REMEMBERING TRINIDAD’S FORMER MINISTER OF SECURITY - Legacy of a humble man

Wednesday, January 07, 2015 | 2:56 AM    

The Editor:

The tragic news came from a telephone call at 8:44 A.M. this morning that Martin Joseph passed away. The news had me stumped. I then called his house and could not get confirmation of his death. I subsequently telephoned Andre Monteil, a long standing friend of mine at whose home in Tobago, Martin was vacationing.

Monteil was in a shaken state. He said Joseph, one of his best and closest friends, had died after they had finished exercising.  He said Martin went for a swim. The rest of the story after that was too tragic to recall.

The tears rolled from my eyes. My friends Peter George and Peter Albert were simultaneously on my home phone and cell phones, when a what’s app message with a picture of Martin lying motionless on the sand popped open. It was the trigger for the crying I tried to keep inside. Uncontrollably, I wept openly for my dear and closest friend, Martin Rupert Joseph.

Our relationship goes back 22 years from his time as Chairman of the Public Transport Service Corporation PTSC and NIB. Martin and myself struck up a relationship after discovering that despite what people said about him, in fact he was a dedicated, honest, and hardworking professional, who was a far cut above the average. Deadlines meant something to him, and he was always about getting the job done, not seeking praise.

We subsequently developed a professional relationship after we worked on a successful general election campaign consultancy in Grenada in the late 1990’s.

After that we came together to work on the Mayaro general elections campaign in 2002, after Franklin Khan had lost twice to Winston Gypsy Peters. The team of Martin Joseph, Andre Monteil and myself made this seat the most valued and heavily battled seat in the country, as it was seen as the link to PNM winning government. When the smoke cleared, Mayaro was won, the PNM since then has not been able to retain the seat, defaulting back to Mr. Peters.  However, Mayaro was key to holding government, and with that victory a lot was achieved after regaining office.

PNM was able to double the GDP of Trinidad and Tobago leading to a surge in the quality of life among the citizenry in the country.  That era ushered in revolutionary policies such as free treatment for HIV patients, who before were left to rot and die on our streets, free drugs for the entire population suffering with chronic diseases, free tertiary education, expansion of Foreign Direct Investment in the oil, gas and petro chemical sectors, a heritage and stabilization fund was introduced for the first time in our history.

Martin always said that these were positive achievements for a developing country, a little late but necessary, if we were to bring people out of feeling hopeless and debilitated. He said that the 2002 election was important because it facilitated and allowed these positive developments to occur, which he was satisfied would benefit Trinidad in the near future.

Since 1998 Martin and myself worked closely and consulted on several elections in Barbados, Local Government Elections in Trinidad, and THA elections, and sundry other activities, too many to mention.

Martin and I worked closely in the Ministry of Housing where he was able to develop and implement a comprehensive national Housing Policy which eventually built 27,000 homes, the most by any Minister or administration since Independence. We worked closely at the Ministry of Public Utilities, and through SWMCOL was able to treat with landfill management issues by re-establishing proper waste disposal infrastructure and systems. The idea of a fire burning at a landfill had stopped by 2003 under the then tenure of Mr. Ray Brathwaite then Executive Chairman of SWMCOL.

Last, but not the least, was our stint at the Ministry of National Security, where he attempted to bring about change by trying to transform the entire law enforcement system.

Martin always said that it is easy to condemn in public, but it does not augur well for those on the receiving end of such criticism, as it ultimately makes the organization look bad, and affects positive outcomes and performance.

He preferred to take the ire of negative public opinion, than give in to the demands of the gallery. His famous quote was to “Praise in public” but “criticize in private”. He lived by that mantra. He also believed in the old saying “walk softly and carry a big stick”. Martin was an eternal diplomat.

Many did not know he was Chair of CICTE, the OAS Department for Counter Terrorism, and while there was able to achieve a lot and earned the respect of regional leaders.  He always involved us in work beyond our pay grade

But Martin also helped shaped CARICOM Security Policy, which was not really cohesive, by developing policy eventually leading to the formation of CARICOM IMPACS, the regional security apparatus.

Our time at National Security was difficult. A lot of unfortunate criticism was levelled at Martin, some because it was political, others because of his loyalty to the leadership of the PNM.

Martin and I had our differences. We stopped talking to each other for two years until I got a call from him late one night after a thief had broken into his flag staff home and held him up at gunpoint.  He was petrified, but showed bravery and managed to overpower the criminal and escaped being shot.

I was surprised to be among the first persons he called. I immediately went down to his home.

From then onwards, at least once or twice per month, when I am in Trinidad, we would meet.

Martin was a forthright individual. He had few close friends namely; Richardson Franklin (Former Special Technical Adviser for National Security) Andre Monteil, Mariano Browne and myself. But he had many acquaintances and skilfully kept people in compartments.  Martin remained dedicated to the PNM, believing that the party was a source of personal empowerment and accomplishment for Trinidad and Tobago as a Nation.

My dear friend, we have fought many battles together, victorious on all occasions. You are gone now to a better place, may your great legacy of honesty, fortitude, humility, temperance, and strength of purpose transcend to a better society and world.

Your friend,

David Fraser

David Fraser, a Journalist and Communication Consultant, is Chairman of The Angellus Foundation in Trinidad and Executive Consultant at MSPACE Ltd., a regional project management organization.

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REMEMBERING TRINIDAD’S FORMER MINISTER OF SECURITY - Legacy of a humble man

Venom Legacy making strides with new single

Venom Legacy

Venom Legacy has been making inroads with his latest single ‘No More (Peace, Love and Unity)’.

The song is produced by Deano Deann Records and is inspired by crime and violence which occurred in Jamaica and the world as well as the Boston marathon bombing.

The 26-year-old singjay, who is based in Boston, US, was born Leaskel Cameron in Stadium Gardens, Kingston. He later relocated to St Thomas. It was during his teenage years that he honed his skills performing with the choir at the Pentecostal Haven Church.

Four years ago he migrated to the United States. Since relocating, he has been busy making a name for himself, recording for various producers, while performing on various stage shows and events.

He has teamed up with Fiyah Binghi of Fiyah Bass Studio where he did a few tracks. These days he is working out with Cherry Ryan of Sofiri Entertainment, which has decided to take his career to the next level.

recording debut

Andrew Powell, of Stampede Street Chart has been on board in recent months to increase the promotion of Venom’s music locally.

His recording debut came with the track Crack Skull featuring Hi Medz, a counteraction to Popcaan’s Hot Skull. His other releases include Born Poor (Haffi Get Rich), which was produced by Charley Pro Records; Can’t Stop What’s Rising (produced by Charley Pro Records); Sky Is The Limit (produced by ALZ Records) and Side Effect.

He describes his musical journey as a rough one but filled with great experiences.

“I’m bringing music with real life experiences which most persons can relate to. Music with substance,” he explained.

Venom Legacy has two singles to be released. They are Natural Is The Mystic (Chris G Records), and Just Life (Base Line Records).

He has opened shows in the Boston area for the likes of Demarco, I-Octane, Shaggy, Delly Ranks and Beenie Man.

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Venom Legacy making strides with new single

Yung Jr continues family legacy

Contributed

Yung Jr

Like his Rastafarian father, Yung Jr, son of iconic reggae crooner Junior Reid, is intent on keeping the family’s legacy alive.

The young Reid, though still an up-and-coming act, has been steadily carving out a niche on the musical front while establishing increased visibility for his brand on the local and international scene.

Since his emergence, the young singer has released several singles, gaining him well-needed attention, with the two most noteworthy, High High and Raggamuffin, muscling their way on to the renowned WorldStarHipHop.com, as well as saturating the FM airwaves across the diaspora.

The pair of songs also racked up a combined over 200,000 views within months, leading to several international entities showing interest in his career. The latter also peaked at number three on the European-based Riddim Magazine chart.

After achieving commendable levels of success, especially in Europe and the Caribbean, Yung Jr has returned in 2014 with a masterfully crafted composition titled General, co-produced by himself and Bassick Records. The single adapts that authentic yet nostalgic root-rock-reggae vibes synonymous with the 1990s as he orates about the perils of youth, poverty and inner-city life. An official video has also been released via the French-based Reggaeville to rave reviews. The visuals were shot under the watchful eyes of directors Adoney Reid and Simon Thompson.

Speaking with members of the media in a recent interview, Yung Jr explains his affinity for keeping the music authentic and laden with messages of truth, spirituality and upliftment.

“I try to sing about things that are real and authentic and do it in a manner that people, despite their socio-economic background or ethnicity, can understand and relate to; music is a reflection of life and it’s that realness that I aspire to portray in my songs,” he said.

Meanwhile, over the past months the young Rastafarian has performed at a triad of high-profile events, such as Reggae In The Hills, Fashion Meet Reggae and Florida’s annual Reggae Vibes Concert. Yung Jr is currently in studio working on a project with ZincFence Records, slated for release very soon.

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Yung Jr continues family legacy

JUAN WILLIAMS: DOJ now "absolute pit" of modern politics - Speculation abounds over Holder replacement - VIDEO: Who will replace Holder? - VIDEO: Breaking down Holder"s legacy

When Richard Nixon made a show of quitting politics in 1962 he famously taunted his liberal critics in the media saying “you won’t have Nixon to kick around anymore.”

The question on my mind today is: what are conservatives going to do now that they don’t have Eric Holder to kick around anymore?

Holder announced Thursday that he will step down as the Attorney General of the United States as soon as his successor is confirmed. Given the poisonous politics in Congress these days and the prospect of a Republican takeover of the Senate next year, finding a successor who can win confirmation could take quite a while.

To my eyes Holder’s tenure is the latest episode of a much bigger political nightmare that has been going on for decades under both Republican and Democratic administrations.

Here’s how the first line of The New York Times story about the Holder resignation read: “Replacing Mr. Holder, who provoked the ire of Republicans as President Obama’s chief liberal warrior, could be a political nightmare.”

To my eyes Holder’s tenure is the latest episode of a much bigger political nightmare that has been going on for decades under both Republican and Democratic administrations.

The Justice Department has devolved into the heart of Washington darkness, the absolute pit of modern political polarization in my lifetime.

In the last 20 years there is a direct line of partisan political attacks on the Justice Department from Waco to “Torture Memos” to the “Fast and Furious” episode. The GOP House hit bottom with its historically sad decision to hold this attorney general in contempt of Congress.

The truth is that Holder deserves to be celebrated as the attorney general who rebuilt a broken federal agency and restored its reputation.

Recall that it was the Bush Justice Department that gave us the U.S. Attorney scandals where federal prosecutors were encouraged to go after Democratic officials and political opponents of the president. It was also the Bush-era DOJ that gutted the Civil Rights Division which historically policed violations of civil rights and voting rights.

Holder, with the help of Thomas Perez, the former head of the civil right division and currently the labor secretary, restored that division’s integrity from the wreckage they inherited.

For Holder, civil rights issues were deeply personal. He is the brother-in-law of the late Vivian Malone, one of the African American students blocked from entering the University of Alabama by Governor George Wallace.

Unlike his predecessors, he aggressively pursued violations of Americans’ voting rights and asserted the Department’s power under the preclearance provision of Section 5 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

When GOP governors and state legislatures tried to disenfranchise, young people, the poor and especially minority voters – central components of the Democratic coalition —  by ending early voting, purging voter rolls and requiring photo identification, Holder pushed back. That was not a political act. He stood up because anyone representing the Constitution has an obligation to defend every American’s right to vote.

As the nation’s first African American Attorney General, Holder gave conservatives heartburn when he said that in many respects, the U.S. had been “a nation of cowards” when it came to race. Holder’s words are important to maintaining trust in the nation’s system of justice among people of all races as the nation reaches new heights of racial diversity.

And note that he won support from conservatives like Senator Rand Paul , R-Ky. and Texas Governor Rick Perry in pushing for changes to mandatory minimums for low-level drug offenses that contribute to high rates of jail time for people of color.

Instead of supporting Holder in those efforts, the Republican House of Representatives took the unprecedented step of voting to hold him in contempt of Congress over the “Fast and Furious” operation. What the Republicans conveniently forgot is that the Justice Department’s first duty is as a law enforcement agency. Republican and Democratic prosecutors agree the documents supposedly being “withheld” were required for prosecution of criminals and would have been useless in court if they became political fodder.

Also, the GOP scandal mongers conveniently forgot that the “gun-walking” program started under the Bush administration and it was Holder who ended the program.

As with so many of the “controversies” Republicans attacked Holder over, the criticism said more about the critics than it did Holder.

But the larger problem for our government – politicization of the attorney general’s role – neither began nor ended with Eric Holder.

Democrat President John F. Kennedy famously raised eyebrows by appointing his brother Bobby Kennedy as the nation’s top law enforcement officer. This put RFK in a position to cover JFK’s political back as the two brothers worked to advance what was, at the time, a very progressive agenda – especially on civil rights.   

Republican Richard Nixon appointed one of his closest friends and campaign advisors, John Mitchell as Attorney General. Mitchell is widely regarded as the most corrupt Attorney General in U.S. history because of his involvement in the Watergate scandal and CREEP (the Committee to Re-elect the President). Mitchell served 19 months in prison because of the crimes he committed as Nixon’s A.G.

Republican Ronald Reagan was similarly criticized for appointed Edwin Meese as his attorney general. Meese had been one of Reagan’s closest friends and political advisers, having served as his chief of staff when he was governor of California. Meese was said to be instrumental in protecting Reagan from the political fallout of the Iran Contra Affair. Meese resigned as attorney general when he came under investigation from a special prosecutor.

In the modern era, President Clinton’s Attorney General Janet Reno became a lightning rod for controversy and criticism for Republicans in Congress. Reno is best remembered for botched federal raid of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas in 1993 and the return of Elian Gonzalez to Cuba in 1999.

President George W. Bush appointed John Ashcroft as attorney general, a fierce right-wing partisan who had served as a U.S. Senator from Missouri. Ashcroft and his successor Alberto Gonzalez were instrumental in providing the legal justification for the most extreme anti-terrorism actions of the Bush administration. For Ashcroft, it was the USA PATRIOT ACT. For Gonzalez, it was the so-called “Torture Memos” which the Bush administration relied on for its coerced interrogations and waterboarding of terror suspects.

My point in relaying this abridged history of the recent attorneys generals is to show that the Justice Department was deeply politicized before Holder ever arrived.

It used to be that being an experienced, skilled legal mind was enough for that job. Now, nominees have to be a good politician as well.

Have we forgotten that the attorney general is supposed to be an independent, non-partisan law enforcement officer?

You can bet that the next attorney general – whether he or she is appointed by President Hillary Clinton or President Ted Cruz – will be another lightning rod for all the political hate and division in our country.

History will soon write that Holder’s tenure was a light of hope during a dreadful era of political games at the Department of Justice.

Juan Williams is a co-host of FNC’s “The Five,” where he is one of seven rotating Fox personalities. Additionally, he serves as FNC’s political analyst, a regular panelist on “Fox News Sunday” and “Special Report with Bret Baier” and is a regular substitute host for “The O’Reilly Factor.” He joined Fox News Channel (FNC) in 1997 as a contributor. Click here for more information on Juan Williams. 

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JUAN WILLIAMS: DOJ now "absolute pit" of modern politics - Speculation abounds over Holder replacement - VIDEO: Who will replace Holder? - VIDEO: Breaking down Holder"s legacy

Henry S. Fraser: Society School and the Codrington Legacy

Codrington College (File)

Henry S. Fraser

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Monday Juy 28, 2014 - “My two plantations in the island of Barbados to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts … and a convenient number of Professors and Scholars maintained there, all of them to be under vows of poverty and chastity and obedience … to study and practice Physic and Chirurgery as well as Divinity, that by the apparent usefulness of the former to all mankind, they may both endear themselves to the people and have the better opportunities of doing good to men’s souls whilst they are taking care of their bodies …” (From the will of Colonel Christopher Codrington, who died on Good Friday, April 7th, 1710.)

Christopher Codrington was described as the brightest star of Barbados – scholar, poet, public orator, soldier, governor and Christian benefactor. His vision of a University for Barbados to train Christian doctors, to care for their bodies and save the souls of all mankind, was an extraordinary vision, two and a half centuries ahead of the University of the West Indies. And his vision certainly inspired me, as a teenager at The Lodge School, one of the products of his vision, to become a Christian doctor at the institution that extended the mission of Codrington.

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Unfortunately the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (SPG) turned out to be hopeless managers. The college buildings were well underway by 1721 but not completed until 1743 and the Codrington Grammar School finally began in 1745. Because of inept management from afar, the school suffered serious vicissitudes and the College of Codrington’s vision never materialised until the arrival of our first bishop, William Hart Coleridge. He recognised the failure of the SPG and was able to bring the College into being, by moving the school up the hill to the “Upper Estate”, now called Society, to the Chaplain’s Lodge, in 1829 and so it became The Lodge School. The College began in full, at last, in 1830 and was later affiliated with the University of Durham. It trained priests, teachers and administrators for the entire English speaking Caribbean and beyond, including my father-in-law, the revered Lee Harford Skeete, and most Caribbean priests and bishops for nearly 150 years.

While the College building contains its own splendid small chapel, beautifully panelled and with a barrel vaulted ceiling, the SPG built a larger, wooden chapel for the slaves in 1819 – the first conscientious attempt within the Anglican community to bring Christianity to the slaves. It was replaced by a stone chapel in 1831, and after this was blown down in the 1831 hurricane, the present Society Chapel, now Holy Cross Church, was built, under guidance of Bishop Coleridge.

Meanwhile, the College began a Sunday School for the slave children in 1795. This became a full primary school in 1797, an initiative that would have been much against the wishes of planters across the Caribbean, who were against such instruction for slaves. It is truly a shining historical legacy … the first known school set up to teach the slave children here and possibly anywhere in the Caribbean, unless preceded by Moravian schools in the Danish Virgin Islands. The present building of Society School is a solid coral stone structure on a solid plateau of rock in the middle of Society Hill, built more than a hundred years ago. It caters to the surrounding villages of Society, College Bottom, Sargeant Street, Coach Hill, Massiah Street and Stewart’s Hill. And at the top of the hill, next to Holy Cross and the cross commemorating Reverend Rawle, is the sprawling complex of Codrington School.

The Codrington legacy has thus resulted in Codrington College, The Lodge School, Society School, the Rawle Institute (replaced by Erdiston Teachers College), Codrington School and Holy Cross Church – six important, historic educational establishments which have had a huge impact not only on Barbados but the wider Caribbean. Indeed the Society School has produced famous figures like Rawle Parkinson, the great, legendary educator after whom the Parkinson School is named, and today’s distinguished, globally successful alumni such as Dr. Ken Harewood and Dr. Louis Brown, as well as a long list of local luminaries.

It was therefore a shock to pupils, parents, teachers, alumni, historians and the wider society to hear in June of the sudden closure of Society School. This follows poor maintenance leading to the need for industrial cleaning last September, which resulted in a drop in the number of students. Shocked parents, teachers, parish priest and others have organised a petition and efforts to keep this historic educational monument open. Distinguished alumni of the school have joined the effort, vocalised by attorney David Commissiong, and at a large meeting of parents last Sunday the passion for maintaining the school was clear, echoed in a CBC-TV news poll of 85 % of responders voting to keep it open.

My own assessment is that the historic importance of the school justifies its continuing existence even if it remains a small school, by amalgamating so as to reduce the number of classes, as has been suggested. From what I have been told by several parties, it seems that the physical problems are poor maintenance and not structural; the need for industrial cleaning last September allegedly led to the drop in the roll as some parents were so upset that they removed their children. Primary school children should not have to travel long distances to school. And the importance of the Codrington legacy and the entire Codrington complex, in the opinion of many, justifies World Heritage inscription. In fact Barbados has submitted the Sugar (and Rum) Industry of Barbados as a tentative nomination, and Codrington’s six institutions with their rich and unique history comprise a hugely important part of the larger nomination. We should therefore be proud not only of the history of Society, its seminal role in the education of slave children and the building of its surrounding community, but of its brilliant alumni here and around the world. We should do everything to keep it open and rebuild its great reputation. While alternative uses of the building can be considered, our Governments’ outstanding record over decades of abandoning buildings to decay does not give hope.

The Sentinel Committee of the National Trust will be more than willing to assess and report on the physical state of the school, before it joins the many other derelict built treasures abandoned by successive governments over the past 40 years.

Bouquet: To Glyne Murray on the launch on Wednesday of his splendid book Barbados – Customs to Treasure.

Professor Fraser is past Dean of Medical Sciences, UWI and Professor Emeritus of Medicine. Website:  profhenryfraser.com

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Henry S. Fraser: Society School and the Codrington Legacy