Are These Winds Of Change?

The Bright Side
Yesterday, two refreshing breezes blew over the Trinidad political landscape, according to media reports.

Amid the controversy surrounding his controversial appointment by the President to the Integrity Commission, Jeffrey McFarlane stepped aside pending a resolution to the controversy.

In another rare event, Member of Parliament, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, in an apology to the House of Representatives, admitted that she acted on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition, Basdeo Panday.

She got into hot water when she severely criticized the President for failing to appoint Members of the new Integrity Commission. The serving Commissioners resigned since February following a Court ruling knocking their approach on the Rowley issue. The Speaker referred Persad-Bissessar to the House’s Privileges Committee for possible disciplinary action.

On the bright side, the President acted swiftly following Mrs. Persad-Bissessar’s statement in the House and appointed the new Commissioners (albeit controversial) by the following Friday.

I must compliment Mr. McFarlane and Mrs. Persad-Bissessar for their actions (so rare in this Nation) and look forward to more refreshing winds of change.

The Dark Side
The President continues on vacation overseas, seemingly unperturbed by the swirling controversy he provoked by his appointment.

Mr. Panday remained uncharacteristically mute following Mrs. Persad-Bissessar’s apology.

TRAFFIC EASE UP
The Bright Side
The new flyover (part of the proposed highway interchange) opened with great fanfare on Friday. Comically, the ceremonial opening created a massive traffic backup during the event.

Trinis travelling to south can now look forward to a great ease at what used to be a long wait at this major junction.

The Light Side?
I saw Trinis who drove onto the two-lane flyover, parked, took photos, limed and took in the new view from the bridge.


Other news
Some Light Sides
White supremacists prophets in the USA always predicted that there will be a black President when pigs flew. Within the first one hundred days of Obama’s presidency, swine flu (internet joke).

In a land bereft of road signage, our major highways and the streets of Port of Spain are now generously populated with road and street signs in Spanish. Now all the Latin American prostitutes and drug dealers easily find their way from their illegal entry at Cedros to and around Port of Spain.