Emailgate: Another Trinidad and Tobago Scandal

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Trinidad and Tobago Flag
As we await the outcome of the investigation into the e-mails, recently exposed in Parliament, by the Trinidad and Tobago, Opposition leader, Dr. Keith Rowley, we find ourselves asking the simple question: Who will guard the guards.
The mahogany Coconut Group believes that this investigation, which has been labeled “Emailgate” will be another blow for the stumbling government of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. We don’t believe that Dr. Rowley’s political stock will show any spectacular rise because he still seems to be failing in capturing the imagination of the Trinidad and Tobago populace.
We are however more than concerned that if the e-mails are found to be credible, journalism in the Caribbean is under threat. We take this position because implicit in some of the e-mails exposed, was an effort to undermine a female journalist, whom the governing party believed was not in concord with its agenda. We strongly believe that the rapid deterioration of any society is imminent when journalists are identified as political targets. We are even more concerned because the journalist is a female and we are totally against our Caribbean women professionals being destroyed by politicians. It is even more disturbing to imagine that a female prime minister would be party to such nefarious activity.
Most Caribbean leaders seem to be more engaged in retaining power than in dealing with the problems that the entire region is facing. We are still underdeveloped in many areas. We make the point that: public transportation, health, education and many social services have been hamstrung by greedy political activity. Too many of our institutions that should be the driving force of real progress, have been hijacked by political operatives and party hacks.
We have warned that Trinidad and Tobago, which should be a model of post slavery/ colonial development, is rapidly descending into a political cesspool and its stench will be inhaled by the entire Caribbean. This latest scandal unfortunately supports our view.
We therefore urge all Caribbean journalists to defend their profession and not to be intimidated by spineless politicians and their sorry assortment of lackeys and opportunists. We now wait to see if Emailgate would be nothing more than another Caribbean nine-day wonder.

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