The eventual acceptance and legalisation process of interracial relationships has already occurred in several states in America, two provinces in Canada, the Netherlands and also the UK.

This public interest issue thus begs the question: To what extent should the Government get involved? Again, if the Government does become involved, what are some of the implications and unintended consequences that may ensue? One thing for sure, even though interracial relationships may incorporate human rights and equality issues, established cultural and religious tradition of marriage pose a major hurdle to circumvent. In response, the corpus of all the mainline diverse religious bodies, from Catholicism, Islam, Hindus, Presbyterians, Baptists, Pentecostals, and other religious groups have made their pronounced positions.

These religious bodies have all expressed that they do not harbour hatred, animosity or discrimination, but their hope is that their spiritual love and human care will hopefully help these minority groups to see a difference.

Religious freedom at risk for all nationals
Some proponents of interracial have argued that in the event of marriage being redefined, the Catholic church and other religious communities will be “protected” or “exempted” from being required by law to perform interracial marriages. Such proposals may fail to understand the immensely powerful role and influence of the law in our society.

Changing the Marriage Act would, in practice, compel Catholics and other faith communities to recognise and accept interracial marriage in their schools, charities, social welfare, health care and adoption services. It would also threaten the right of religious communities who believe in marriage to live, teach and publicly practice their belief that marriage is a union of a white man and a white woman.

While it is very dangerous to be discriminatory, critical or condemnatory of this group of fellow nationals, there ought to be very careful deliberation and extensive consultation by the Government in this matter. If the Government were to eventually accede and legalised the same, what effect will it have on education, homes, national security and a myriad of other related issues?

Thus it behooves this PP Government not to act hastily or prematurely to endorse or legislate, but to seriously consider the views of the electorate, and encouraging a measured public debate on the nature and meaning of marriage.

—
Based on: Don’t act hasty on same sex marriages

So I’m delighted to introduce The Coloured Collective, a blog dedicated to issues of race, culture, identity, gender and sexuality – especially as faced by women of colour in a world of black and white.

I’m one of a rotating cast of contributors (and we’re always looking for new voices, so get in touch by leaving a comment or shouting us on Facebook if you’re interested. Or Twitter. Or Tumblr. As you do.)

And now back to our sporadic posting schedule.

Twenty twelve
A year to delve

Into all those
incomplete goals

Of last year
I swear.

/by Andre Baugh

SUBJECT: A VIEW FROM THE TRENCHES: THE TRINIDAD ECONOMY AS REFLECTED IN VISA APPLICANTS REF: PORT OF SPAIN 195 PORT OF SP 00000546 001.2 OF 002 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED; PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY ¶1.

(SBU) SUMMARY:

While not completely scientific, information provided in visa interviews opens a window on the local economy. Recognizing the limitations of such information, but also its worth, the Embassy conducted a study involving 218 randomly chosen visa applicants. The data revealed income disparities and large informal and state economic sectors.

END SUMMARY

INCOME, INEQUALITY, BENEFITS OF HIGHER EDUCATION

———————————————

¶2. (SBU) Survey data was derived from 218 randomly chosen visa applicants. Data collected included gender, monthly income, household income, savings, employer, position, sector, housing status, and education level. The labor sector breakdown of those in the survey (which perhaps not coincidently largely mirrors GOTT Central Statistical Office estimates) was: -Clerical: 11% -Services: 9% -Security: 7% -Financial: 7% -Education: 6% -Energy: 5% -Transport: 5% -Health: 4% -Construction: 4% -Real Estate: 3% -Engineering: 3% -Utilities: 2% -Law: 2% -Self Employed: 14% -Retired: 18% Including companies in which the government invests and controls, either directly or indirectly, 47% of those sampled can be considered to work for the GOTT.

¶3. (U) Median annual income across the sample was $17,988 (all figures in this cable are in USD), broadly consistent with published reports of T&T per capita GDP of around $16,000. Men (43% of survey) earned an average of $23,412, while women (57% of survey) earned only $13,398. Those with a bachelor’s degree or higher comprised 21% of applicants and earned a median wage of $28,850. Seventy-two percent of applicants owned their own home, either via a conventional mortgage or through inheritance. It is worth mentioning that 28% of the sample was denied visas; their median wage was $10,125.

ENERGY SECTOR APPLICANTS GENERALLY WELL OFF

——————————————-

¶4. (U) Not surprisingly, those in the energy sector enjoyed the highest median salaries. Although only 5% of the population is directly employed in energy, the median income for that group of survey applicants was $25,935, over $8,000 more than the overall sample median. Comments from persons in that sector, though, suggest a looming slowdown that may impact on future salary stability or growth.

EDUCATION; DECLINING US STUDENT VISA NUMBERS

——————————————–

¶5. (U) The median wage for those with a bachelor’s degree or higher in our study is over $10,000 more than the overall median wage of $17,988. This makes manifest the value of higher education, a point apparently not lost on the GOTT. One recent GOTT effort that is making a quantifiable impact on the society as a whole is the Government Assistance for Tuition Expenses (GATE) program. Designed to provide an outlet to slow intellectual brain drain, GATE provides free tuition to qualified students at a variety of T&T based universities and training centers in exchange for a three year commitment from beneficiaries to work in the country after graduation rather than depart for opportunities abroad.

¶6. (SBU) Though other factors may be involved, including concern over visa rejections, the impact of the program seems to have been immediate — student visa numbers for U.S. study have declined between 5-10% a year over the past 3 years as more and more T&T students and parents choose the substantial financial benefits of free tuition. In addition, as a result of GATE, higher education is now available to lower income families. It should be noted, though, that some GOTT programs do exist to provide funding for education abroad (e.g., 170 students are in the U.S., and 95 in Canada, on government scholarships).

PORT OF SP 00000546 002 OF 002

SELF-MPLOYMENT, THE INFORMAL ECONOMY, TAX COMPLIANCE

——————————————— ——

¶7. (SBU) At 14%, the self-employed comprise the largest single segment of our study, with a median wage of $16,661, slightly less than the overall median. The self-employed work in a variety of areas, but the sector is dominated by building contractors, food service vendors/caterers, small shop or market owners and clothing resellers. (NOTE: Self-employed accountants, architects, engineers and doctors, for the purposes of this study, were accounted for in their respective fields of expertise.) While some register their businesses with the GOTT, many seem to not report income accurately. Those whose businesses are not registered or who do not pay taxes are included, by definition, in the informal economy.

¶8. (SBU) In a conversation with an official from the GOTT Board of Inland Revenue (BIR), CONOFF inquired about tax compliance rates for small businesses. The official indicated that tax compliance and accurate income reporting for the self-employed was largely non-existent and unenforceable from a resource perspective, mentioning that the BIR focused on large firms, multi-nationals, and larger family-owned concerns for revenue collection.

Baby Doc Duvalier’s return evokes Haiti’s dark past – BBC (Jan 19 2011)

Papa Doc first came to power in 1957, when he is said to have won free and fair elections.

A popular figure at first, he became increasingly authoritarian and eccentric, keeping control of the country thanks to the sinister Tontons Macoutes who acted with impunity to silence any opposition.

In 1964 Papa Doc had himself declared president for life.

Baby Doc Returns  – TT Guardian/Kevan Gibbs (Jan 23 2011)

Papa Doc first came to power in 1957, when he is said to have won elections.

A popular figure at first, he became increasingly authoritarian, keeping control of the country thanks to the Tontons Macoutes who acted with impunity to silence any opposition. In 1964 Papa Doc had himself declared president for life.

Plaigirism is not journalism. Nor is it new to the T&T media, whose editors, as usual, appear to be asleep.

November 4 2007 / Trinidad Guardian

I look on in silence as a rising tide of ignorance threatens to engulf the island people. The promise and potential of an Athens of the New World is being blindly devoured by petty tribal rivalries and insecurities of skin and hair, ancestry and religion.

That bright illuminating spark of true Caribbean culture, its hybrid brilliance aglow before Independence, is put out, sold out to a cult of greed and power at any cost.

A cancer of corruption corrodes the body politic, a corruption of spirit, a primitive, barbaric immorality of soul. The beautiful island TAPESTRY is being torn to shreds. A monument to enormous gaudy crassness replaces it, casting a dark, dangerous and murderous shadow.

I look aside in shame. I feed the birds. I water the plants. I engage the company of the dogs and the cat with love, respect and wonderment.

Minshall

via e-mail

In the depiction of the Angel Gabriel’s visit to the Virgin Mary which foretold the birth of Jesus, the New King James Bible’s version of Luke reads, “And having come in, the angel said to her, ‘Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women.'”

In the patois version, it becomes, “Di ienjel go tu Mieri an se tu ar se, ‘Mieri, mi av nyuuz we a go mek yu wel api. Gad riili riili bles yu an im a waak wid yu aal di taim.'”

Lloyd Millen, pastor of the Cumberland Community Church in Portmore, said his congregants have been “animated and so excited” when they hear him preach from the Gospel of Luke in their spoken language.

“People feel liberated to hear the Bible this way. They say they are able to visualize it better,” Millen said.

Source: Washington Post