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A23
commentary
Saturday, October 25, 2014 www.guardian.co.tt Guardian
The Highway Re-route Move-
ment s final salvo, embodied
in Dr Wayne Kublalsingh s
hunger strike, was an ideal oppor-
tunity to mount constructive
debate on an issue of national
importance.
Regardless of where you stand
on the Pt Fortin highway or
Kublalsingh himself as torchbearer
for the movement, this was the
moment for citizens to engage in
debate amongst themselves on the
wider issues of development, gov-
ernance and accountability.
If you find that I m hovering
here, it is with good reason. Using
the highway as an example, many
civil-society groups have gravitat-
ed towards the HRM movement
hoping to ignite a wider discus-
sion on concerns which deeply
affect our lives; in other words,
for many people, this is about
more than a highway (or a seg-
ment thereof), this is actually
about encouraging citizens to
gather up a greater understanding
of their role in guiding governance
in a democratic society.
For all of the posts and publica-
tions from either side of the
divide of maps outlining the pro-
posed route, the alternative route
and the Armstrong report, eluci-
dation remains elusive as it is
drowned out by "Build de damn
highway" or "Dis stinkin guva-
ment doh kearbout nobordy."
Everything in this country is
viewed through the prism of tribal
politics and as such, achieving
enlightened debate that can even-
tually engender the sort of gover-
nance we all claim to crave will
exist only beyond our grasp.
President Anthony Carmona
stoned a jep nest with a pre-
action protocol letter issued to
radio personality Rachel Price in
the wake of presumably libellous
remarks made about the first
lady s rather adventurous attire at
the UN General Assembly.
Some people viciously attacked
the President, perceiving this as
an assault on free speech. Others
staunchly defended Price,
bemoaning a grave offence com-
mitted against the nation by
Reema Carmona s fashion faux
pas. This online conversation
spread like wildfire, rapidly degen-
erating into toxic vituperations
and ultimately into a racist dia-
tribe.
All the while no one paid any
attention to a post reminding
people of legal action taken sever-
al years ago by Rachel Price
against then popular radio-show
host Ricardo "Gladiator" Welch
for slander.
Therein lies the problem, the
individual who added that post
was trying to insert some context
into the "discussion": it was an
attempt to demonstrate that such
affairs are rarely black and white.
What happens invariably when
facts inconvenient to the "us
against dem" narrative are intro-
duced is that they are immediate-
ly scuttled with insinuations of
tribe loyalty. A cogent rebuttal of
any clearly ill-premised argument
is waved away with "mus be
eatin ah food."
It isn t that Trinis are incapable
of understanding debate which
undermines their entrenched
positions; truth, in their world, is
a malleable concept and must be
moulded to suit their purposes.
On a radio station this week I
had the misfortune of hearing the
most distressing racist diatribe
being carried on by one caller to
the station after another; it was
like a relay race of racism.
This seething enmity was ably
stoked by the host of the pro-
gramme, who undoubtedly seeded
the conversation in the first place.
Such an environment cannot
support debate, as the quality of
citizen would not permit it. This
station is clearly a political pulpit
for listeners who are fact-proof
and irretrievably miseducated.
So there is little hope that the
media can provide balance to dis-
cussions on any issue of national
importance.
With the exception of morning
television, there are no current
affairs shows either due to eco-
nomic considerations or a lack of
appetite in the market for legiti-
mately analytical discourse.
The radio stations have com-
mitted to making the situation
worse by creating talk radio
steered by people the least
equipped to function in this for-
mat.
These radio talk-show hosts all
have opinions, none of them with
any foundation in research. Callers
phone in with glaring inaccuracies
and astonishing accusations but
the hosts can t correct these falla-
cies because they either don t
know or don t care.
No one is expecting omnis-
cience of these radio personalities,
at the very least they ought to flip
through a newspaper before sit-
ting in front of a microphone.
These are essentially civilians who
were taken off the street and put
in a studio; there isn t an inch of
difference between them and the
gleefully ignorant professional
callers.
There are a few exceptions.
Mariano Browne and Ardeen Sir-
joo host a programme which deft-
ly rises above politics and chal-
lenges the audience to debate the
core problems of our society. As
such the programme attracts a
particular type of caller, people
who seem more discerning, more
interested in understanding rather
than simply hearing themselves.
They are, however, in the
minority. Public forums such as
Facebook and radio talk shows
have become the new rabble in
the square. The din smothers rea-
soned discussion about HRM,
crime, chikungunya, Ebola and
everything else.
We blame our politicians for
perpetuating this barren chatter.
Former Prime Minister Basdeo
Panday once told me in an inter-
view: "You have to meet the peo-
ple where they are."
How else would their words
resonate with people for whom
"cussout" trumps debate?
pkernahan@gmail.com
www.idiomtv.com
DEBATE VS CUSSOUT IN T&T
PAOLO KERNAHAN