Mahal was the walking legend in Trinidad from the 1930s to the early 60s. He pretended to drive a car while he, in fact, walked or trotted. He made hand signals and blew his horn as though he had a car.
An anecdote reflects us in Al Ramsawack’s story on Mahal and is now on several Facebook pages. We waste money believing we are doing something worthwhile.
An old, bearded fish vendor from Princes Town related: “[…] Mahal drive into Princes Town cool, cool, one day. He park up he car near mih fish cyart and buy ah long king fish from me. He open de trunk orf his car and pelt de fish inside, den he close de trunk and drive off.
“Buh he really leave de fish orn de road, because he ent really have no darm car atorl! As he bend de corner, Ah tek back mih fish and sell it. I wish he come and buy fish from me every day!”
You may laugh, but tell me how different this incident is from the incredible saga of the building rental intended for the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP)? We spent $55 million on a building in Port of Spain that was never occupied.
The Government terminated the lease at the end of September 2023 because the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) “refused to move in”. But Dr Keith Rowley told us in March 2023 that about $45 million was already spent.
The reason? According to the Express, the DPP asked the Special Branch to assess the building, which was done by one police officer (my emphasis) who expressed concern about the security of the building, as shots can be fired at the building and harm occupants inside.
It was said that renovations to introduce bullet-proofing along the entire northeastern property wall were done at the DPP’s request.
“At the end of September 2023, the Government terminated that lease after having spent a total—in rent, electricity bills and renovations to introduce bulletproofing along the entire northeastern wall of the property at the request of the DPP—[…] of $55,551.443.93…”
(via TTPS)
Express further reported that the lease was a three-year one.
Are we mad like Mahal, or were many people asleep on the job? What took the DPP so long to signal that he had changed his mind?
Do our institutional leaders not speak with each other? None of them could have called the DPP and discussed this matter to prevent us from paying those sums.
How could one police officer make a judgment call like that? No superior officer checked out the recommendation for a matter as contentious as this?
(Copyright Office of the Parliament)
We had the building for nine years, so in the two lease rollovers, our technocrats and public servants suspended belief like Mahal? Which legal office created a contract with no ‘break’ clause?
In March 2023, Dr Rowley noted it was ‘taxpayers’ money’. Yet, everybody stood up comfortably. They probably shoo-shooed in a corner but did not speak up.
So we can throw our hard-earned money into the hands of a willing landlord, who, like the Princes Town fish vendor can probably say: “I wish he come and rent from me every day!” We are really mad, oui!
Then, a week before, we were told in the Budget debate that the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) auditors could not find $789 million worth of housing! The KPMG report reportedly could not get documentary support for construction costs and could not perform relevant audit tests.
Is Mahal dealing in houses now, or what?
Where are the operational people at the HDC? Are they still working there? The project managers, the accountants and the Divisional Heads? Nobody raised a question?
(via HDC)
Were they and the then-CEO, the then-line minister, and the board, like Mahal, suspending belief? Money could vanish, no house could be built, and people could remain working or seek office. That means we are crazier than Mahal!
The question must be asked: how much other taxpayers’ money has been spirited away in one form or fashion? Our leaders, organisational heads and chief accounting officers can stand idly by because it is not ‘their’ money. Is that the game? We are really mad, oui!
Or are we simply callous? The day before the story with the Park Street building, the Express ran a front-page picture with the headline: Shocking poverty.
Photo: Jermaine Cruickshank/ Trinidad Express
The story recounts the dismay of the police officers visiting a home where two toddlers were found on the previous Monday night. “A scene of abject, shocking poverty and a place where no parent should keep a child” was the assessment of the police officers.
Do we make the connection between the casual throwing away of money, the structure of the society and this home?
But why are we surprised? We just saw the homes of Andrea Dallan in Rio Claro and the Peterkin children in Arima, even if the memory of where Allon Ramdial lived has slipped our minds.
He lived in the abandoned freezer section of the Ortoire Fishing Port in Mayaro! Why are we surprised? We are failing our children in many ways. The whole society is mad.
Some invisible people get money. Some other invisible people get nothing. We are reliving the story of “The Tale of Two Cities”. But we can stop the rot!
When will we get serious about public accountability? When will we see proper reviews of contracts entered into by government bodies? When will we bring campaign finance laws?
Money appears to go to strange places because of political connections. Our public servants must be more watchful.
(Copyright Trinidad Guardian)
Government money comes from our pockets. Our media has a great responsibility to investigate and verify when corrupt deals happen. We must institute proper whistleblower laws.
Else, we are Mahal, living in a pipe dream!