chavez in Venezuela.

Chavez, an ex-paratrooper, had been jailed after a failed attempt to stage a coup d'etat and many people the world over were amazed to see him eventually come to power by electoral means.

The masses of Venezuelans had likewise become totally disgusted with corrupt officials and the widening gap between the filthy rich and the grovelling poor.

All over Caracas, there were graffiti saying "Perez - Ladron!", Perez - Thief!", indicating how they felt about the then President.

Chavez has been articulating a vision of constitutional reform to guarantee that power is truly placed in mass people's organisations, and to this there has developed the obvious organised opposition from the elites.

The situation is quite fluid and can go either way. In our view, a lot depends on how fast Chavez is able to develop the structures he envisages and how adept he proves in minimising political excesses as he seeks to negate what previously obtained as status-quo.

How quite apart is the situation in T&T? There are people here who, owing to ethnic/racial and political considerations, are prepared to compromise all principles of decency and even all sense of intelligent functioning.

The residents of Biche are a good case in point: they are quite prepared to put their children's lives at jeopardy as long as their so-called "leaders" appear not to be culpable and criminally negligent.

One recalls, too, the big flood-out that struck Caroni and environs during the reign of the UNC that had pledged to its supporters on the plains to alleviate flooding altogether.

One hapless inhabitant, who lost all his livestock and had then to deal with a refrigerator filled with pounds of mud and silt as well as tons of it under his bed, forced a smile as he stood before the TV cameras to inform the nation that "... all in de back dey wet up, yes. De whole place wet up!"