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Monday, May 18, 2009

Job Well-done Larry Dennis

The news that the Auditor General of Bermuda Mr. Larry Dennis will be calling it quits at the end of August 2009 is sad news for Bermuda. For this man had valiantly and singly handed kept Bermuda's public officers honest. Those who disregarded his presence, the office he held and Mishandle public funds, were kept on the run: Larry Dennis did all in his power to ensure the offenders were made accountable. People with Larry Dennis' determination and fearless personality is need to be the watch dog in the "culture" that is the "Bermuda government."

I had two opportunities to pick Mr. Dennis’ brain at length when I was his Jailer. This was when Dennis was detained in police custody at the Hamilton Police Station for allegedly having in his possession copies of the stolen Bermuda Housing Corporation dossier (document the Police never recover from Dennis), documents that had information the powers that be wanted to keep private.

Mr. Dennis like the true solider (not literal) he is, suffered the consequence of being confidential, which was, detention in the Jail at the Hamilton police Station. He slept, ate and was treated like anyone who was so detained, yet without complaint. The efforts of the authority to break Larry Dennis and have him squeal like a snitching pig failed, for he knew that he was being prosecuted for a lawful and upright cause and though such treatment may have been humiliating he dealt with it like a man, never losing his respect and or his dignity.

Unfortunately I do not know about the professional ability of Dennis’ successor: Mrs. Heather Jacobs Matthews, however I could remember seeing her unassumingly going about her business in the City of Hamilton, doing her banking with the Bank Of Butterfield on Reid and Burnaby Street. I remembered her for she was the dignified looking senior lady, with the physique and agility of an eighteen year old. I trust that this Soon to be dame (lady receiving the Queens honor) will be as determine as Larry was and she will serve the country and the people of Bermuda with new vigor. I trust that there will be manifested within her the intent to set new levels of integrity; ensuring that all public officer are afraid to mess with the public money.

Ralph Gonsalves Vs Lady Justice


When Barrack Obama the current president of the United States of America speaks; his peers, colleagues, supporters and his detractors are left in awe, holding onto every word that falls from his lips. Barrack Obama does not possess any exceptional quality or qualities that make his hearers float on his words, he does not use a conglomeration of sophisticated words in order to impress his hearers, he do not try to appear as one who is learnt and he does not have the alluring voice of an angel: a voice that is laced with a mesmerizing sensation that enthrall the undivided attention of his hearers.

Many people have been studding the content of Barrack Obama’s speeches. They have been studding his speech pattern and all of the other intricacy of his presentation; however they are still unable to detect what give him the ability to captivate his audience the way he does. Unfortunately what they are looking for cannot be found in his speeches, his words or his mannerism. For Barrack Obama’s alluring power is not in what he says or how he says it, as fate would have it, it is found in the integrity that makes up his character. There is something about a strong character that lends power to a person’s appearance, their word (spoken and written) and their actions; such characteristics that cannot be replicated or imitated.

Lately, many people with mess up character have been trying to create their own Obama moment, one such person is Prime Minister Ralph Gonslaves. He goes about making speeches, not because such speeches are needed but in order to fluff his ego, to gain recognition and respect within the region. His objectives as transparent as they are, drives him to address topics he is not qualify to deal with; in doing so he try to speaks on matters of human ills, he fruitlessly try to lend words of motivations to people who need to be inspired and he often fail to bring light of hope to the hopeless. Unfortunately Gonsalves is a man whose character has been so defiled that he would better serve the members of his species by maintaining an eternal silence. This is so for reason I will develop as I continue in this discourse.

Each time Gonsalves opens his mouth to speak, instead of blessing he blights and weary the ears of his hearers, his words are perfect representation of a paradox: his lifestyle are in total disharmony with his words, words which he (Ralph) is unable to trust.

Recently I was exposed to a speech Ralph Gonsalves made on the Isle of spice: Grenada. In his effort to create an Obama moment he created yet another paradoxical moment. He caution his hearers not to be come entrapped by learn helplessness, however he neglect to careful examine his words, for we all know that for every instance where an individual is afforded an opportunity to learn, such lesson must be taught by a teacher, although many lesson are though by the traditional teachers (human); very often our teachers are nature and or even circumstances which create learning moments or experiences.

He also asked his hearers not to adopting a defeatist attitude or personality or as he called it adopting the principal doctrine of “it cannot be done.” The question that must be answered and is on everyone’s mind is: Does Ralph Gonsalves qualify to use such words or to make such speeches? These are questions each person must answer for them self. I challenge Ralph to justifiable answer these question publicly.

Daily Ralph imposed such lessons and he persuasively taught Vincentian the most binding lesson in helplessness; while also teaching the populace that it cannot be done. He was instrumental in creating the circumstances that cause each of us to learn from our experiences, how to be helpless. Ralph Gonslaves was/is the ideal teacher on helplessness and hopelessness. He not only taught it, he ensures that such lessons were superimposed on the psyche of Vincentian. Such imposed teaching may very well leave a mental impression on the people and cause them to develop mental complexes that may very well affect member of that community for generations to come.

He made the masses helpless when he promoted incompetent people into post they are incapable of handling, causing them to exist in an environment of mental helplessness. He is responsible for the state of bewilderment Vincentian now exist in, as they helplessly and hopelessly wait for service promised, and for their life to improve; regrettably there is no visible or imaginary means of such improvement. This can be seen in the poor health care system that exists in the country, the lack of employment that existed even before the global recession. There is also the poor personal example he set for the people as a role model: he taught decent citizen that it is OK to disregard their decency to get what they want; but more so the rapid increase in reported police brutality only aids in compounding such helplessness.

Ralph Gonsalves is the principal instigator and the perfect teacher of the principal doctrine of learnt helplessness which is: “It cannot be done.” He even went as far as to teach his parliamentary colleagues and those whom he surround himself with, that they are incapable of doing anything: this is exhibited in the way he allows his ego to micro manage every aspect of the government and the lives of those around him. He encourages people not to believe and to develop the mind set that their dreams can and will come through; he used his office to propagated that there is no place in his government, his life and his world for integrity, hard work and honorable motive, which are the driving force of success. Helplessness is what happens when the driving force of success is taken away. Unfortunately individuals who exhibit such independent, ethic and are hard workers are victimized.

We have seen so-called honorable men who were once champions of Justice and truth, when caught in the grasp of Ralph’s, they broke under his pressure, as a result they trade the virtues that characterizes a strong character for life of ease, (I will not unmask such by making a public record of their names) while the real men whose values, principles and ethics are far above that which can be traded like a common commodity, are made to undergo hardship. Such virtue and valiant actions must have something more than intrinsic value.

“It cannot be done:” in the courts of Ralph Gonsalves victims are beaten into submission, just like the female police officer and the Canadian human rights lawyers whose allegation of rape and sexual assault were hurriedly swept under the rug by weak men in powerful positions; but an un-normal bulge in the rug still remain, revealing the hidden mess that is yet to be properly taken care of. I must say that all of the wheeling and dealing will not detour Lady Justice, for she will not be deprived of her opportunity to present her public performance in poetic wonderment, a performance she uncomplainingly await to deliver: poetic Justice.

It was only a matter of days after Ralph Gonsalves try to create his Obama Moment by admonishing the people of the Caribbean not to embrace “learnt helplessness,” and not to buy into its principal doctrine which is “It cannot be done.” Here is a case where the great counselor Ralph Gonsalves, forget that example is still the greatest teacher, he fail to follow his own counsel and use the opportunity to teach his student (including himself) a valuable lesson. Instead, in a display of self taught helplessness, he burst into a tangent of childish rage pointing his finger at his CARICOM neighbor: Barbados, threatened not to play with the other members of CARICOM if Barbados do not confirm to his code of conducting the affairs of their nation. Did Vincentian elected a spoilt child to be their political leader?

This is what was meant when Ralph speak of learn helplessness and buying into its principal doctrine of “it cannot be done. Couldn't’t Ralph Gonsalves the nation’s lead statesman and chief diplomat find some diplomatic avenue of addressing the concerns of Vincentian as it relates to the immigration differences between both countries? Or is he frustrated that he no longer holds the influence and respect he once held among his CARICOM colleagues.