Manning is doing exactly what we need to do, keep bringing in foreign help for everything. Bring in foreign people who have no clue of the culture, often have nothing short of condescension towards the “colonies”, to advise and tell us the same things many locals have been saying all along for not even close to what these people will be paid. We are always looking for the foreign messiah. Frankly I think we in Trinidad need to be re-colonised

The self-contempt that is virtually a cultural trait in Trinidad is often nothing short of infuriating starting from that pompous, out of touch, bible-waving illiterate AKA the Prime Minister. But then again, if no less than Dr Eric Williams could make the amazing statement that if the Westminster model was good enough for England then it’s good enough for us, why should any of us be expected to actually use our minds as if we were actually independent.

I’m not arguing whether or not the boys from Scotland Yard or the FBI are capable or good at what they do, I will strongly argue, however, that their services are not required here because we already have the expertise and the knowledgeable people within the defence and law-enforcement community. But the problems – speaking from the law-enforcement/military aspect – have to do with operating under antiquated systems and laws and a sometimes bewildering bureaucracy that has the police commissioner often operating like a “toothless bulldog” to use the famous phrase of a former Commissioner of Police.

Equally problematic is the incredible dogmatism and incompetence on the part of senior police and military officers. Having been in the service up until a few months ago and being very much involved in counter-narcotics/arms, I remember only too well the frustration and the sometimes quixotic desperation of having to futilely trying to convince senior officers who were stuck in a totally different time frame to try innovative tactics to conduct surveillance and interdict the major players in the street gangs and the importers of weapons and narcotics, most of whom we already know anyway. In fact the very reason why I left the service was out of f**ing disgust.

Be that as it may, there are still many in “the work” who are more than capable of bringing the current crime situation under control at least from the enforcement side – which is still useless if the socio-economic aspect is not addressed – but what they lack is seniority. In any case, I wonder how the “Yardies” and “Feds” are going to really make an impact given the fact that certain protocols must be followed when operating with the police and not even the PM or the Minister of National Security has free reign in subverting that. And like I said, the cultural aspect cannot be dismissed either.

This constant surrendering of our sovereignty because of our own failure to operate like we got independence – even if we were just given it by Britain – will soon lead to our downfall yet. Like Marabunta says, this may very well get worse before it gets better.