Commentators and writers in T&T are bulldogs in a ring, bruising each other in that clash of professional egos. This was a statement made by President Anthony Carmona during his feature address at Wednesday’s annual graduation ceremony of the University of the West Indies, St Augustine campus. He said that there is a crisis in intellectual discussion in T&T. “We are a society in adult distress. The disingenuous and the uncouth have a field day because of their unfettered access to print and a microphone. “We desperately need a breath of new writers and commentators who will not engage the nation with the same old, same old dialogue and that obsession with self. We await a gush of fresh breeze.”
Just earlier that day (Wednesday) Carmona issued a pre-action protocol letter against radio host and comedian, Rachel Price, for alleged defamation of his wife, Reema. It is reported that Price criticised Reema’s attire at a recent function on international attention and importance. Carmona said there is a continuous stream of opinions of government issues expressed daily, not only in Parliament and in print media but also on radio and social media. “Regrettably in all these forums, light-minded minds tend to recycle and state their greed opinions. “As graduates, you have a responsibility to bring more enlightened dispassionate approach to the discourse on issues of national and regional importance. “We have to replace our focus on personalities with a focus on ideas so that they opinioned and self-serving pronouncements and forms of cyber bullying are replaced by thoughtful dialogue and minded conversation.”
He said social media Web sites no longer perform an envisaged function or creating a positive communication link among friends, family and professionals. “It is a battleground where insults fly from the human quiver, damaging lives, destroying self esteem and a personal sense of self-worth.” Carmona also made reference to the draconian piece of legislation that does not allow any political party or President to appoint anyone younger than 25-years-old to the Senate. “Many countries in the world are lowering the voter age from 18 to 17 to 16. “We need to, seriously, to consider that option. We need to bring that intellectual luminance that is sometimes lacking.”
Sharing his personal mantra to the hundreds of graduates, Carmona urged: “Try to be a better person today, not a greater person than you were yesterday. “Culture is a proper moral compass. Ensure that you invoke standards of accountability and integrity.”