Barack Obama has popularised the word ’stupidly,’ however, he has since been criticised for it and has diplomatically said that he should have ’recalibrated’ that adverb. On the other hand, to use ’acting stupidly’ to describe Dr Tim Gopeesingh’s (and more recently that of a well-known guru’s) reference to matters concerning certain appointments in the Port of Spain General Hospital as ’ethnic cleansing’ is quite appropriate. Unfortunately, there is a tendency for a few MPs to use inappropriate hyperboles to attract headlines and self-notice, but to use a phrase, which is applicable to the Nazi holocaust and the Bosnia-Herzegovina ethnic murders, is astounding and highly censurable.
But it is also hypocritical. For example, Dr Gopeesingh should know that many of us are well-versed in the ongoing history of the medico-politics in some of the hospitals in Trinidad (including the Port of Spain General Hospital where I was a consultant for 25 years), and the shenanigans that took place in some departments, especially certain specialty surgical units, which led some young aspirants to the field with no choice but to emigrate. There were similar issues at the San Fernando General Hospital. Is that not so, doctor?
Moreover, as an obstetrician and gynaecologist, my friend Dr. Gopeesingh must be aware of the well-known and longstanding ’exclusion’ of certain doctors from the Mt. Hope Maternity Hospital staff from its inception, headed by a UWI-appointed professor! Is he prepared to refute this in the press? Will someone ensure that Prof Clement Sankat, principal, UWI T&T campus, St Augustine, also reads this column?
But, you see, today’s silent minority in Trinidad and Tobago remains silent (some for obvious reasons, but they complain to me) while a recalcitrant few in today’s majority deliberately continue to complain about discrimination in this and that, but, who, it appears, will not be satisfied until there is total control. Of course, that is not to say that there are also other unacceptable ’demons’ of some sort or the other in the other tribe. Look, lest I say more, I think that this is time for a coffee break.
Now, under the headline Race or cultural preference?, Mr Kevin Baldeosingh in the Sunday Express of July 26, attempted to use statistics to make this or that point about race in Trinidad and Tobago. One certainly does not need a statistic adjustment table to interpret the finding that 80 per cent of doctors in Trinidad and Tobago and 74 per cent of radiographers are Indo-Trinidadians. It is obviously ’statistically significant’ (not a complaint).
On the other hand, Baldeosingh also stated that a breakdown of the professions connected to the medical field shows that except for medical technologists (44 per cent Indo-Trinidadians), most allied health areas have no (similar) racial balance at all. As he wrote, ’only 32 per cent of nutritionists, 18 per cent of medical social workers, nine per cent of physiotherapists, and seven per cent of speech therapists were Indo-Trinidadian.’ However, he only concluded that ’Indo-Trinidadians seem more drawn to technological fields.’ But one other major conclusion which could be made is that those ’other’ fields yield relatively little income and there you will find the non-Indo-Trinidadians! Is it race or cultural preference -or what?
As for his quoted statistics of a 1973 survey titled Ethnicity and Employment Practices, carried out by ’the now defunct Centre for Ethnic Studies,’ which found that the number of ’business ownerships’ in T&T fell into the following race ratios: Indo-Trinidadians 39 per cent, Afro-Trinidadians 25 per cent; mixed 19 per cent, white five per cent, Chinese three per cent, and Syrian/Lebanese two per cent,’ here is a classic example of one definition of statistics, namely, ’lies, damn lies and statistics.’
This type of amateur statistics paint an entirely false picture. For example, it would not be unreasonable to state that the Syrian-Lebanese’s two per cent ownership in the business world here probably makes tons more money than the 25 per cent of Afro-Trinidadian businesses. In fact, about what Afro-Trinidadian businesses is this Centre talking, certainly not the shark and bake shops, the corn soup stalls, the local drag mall on Frederick Street, wire-bending, et cetera?
Yet, as difficult as it is going to be, and understandable so for many valid reasons attributable to both sides, this island is too small to survive such splits. In fact, I do believe that Eric Williams sincerely meant what he said when he wrote: ’There must be no Mother India and no Mother Africa.’ Indeed, I have recently spent some time in Cape Town at the AIDS conference there and on several previous occasions in Durban, South Africa where there is a large Indian community as there is in Kenya and in Uganda. However, it was quite noticeable that there is very, very little social interaction between those two communities in Africa. On the other hand, in Trinidad and Tobago there is a closer and much more amiable social intercourse, which I have not seen anywhere else. And so, there is some hope- if only
When, for example, in 1953 the Indian cricket team came to Trinidad to play against our national team and the West Indies, up to that time never were such large crowds seen at the Queen’s Park Oval and there were long lines blocks away from the gates, largely Indo-Trinidadians, seeking entrance to the grounds.
Many came from the country areas with their food baskets all filled for the day’s entertainment. Many, however, were backing Mother India. But ’we pass that stage’ and Indo-Trinidadians now rally around the West Indies even when playing against Mother India. In fact, thousands of Indo-Trinidadians also rally around the all-black Soca Warriors!
Barack Obama once said four years ago during the 2004 Democratic National Convention keynote address: ’Now even as we speak there are those who are preparing to divide us Well, I say to them tonight, there is not Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America. There’s the United States of America.’ We in Trinidad and Tobago need to heed this type of rhetoric otherwise divided we will fall.
Time for another coffee break. Don’t you think?
To be continued
- Keith Smith returns tomorrow
