What is the City celebrating?

Dateline Saturday, November 14, 2009.

The main streets of San Fernando are blocked. Members of the armed forces march through the streets. Taxi drivers and other motorists are fuming and commuters are even more mad.

Maybe it is worth it. Ken Ferguson and his gang of plenty girls and few boys, members of the San Fernando City Council have come out of their shells. So why do the residents of San Fernando not know what is going on? For the simple reason that our City Council does not share anything with the citizens. This is their private council. They make the rules, the bye laws anyway, they serve themselves and they make themselves richer. That of course is their God-given right.

Then news gets around, they are celebrating more than a hundred years as a municipality and 21 years as a city.

What exactly do they have to celebrate?
1. A dump for a market in Marabella
2. Coffee Street, a pedestrian hazard because the pavements are used as private parking for business people.
3. Secretive issue of contracts. If you wonder why, go back to an earlier post headlined "Who's the contractor now?".
4. A development plan for San Fernando that we are yet to get information on. We understand that a member of Council named Daniel Dookie is reponsible for liaising with all the stake holders. Maybe he has liaised with the pigeons that are taking over Coffee Street.
5. Vendors who are still on High Street a full year after big money was paid to a Town Planner from Port of Spain to relocate them.

Whew I just got tired so I will ease them up for today. Let them celebrate. Let them fete their way into a 22nd year of City status. Let them issue contracts to themselves. Let them go to church and pray and thank God that they are lucky they are the ones in office. Let the business people who break the law brag and continue to say that they own the police and the politicians.

Let them celebrate their rule over this dump and wait to collect more land and building taxes so they will have more money to do things more badly.

Fellow Muslims....

I waited until the end of Ramadan to write this message to Muslim businessmen in the City of San Fernando.

This is neither a Ramadan nor an Eid ul Fitr message. It is simply an appeal to these brothers and sisters to practise some of what they have learnt during the month of Ramadan. I use Ramadan specifically, because at no time during the entire month did I hear any Imam or Maulana address Muslim businessmen directly. I have heard them being complimented for sponsoring the Azaan and paying for radio programmes on radio and television. But is that all we expect from Muslim businessmen?

I have long been saying that it is not enough to announce that you are a Muslim. In fact, you don't have to make any announcement. Your name will do... Mohammed, Khan, Edoo...

It is not enough to say that you do not sell pork and alcohol in your grocery. You don't have to wish the community Ramadan Mubarak with huge banners. You do not even have to dress up nicely on your way to Taraweeh in the evening.

I want you to look at your business in relation to your workers, your customers and most important, the community in which you operate. Do you treat your workers fairly? Are they well paid? Do they feel oppressed by the long working hours because you are understaffed? When you are planning your business, do you make provision for parking for your customers? Or do you use up all your space in building and warehouse and block up the pavements and streets for your exclusive use? Do you put pedestrians and school children in jeopardy with your trucks and containers. And do you brag about making use of the "government road"? Do you brag about your relationship with the police, to protect you?

When your employees are washing your cars, are they aware that they are spraying water into the road where pedestrians are passing? Have any of you ever told your customers that they shouldn't park their long tray vehicle where the tail hangs out on the main road? Especially when it is in front of a traffic light such as in Mon Repos, near Circular Road?

To tell the truth, I am ashamed of some of these Muslim businessmen. They contribute nothing to the immediate community. Most of their employees are from rural districts. Is it any wonder that these employees are exploited? Do they ever think of sponsoring some activity for young people in the community? What about their pricing of goods? I know of one in particular who boasts of low prices. Yet, the dates (fruit) had gone up by three dollars on the third day of Ramadan.

I want to draw the attention of these businessmen to activities of Sumadh on Coffee Street. That business has been there for as long as I can remember and I have always noticed how much attention is paid to the needs of customers and the community. Although I believe that the Sumadhs are Roman Catholics, an uncle Lynne, who had served on the Borough Council, once told me that the family has Muslim roots. Ishmael Khan and Sons have also been on Coffee Street for the longest while and you never see a truck offloading goods from the street. I am told that they once sponsored a basketball team in Roy Joseph Scheme.

It is about time the our religious leaders reject the donations made by companies which put our citizens at risk. You cannot treat people with disregard and hope to buy your way into Jannat. It just doesn't work that way.

Here's to PC Griffith!

I apologise to PC Griffith for not sending him this thank you note earlier.

In the week before school re-opened, I called the engineering department of the City Corporation on three separate occasions to tell them about a broken slab on the pavement in front of Mon Repos RC School. I explained that new children would be coming and I didn't think they should come upon that huge hole unexpectedly.

On the Sunday before Independence Day, the hole was still there. I called the City Police Department and spoke to PC Griffith. He said he understood the scenario with the school children. With half an hour, a borough truck was on the scene covering the hole with a barrel and sealing of the area with caution tape.

I commend PC Griffith for his prompt response and also use this opportunity to draw the incident to the attention of his employers.

My thanks also to Councillor Wendy Gibbs for e-mailing me on two occasions with the progress reports.

Questions for the City Council

I was invited by a friend in Marabella to look at a video of the Marabella Market. Yes the Marabella Market! So if you live in the Borough of Chaguanas and you think your market is bad, you should really take a look at the Marabella Market. If you live in Chaguanas and you are among those pressing for City Status, oppose it immediately. All you will get for it is higher land and building taxes. There are no benefits. There will be no improvement to facilities. You will live in a place like San Fernando, devoid of representation. But you will live in the City of Chaguanas, just as we live in the City of San Fernando. And your representatives will get higher salaries.

So just to get back to the Marabella Market. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, the dilapidated sheds, dogs sleeping on the tables, chicken feathers stuck up in what passes for a ceiling, pools of water everywhere, moss, the works. I asked my friend if he was sure we were not looking at video footage of a Haitian slum. You too must see this video, so I'll see what I can do about including clips on this site.

This brings me to the questions for the Mayor and Members of Council and the Chief Executive Officer.

1. Seven years ago, Mayor Gerard Ferreira described the Marabella Market as a failed UNC project and he promised to build the new market. What is the status of that project? Mayor Ferreira of course is best known for having made Harris Promenade narrower. A main thoroughfare with several large schools, churches, the street was narrowed to make way for a promenade with wide steps that no one can use. Pardon me, but the vagrants do find the sleeping accommodation very comfortable. No wonder the promenade is now popularly known as FERREIRA'S FOLLY.

2. Just before Christmas last year, a town planner from Port of Spain, Margaret McDowell was paid to relocate vendors from High Street. She supervised the painting of road spots on Mucurapo Street. The Princes Town taxis were brought to the Library Corner to create more congestion. The vendors are still on High Street. How much money was spent to relocate the vendors? How much money was collected from the vendors? What is this CITY Corporation doing about relocating the vendors? Has the Mayor ever seen the police walking up High Street and vendors folding up their tents in anticipation?

3. The Chief Executive Officer must tell us why contracts were given to a member of the San Fernando City Corporation and the value of those contracts. The sums must relate to the two companies linked to the Councillor: Marryshow Maintenance Services Limited and Hasoma Company Limited. The CEO must also tell us what other Councillors and employees of the Corporation are in receipt of Contracts. (See article on WHO IS THE CONTRACTOR NOW?)

4. One contractor built a drain in Battoo Avenue that took water into the community instead of into the river. Was that Contractor paid? How much extra did it cost the Corporation to correct the problem? As a matter of interest, how did that person get a contract in the first place?

While the Corporation will spend plenty money celebrating Independence and probably much more on Republic Day and City Day, the City moves closer to achieving DUMP STATUS. And do you know that the people of Chaguanas and Arima want this for themselves?

I met my Councillor!

I was walking around my community one night, shortly after my letter to Gail Merhair, when I heard my name being called.

Susan Cornelius (I have known her since she was a toddler) was walking around with another female, giving out flyers for a health fair. Susan introduced me to my councillor Wendy Gibbs.

So here is the story. I told Councillor Gibbs exactly what I had written in the letter to Gail Merhair. We stood on the pavement for about half an hour discussing some of the problems of Mon Repos Navet. I must say I was surprised by Councillor Gibbs. Not just that she is young and extremely attractive. I understand that most of the female Councillors on the San Fernando City Corporation are.

She took the criticisms well. She asked me to e-mail her the blog address. She was most articulate in debating some of the points and presenting some of the obstacles facing a local government representative, any local government representative. I met Councillor Gibbs a second time and she was still cheerful and optimistic. I consider this the basis for a good working relationship. I look forward to seeing Councillor Gibbs again.

Readers Please!

Dear readers.

Can you please post your comments on the blog site, instead of sending e-mail messages?

Thank You

The City Assessor Department Story

One day last year I went to the City Assessor's Department to change the ownership of a property. I don't quite remember the date, but it was the same day that a motion of no confidence against the Prime Minister (my representative) was being debated in Parliament.

I remember this one clearly, because I was walking along Coffee Street, wearing a red T-shirt. When I reached across the street from American Stores, a woman sitting on the pavement with a notebook asked me what gang I belonged to. "What gang?" She said I could board the bus parked nearby if I registered for work. I went back home and changed my T-shirt.

At the City Assessor's office, I was told by Mr. Crawford that the declaration had to be signed by a lawyer. I explained to Mr. Crawford that an attorney is not an independent person and should not sign the declaration. I was told that more than 100 people had signed declarations and submitted them to the department with false deeds.

Mr. Crawford called another co-worker who squared up her chest and displayed all the mannerisms of a member of a herd of animals mentioned in the Bible. I told her that if the attorney signed the declaration, then no one would be responsible for a false declaration. The same way the department believed the certified copy submitted to them was true and accurate when it was in fact false, the same way the lawyer would believe it. The new owner should swear to the declaration before a commissioner of affidavit. I asked how many people were penalised for making false declarations and received no response.

The very aggressive employee of the Corporation told me that the directive had come from the Chief Executive Officer and if I did not agree with the decree of the City Corporation, I should challenge it in Court. End of her story.

I went to the CEO"s office but Miss Coudray was away, so I spoke to Mr. Ragoobar, the Deputy CEO, mentioned before in the blog on the contractor Hasoma Limited. Mr.Ragoobar called someone, "Savi" and after the discussion told me that nothing could be done.He suggested that I make an appointment to see the CEO. I left my name and phone number with the Secretary. I called once, but I never got to see the CEO. I crossed the street and paid a lawyer $200 to sign the declaration.

On November 11, I was sitting on a stool at the counter of the City Assessor's Office. A young woman came in to change ownership of a property. The officer (whose name I know) took the information and filled out the form and brought the declaration for Dirn Baptiste to sign. Dirn Baptiste (if it was indeed Dirn Baptiste) was given a form to take to Water and Sewerage Authority. End of that story.

If citizens all across this country are being asked to take their declarations to an attorney, then there is something wrong with the bye laws being created by the various municipalities. A statutory declaration has to be witnessed by an independent person, a Commissioner of Affidavit. When that declaration proves to the false, the act provides for a penalty. If 100 people have presented false declarations, why has the City Corporation not acted on it?

Is this just another story of how our City Corporation operates?