i have a phd in development economics from michigan state university. apart from economics, i have tertiary level training in agriculture, food production, security and animal science/nutrition/husbandry. i have specialties in policy, institutional economics and human behavior, human capacity building, rural development, research, statistics and modelling, data collection, and nonprofit management. i am also a published writer, researcher; strategist, and business management consultant and entrepreneurship coach.
i have been in trinidad since 2003. the pnm was in power. I was unemployed for about three years before i got a job. while pnm was in power. since the unc in power, i have been unemployed right through since 2010, save the odd short stint., one of which was writing the national entrepreneurship program for women for the ministry of labor in 2011..
mind that in the context of all the fake degrees, copied phds, and secretaries hired to lead agencies and be vicepresidents and other leadership positions of state operations in the last five years.
it is black people in the public service who have withheld my gratuity from the one biggest employment contract i had. i realize i need to distinguish between black african and black indian, cause all a dem/.we black in this country...black africans who have altered paperwork of my contract, despite my receipts, bank accounts and pay slips...no employment, no gratuity
we have systemic problems in this country, apart from ethnicity and racist clan processes.and ask me if i can get a lawyer independent enough to pursue my interest to eat and shelter myself.
the enterprise is criminal from top to bottom
Khalifa's Jendayi Chinese
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i have been in trinidad since 2003. the pnm was in power. I was unemployed for about three years before i got a job. while pnm was in power. since the unc in power, i have been unemployed right through since 2010, save the odd short stint., one of which was writing the national entrepreneurship program for women for the ministry of labor in 2011..
mind that in the context of all the fake degrees, copied phds, and secretaries hired to lead agencies and be vicepresidents and other leadership positions of state operations in the last five years.
it is black people in the public service who have withheld my gratuity from the one biggest employment contract i had. i realize i need to distinguish between black african and black indian, cause all a dem/.we black in this country...black africans who have altered paperwork of my contract, despite my receipts, bank accounts and pay slips...no employment, no gratuity
we have systemic problems in this country, apart from ethnicity and racist clan processes.and ask me if i can get a lawyer independent enough to pursue my interest to eat and shelter myself.
the enterprise is criminal from top to bottom
A rant on ‘Indian’, ‘African’, ‘Chinese’, politics and scholarships in Trinbago
Early last month, I went to a Chinese restaurant in Chaguanas. The experience lit up my day and this is a sketch I did of the scene. There was an old Chinese man and woman, who both said ‘Hi’, two little children, a woman about my age behind the counter, and a man about my age in the back cooking. The old man guided me to the menu, chatted a bit with me, and then continued looking at the two children playing. As I was ordering food, an Indian lady walked in (she, from what I subsequently gathered, seemed to be a neighbour). The old woman, who was sweeping, lit up and said ‘hello!’ The lady behind the counter, who apparently knew the Indian lady, chatted with her about life as she ordered food. I sat waiting on my order, whilst watching the children play and the old lady sweep. They all had Chinese accents, and were all very friendly.
Early last month, I went to a Chinese restaurant in Chaguanas. The experience lit up my day and this is a sketch I did of the scene. There was an old Chinese man and woman, who both said ‘Hi’, two little children, a woman about my age behind the counter, and a man about my age in the back cooking. The old man guided me to the menu, chatted a bit with me, and then continued looking at the two children playing. As I was ordering food, an Indian lady walked in (she, from what I subsequently gathered, seemed to be a neighbour). The old woman, who was sweeping, lit up and said ‘hello!’ The lady behind the counter, who apparently knew the Indian lady, chatted with her about life as she ordered food. I sat waiting on my order, whilst watching the children play and the old lady sweep. They all had Chinese accents, and were all very friendly.
They weren’t the ‘standoffish’, ‘selfish’, ‘unfriendly’, ‘gross’ people
who ‘don’t belong here’ that so many Trinis are describing all
Chinese/mixed Chinese people as now. They too, like all of us, have a
right to want the best for themselves and to work hard to provide for
their families. They too shouldn’t have to put up with verbal and
physical assaults on their character. They too are human. Certainly life
isn’t fair, certainly we may face various challenges based on our
circumstance or even skin colour, but the challenges we face aren’t
fixed by bullying others… there’s enough success to go around. We don’t
have to bully and push others down to rise up. We all rise when we can
celebrate eachothers’ beauty and success. I’m so happy that Andrea
Cwh-Coutain’s and Lily Kwok’s photos and comments about their experience
as Trini Chinese went as viral as it did… I’m happy that many of us are
standing with each other against racism and bigotry.
But this idea that the only way to ensure our own success is by bullying and belittling others isn’t something new or limited to how many of us have been interacting with Chinese now and over the years. It permeates our politics and the way we talk about many issues in our country. For example, on numerous occasions, since beginning my campaign to raise funds for my PhD, I’ve been asked by Afro-Trinis from all walks of life, “Yuh know why yuh didn’t get a scholarship from the government right? It’s because yuh African. UNC only giving scholarships to Indian. Try again next year when the PNM in power and you’ll definitely get a scholarship!” Sometimes added to these comments is “Dem Indian dem racist/evil/selfish” or “Dise why is to vote PNM”.
But if it’s so certain that if the PNM wins, I’ll get a scholarship, does that now mean that many Indians who apply for scholarships, if the PNM wins, will be unlikely to secure one? Would it really be right for the 'PNM to favour Africans' for scholarships, but wrong if the ‘UNC favours Indians’? Why is it so easy for many Afro-Trinis to think that the PNM is 'fair', but the UNC is just purely 'racist'? and Why is it so easy for many Indo-Trinis to think that the UNC is 'fair', but the PNM is just purely 'racist?' Now, I’m not saying that either party is or isn’t racist, but I imagine that the fear some Africans often express in closed quarters about ‘dem racist Indians in de UNC, or in general, only favouring their own’, is a similar fear held by some Indians in closed quarters about ‘dem racist Africans in de PNM, or in general, only favouring their own’. I’ve heard the same type of talk from some Indian folks before when I was in secondary school, and I know that the level of racial fear/hate goes both ways. If the awarding of scholarships, contracts, positions, etc is racially motivated, it’s wrong from both sides. I take it that I didn’t get a scholarship because I didn’t meet the criteria. Maybe there are other reasons, I won’t put my head in the sand and pretend institutional racism doesn’t permeate our politics… but I did get a scholarship from the ‘Indian’ government for my MPhil. Yes, I did get that scholarship late and so had to withdraw and reapply to Cambridge. Yes, I did fight before eventually being awarded that scholarship: I spoke to my MP (who was a government minister), as well as two other government ministers, the Chaguanas Borough Corporation, the Mayor and I also wrote to the Prime Minister… but at the end of the day, my government gave me a scholarship. There’s so much more to solving problems than casting hate and fear onto any one group in an effort to feel/be empowered.
I love our country. I love our diversity. I love that we accomplish great things when we work together. We need to understand and appreciate that we’ll be the great nation that we can be when we appreciate that we don’t need to bully and suppress each other to get ahead. We need to appreciate that we’re not the only ones who feel and are victimised and fearful… and we need to talk our issues out with each other, not hide behind veils of false smiles, corruption, politeness and backstabbing. We’ve got a long way to go… and I think we’ll get there much faster when we stop stereotyping each other, generalising about each other, be sincerely honest with each other and remember what Sesame Street says: cooperation makes it happen, cooperation, working together.
But this idea that the only way to ensure our own success is by bullying and belittling others isn’t something new or limited to how many of us have been interacting with Chinese now and over the years. It permeates our politics and the way we talk about many issues in our country. For example, on numerous occasions, since beginning my campaign to raise funds for my PhD, I’ve been asked by Afro-Trinis from all walks of life, “Yuh know why yuh didn’t get a scholarship from the government right? It’s because yuh African. UNC only giving scholarships to Indian. Try again next year when the PNM in power and you’ll definitely get a scholarship!” Sometimes added to these comments is “Dem Indian dem racist/evil/selfish” or “Dise why is to vote PNM”.
But if it’s so certain that if the PNM wins, I’ll get a scholarship, does that now mean that many Indians who apply for scholarships, if the PNM wins, will be unlikely to secure one? Would it really be right for the 'PNM to favour Africans' for scholarships, but wrong if the ‘UNC favours Indians’? Why is it so easy for many Afro-Trinis to think that the PNM is 'fair', but the UNC is just purely 'racist'? and Why is it so easy for many Indo-Trinis to think that the UNC is 'fair', but the PNM is just purely 'racist?' Now, I’m not saying that either party is or isn’t racist, but I imagine that the fear some Africans often express in closed quarters about ‘dem racist Indians in de UNC, or in general, only favouring their own’, is a similar fear held by some Indians in closed quarters about ‘dem racist Africans in de PNM, or in general, only favouring their own’. I’ve heard the same type of talk from some Indian folks before when I was in secondary school, and I know that the level of racial fear/hate goes both ways. If the awarding of scholarships, contracts, positions, etc is racially motivated, it’s wrong from both sides. I take it that I didn’t get a scholarship because I didn’t meet the criteria. Maybe there are other reasons, I won’t put my head in the sand and pretend institutional racism doesn’t permeate our politics… but I did get a scholarship from the ‘Indian’ government for my MPhil. Yes, I did get that scholarship late and so had to withdraw and reapply to Cambridge. Yes, I did fight before eventually being awarded that scholarship: I spoke to my MP (who was a government minister), as well as two other government ministers, the Chaguanas Borough Corporation, the Mayor and I also wrote to the Prime Minister… but at the end of the day, my government gave me a scholarship. There’s so much more to solving problems than casting hate and fear onto any one group in an effort to feel/be empowered.
I love our country. I love our diversity. I love that we accomplish great things when we work together. We need to understand and appreciate that we’ll be the great nation that we can be when we appreciate that we don’t need to bully and suppress each other to get ahead. We need to appreciate that we’re not the only ones who feel and are victimised and fearful… and we need to talk our issues out with each other, not hide behind veils of false smiles, corruption, politeness and backstabbing. We’ve got a long way to go… and I think we’ll get there much faster when we stop stereotyping each other, generalising about each other, be sincerely honest with each other and remember what Sesame Street says: cooperation makes it happen, cooperation, working together.
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