WE WILL NOT ESCAPE THE FURY!

by Gerry Kangalee

Well, the summit has come and gone. The naked emperor has worshipped at the altar of his own egoism. But at what cost? The next circus is going to be the reckoning of what costs are to be attributed to the summit and what costs are not. It’s all downhill from here. The naked emperor has shot his bolt. There are no more cards up his sleeve.

Our monocrop, jazzed up plantation economy is well and truly busted. Health, education, local government services, social welfare and mek wuk employment are being severely cut back. Jobs are disappearing by the thousands and will continue to do so over the near term. Trillion dollar bonds are being floated to make up the budget deficit.

We will not escape the fury of the ever-deepening crisis of capitalism: far from it being a financial crisis, it is the latest manifestation of a systemic crisis of capitalist civilisation. It is a crisis embedded in the capitalist mode of production itself which is proving to be not only patently incapable of dealing with the demands of twenty first century humanity but actually threatens the very survival of our species on planet earth.

The principles of concentration and accumulation of capital at the expense of everything else, including the destruction of the human ecosystem through externalisation of costs has rendered the capitalist system irrational and a danger to the continued existence of the human race.

The one true legacy we will inherit from the summit is the militarisation of the police force. We have grown accustomed to the police infringing upon rights supposedly guaranteed by our neo-colonial constitution. They perform illegal acts and justify it in the name of security.

Even the New York Times, a newspaper, which I am certain the emperor holds in high regard, in an article published on April 19 2009 written by ALEXEI BARRIONUEVO and SHERYL GAY STOLBERG described “the island of Trinidad” as being “transformed into a virtual police state for three days”. The three days being referred to are the days of the summit.

This full body armour, paramilitary police force that is being unveiled before us has nothing to do with crime prevention or detection, but has much to do with the suppression of the already growing resistance by increasing numbers of citizens to the effects of the economic crisis.

When the system is stripped to its bare essentials it goes back to basics: the heart of state power is the ability to enforce policy through armed force or in the famous dictum of Mao: power grows from the barrel of a gun!

If the masses are to survive the period of economic depression and political repression, they must free themselves of partisan political illusions; get together in their organisations of self defense (trade unions, community-based organisations, issues-based organisations, cultural organisations, co-operatives, credit unions, occupational/professional associations etc.) formulate their demands and seek to forge broad alliance with one another in an effort to put pressure upon the state and the capitalists, foreign and local, even if it means following in the footsteps of Guadeloupe.

ILLEGAL POLICE ACTION DEFEATED!

On Saturday 18th April activists gathered at the St. James auditorium at the Drummit2Summit event to express their concerns on a range of issues from the Cuban blockade to environmental and a host of other issues impacting upon the deliberations of the hemispheric leaders at the Fifth Summit of the Americas taking place in downtown Port of Spain at the Hyatt Hotel.

Although, the organisers of the event had rented and paid for the use of the auditorium from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm, the police, in full body armour, attempted to stop the event soon after it had begun. Those gathered at the auditorium defended vigorously and vociferously their freedom of association and of speech and refused to follow the illegal instructions of the police.

The event, which was being shown live on Gayelle The Channel, quickly broke on the other TV stations and there was a mad rush to St. James by journalists, local and foreign, theretofore twiddling their thumbs at the Hyatt, waiting to be briefed by Summit officials.
Many persons who saw what was going on TV and through cell phone communication rushed down to the amphitheatre to show their distaste for the attempted police action.

Eventually the police had to withdraw and the event continued until 6:00pm. This was a defeat for the growing militarisation of the society that was facilitated by all the security harbar associated with the Summit. Score one for the people!

MICHAEL PARRIS FREED!

Michael Parris, who was arrested on the night of Thursday 16th April by the Gran Couva police and charged for what amounts to illegally sticking up posters opposing the Fifth Summit of the Americas was reprimanded and discharged at the Couva Court on Monday 20th April. Atorney Clyde Weatherhead represented Michael in the matter. It is instructive that fete promoters and election workers are hardly ever charged for this nuisance offence.

Michael was led, handcuffed, into the Couva Magistrate's Court on Friday 17th April, after spending the night in the police cell. The presiding magistrate did not show up for work and Michael was released on his own bail. Michael was charged according to the infamous Summary Offences Act (#31 of 1921) which was originally enacted in the aftermath of the 1919 General Strike when the working class in T&T transformed itself form being a class in itself into being a class for itself.

He was charged under Section 45 which applies to "idle and disorderly persons". These persons, according to Section 46 of the Act, if they repeat the offence or resist arrest may be graduated to being "rogues and vagabonds" and according to section 47, if they do the same, having already been deemed "rogues and vagabonds", they may be deemed "incorrigible rogues".

Michael is active in the anti-smelter struggle and other environmental struggles. He is also involved with Rights Action Group, Drumming Truth to Summit of the Americas and is associated with the Food and Fuel Forum.

Michael once again shot into the news spotlight, when as one of the organisers of the Drummit 2 Summit programme at the St. James Auditorium on Saturday 18th April, he stood firm in resisting the illegal police attempt to stop the programme.