Biasness Against Indians

[LadyDeath]

Opposition MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh yesterday charged that Government was carrying out a policy of political discrimination that was targeting one particular ethnic grouping in T&T.

"I don't think the Prime Minister is a racist at all but he is practising inequality and massive discrimination," Gopeesingh said yesterday at a news conference at his St Clair office.

Gopeesingh said he has known Manning for the past 30 years and had gone to university with him and believed the Prime Minister's "best friends are East Indians".

But he said, "What you practice as a political leader and a Prime Minister may be not the way you behave personally as an individual."

Gopeesingh also said he was not going to apologise for the comments he made in Parliament on Friday about there being "ethnic cleansing", and that most of the Indian doctors have had to leave the Port of Spain General Hospital.

"I felt compelled to bring it in the debate in Parliament rather than hiding it because I would have been doing an injustice to the society, particularly when people's lives are at stake and when I see lives are being lost because of negligence and people being operated on by junior doctors who never should be practising in Trinidad and Tobago," Gopeesingh said.

He said those junior doctors were being given licences to practise by what he called the Government's forming of a parallel medical board, as opposed to the constitutionally appointed Medical Board.

The Government has maintained that all foreign doctors being allowed to practise in T&T are properly licensed and qualified to do their jobs.

Gopeesingh said highly qualified doctors of Indian descent from this country were being turned away from key jobs in the public health sector or were leaving out of frustration.

"This Government is guilty, and guilty of massive discrimination in the health sector," Gopeesingh said.

Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate Wade Mark, who joined Gopeesingh at yesterday's news conference, accused the Manning administration of "pursuing a practice of selective discrimination particularly as it relates to employment in the Public Service".

On Friday evening, as he responded to Gopeesingh's comments on ethnic cleansing, Manning said the Parliament was not the place for "that kind of talk" even if the Opposition MP had the evidence to prove his claim. He called for Gopeesingh to withdraw the remarks.

Gopeesingh said, "There is massive discrimination and inequality in the award of scholarships, in the award of housing, in the hiring practices throughout the country and it must be spoken about. We cannot sweep it under the carpet because to sweep it under the carpet would be doing a massive disservice to the national community and it must be brought (out) and Parliament is the place that it has to be discussed.

"We cannot discuss this outside. We are elected by the people and the people expect us to discuss this."

He provided a list of names of 14 senior doctors of Indian descent who he claimed have been forced to take VSEP, did not have their contracts renewed or who have been frustrated out of the public health system from 2008 to present

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[RauCous]

All the "Indian" doctors i ever went to were real Indians not Trini's pulling the race card. We need to define what Tim Gopeesing mean by the use of the word "Indian" Like i said somewhere if foreign medical workers are better workers use them. I care more about my health safety than the paycheck of a quack. lol.

 

[LadyDeath]

I think tim goopesing was expressing his ideas but i discrimination in the health sector? its true that primary doctors are not some what equiped to handle all situations but i do not understand why 14 indian doctors have been highlighted cuz discrimination happens in all places

 

[RauCous]

Biasness Againts... Trini's.. ok fine Indians.

People are getting concerned by what he meant by 'ethnic cleansing' thats a strong term. Thats actuall extermination of a sector of a society.. he made a booboo.. or he just wanted us to get all angry lol. I hate when politicians say stuff without giving actual stats. If he really has something then give the people proof. What are the numbers for people of other descent. What are the criteria for putting people on vsep... are their more people of indian descent that are doctors.. stuff like that. Because that would show if the discrimination he's talking about is really as systematic as he says. I'm not the kind to jump on the bandwagon when someone says discrimination.. these things have to be proven by numbers.

 

[Wyspa]

No disrespect to Mr. Goopeesing, or anyone that chooses to believe such non-sense, but I think for an educated man, he made an un-educated statement. In my personal experiences the majority of doctors in the hospitals and medical institutes are of Indian decent. These statements were not even backed up by solid facts. It was something he had "heard". Which means that this was word of mouth information. And the time that he chose to make such a comment was ill-timed. I personally believe that the politicians have a lot to do with the racial rift that is steadily spreading amongst the population. Each time a politcal party of a different ethnic background is in the "opposition" they cry fowl for everything and are eager to throw the "race" card. Yeah i said it! It happens on both sides. While there may not be racism to the extreme levels in T&T, it does exist in one form or the other.. And it is fueled by those in authority. Not only in terms of political but people who are leaders amongst us. There's more i would like to say on the subject, but I think that ppl may be offended. And thats the last thing I wanna do. I don't wanna disrespect anyone or give anyone reason to think that i'm racist or anything like that. So depending on the response ppl bring to this topic and I'll respond to suit.

 

[LadyDeath]

As we were discussing in another topic yes politics are the one responsible.. example what goopesingh said SOME Indian people might hate other races now for this and this is how it happens...and if it was the other way around then other races might hate indians and so on.This is what happens in our country and we have to learn that not everything politicians say is true

 

[RauCous]

Now Panday brandishing the word "Indian" to describe Trinidadians. I'm sorry but that is the last thing you want to do if you dont want to come across as racist. You can say "Indian Diaspora" or "Of indian decent" . The time you start using nationalites to discribe people of your own country you lose me. I only vex cuz by now we KNOW it have better words to describe ourselves. Wording like that emphasises the stereotypes that we work so hard against. My two grandparents looked more "indian" than me so who these politicians sidelining me so?

 

[admin]

I do agree that their are racialism to a point i'm not going to disagree to that i have seen it my self remember i was a student nurse working in the san fernando hospital but what i'm really annoyed is that wtf he have to use this term for "ethnic cleansing" do he really know what this mean, this mean that a person or a body will go to the extreme to remove the other race being (attacks, killing, condemning so on). I'm so fed up with this politics thing right now what should happen is that the ruling party and the opposition should be removed and let us get some new respectable people up their

 

[RauCous]

They just using the wrong words. These words too strong for something like discrimination. They're doing it specifically to inflame passions. Thats annoying. We still dont know if the accusations have a factual basis.. All this fighting up could be for nothing..

 

[admin]

One thing we have to understand is the opposition are paid to keep the government from over spending and to keep then on track, by criticizing most of the government doing and actions

 

[RauCous]

Yeah I know its expected for the opposition to oppose. This doesn't strike me as work related.. it just lookin like somebody has a personal mission and using the people politics to get support.

 

[LadyDeath]

They said on news that Tim gave wrong evidence beacuse some of them resigned or some gave up. that was an incorrect statement and it made big headlines on news. so if Tim new this why did he bring it up in the first place..for corruption?

 

[Wyspa]

One thing we have to understand is the opposition are paid to keep the government from over spending and to keep then on track, by criticizing most of the government doing and actions

While i agree 100% with your opinion about the role of the opposition, I don't think that blatantly spewing propoganda such as this is warranted. As others have said, "ethnic cleansing" is a very strong term to use. There is no ethnic cleansing in T&T. The good Dr. need to get his terms right. :nono:
Once again this goes to show the flagrant disregard for decorum amongst our leaders. Time and time again they fail to bring dignity and tact that should accompany their positions. How de hell a distinguished gentleman such as himself can stoop to such a level. This is not doing any of the citizens any form of good. And lo & behold, there are people who believe what he said.. read the papers for proof of what i'm saying. That statement would do nothin more than incite resentment amongst the people. :Throw: