So it over?

It safe?

When ah did start watchin’ it larse Saturday, is one question dat was in mih head an’ it wouldn’t leave. Dat is when ah did know ah had to write about what ah was watchin’ happen in ah place dat was only far away geographically. Dat question was causin’ all kind ah confusion in mih head. Ah would write someting, den somebody would say someting in Triniland an’ ah had tuh find ah way tuh include dat. It was ah challenge ah decide I eh acceptin’. Ah was goin’ an’ wait till it was over.

Ah tryin’ now.

When ah first hear about what was happenin’ in dat mall in Nairobi, me eh pay it no real mind. Ah tort was anudder copycat explosion ah madness by ah sick puppy. Dis world full ah sick puppies.

By late Saturday, ah did know more about what was really goin’ orn. It was people usin’ terror against innocent people tuh punish ah govahment dey tort was doin’ wrong. Once ah watch de first set ah pictures, I stop studyin’ what was happenin’. I had mih own conflict tuh resolve.

Kenya far from Triniland buh as ah was watchin’ dem scenes ah horror unfold, ah was replacin’ everyting Kenyan wid dey Trini version – de Kenyan police; dey soldiers; dey politicians creatin’ dey own facts; de mall, even dong tuh how dey was handlin’ de response.

Is dat one question dat was havin’ mih doin’ all dat as ah struggled tuh answer it.

What eef God not ah Trini?

Den it had de udder questions related tuh dat.

Could someting like what ah watchin’ happen in T&T?

How it would geh handled?

It was ah selfish set ah torts ah admit. Really doh? People was dead, udders doin’ dey best tuh not geh kill an’ I dey wonderin’ eef dat could happen in T&T. Dat eh selfish?

Ah listen wid mixed feelin’ tuh de latest MNS, Griffith, tork about de attack. Ah was glad he was mentionin’ it as dat tell mih he recognize what happen someplace else could happen in T&T. What he went an’ say after dat recognition was of questionable value tuh me. How much time he go telegraph what he goin’ tuh do, or at least telegraph what he say he goin’ an’ do? Doin’ dat make even less sense. Buh ah eh supposed tuh be beatin’ no dead horse so ah movin’ orn.

Dat was when de wind geh knocked out mih chest. Not only could someting like dat attack happen anyplace, dat particular attack hit Trinbago.

Ravindra Ramrattan, ah Trini wukkin’ in Kenya, geh kill in de attack.

Ah was stunned like everybody else. Kenya eh all dat far from Triniland after all. Everyting connected tuh everyting else. Pelt ah big stone in de water over dey an’ ah ripple showin’ up dong here.

Is ah fair question tuh ask what Mr. Ramrattan do fuh udders tuh decide he had tuh dead fuh dey cause. From what ah read he was ah gem of ah Trini, destined tuh do good eef not great tings. Even if is me askin’, tuh ask what he do dem people he eh know, show de lack ah understandin’ dat terrorism not about de virtue ah any ah its victims. It is about scarin’ everybody shitless so dey paralyzed.

In Ravindra’s death de rest ah we should come tuh ah profound realization: What he geh prevented from achievin’, we could, by linkin’ hands across all we perceived barriers. We can achieve dat thousands ah times over, we dat good. When we ready.

In de meantime, de most immediate ting I could do is offer mih deepest condolences tuh he family. Each one ah dem, an’ he friends too, should take comfort in believin’ dis: De way he leave dis world is ah opportunity fuh all de good dat he would have done fuh udders to now each even more people.

As sad an’ as upliftin’ as dat could be, it eh answer de question dat still out dey.

It rhetorical?

Ah mean I eh tink anybody really truly believe God is ah Trini as dat would be incredibly dotish. Buh dat doh stop Trinis from actin’ like He is, ent? Right dey is ah topic fuh when is ah slow news week.

De only clues it have on how T&T would handle tings is 1970, 1990 an’ dat period in 2005 from July tuh October when dem bombs was explodin’ in an’ arong Port ah Spain. It even worth askin’ eef anybody feel comfortable in how any ah dem episodes was handled?

Okay, 1970 too far in de parse, besides T&T was innocent. It mightn’t be safe tuh use 1990 as ah example as de commission of enquiry into what Bakr cause, just done only dis week self ah tink? It go take ah while fuh de final report tuh geh finished an’ reach de eager public. Dat leave de events ah 2005 tuh be mih baseline tuh judge how prepared T&T is. It appropriate too since we have tuh read someting into how nobody ever get charge an’ convicted fuh dem bombings. Dat is what I think.

Anybody fuhget de sight ah de helicopter de CoP was in landin’ in de middle ah one ah de bombin’ site? Who know why he do dat? Dat eh no test tuh see who smart, ah really would like tuh know. Ah mean wid all dat dust dat geh stirred up an’ all de tings dat geh blow away. Not accordin’ tuh de CoP as he say nuttin was wrong wid what he do.

Given de goal ah terrorists, ah wonder how many people in T&T an’ tong in particular, had no more need fuh ah certain body part. How different is dat feelin’ compared tuh when murders happenin’? Ah bet ah know which one more frightenin’. Is only time dat reduce people fear once de bombings stop ‘just so’. Even wid all de tit fuh tat, whoever was ‘big enough’ tuh do it might be still out dey. Ah wonder what Patrick Manning tink.

So, who full ah confidence dat T&T ready tuh handle people who fanatical an’ eh fraid tuh kill or be killed? Trinbago ready tuh fight fire wid hotter fire?

What about intelligence gadderin’? I tort it was always better tuh prevent dan tuh clean up buh after readin’ dis in de Kenyan papers me eh know eef dey authorities agree wid me:

Four Cabinet Secretaries and the Kenya Defence Force boss were warned that al-Shabaab terrorists were planning a Mumbai-style attack in Nairobi, where they would storm a building and hold hostages.

The warnings started in January and increased early this month when the Cabinet Secretaries, who are members of the National Security Council, were told of plans to cause mayhem in Nairobi and Mombasa on September 13 and 20.

According to counter-terrorism reports seen by the Saturday Nation, Cabinet Secretaries Julius Rotich (Treasury), Joseph ole Lenku (Interior), Amina Mohammed (Foreign Affairs), Raychelle Omamo (Defence) and KDF boss General Julius Karangi were alerted on the impending attacks. The report said terrorists planned to storm a building with guns and grenades and “probably hold hostages”

Yuh have tuh be right 100% ah de time eef yuh want tuh stop terrorists’ attacks. Dey on de udder hand have tuh successful only once. Dem eh very good odds nah eef yuh against terrorists, buh yuh still have tuh aim fuh dat 100% while being ready fuh dat first time yuh miss.

T&T aimin’? It ready?

It eh over nah, it eh safe.

http://www.nation.co.ke/news/Did-Karangi-ministers-ignore-terror-warning/-/1056/2010420/-/b7sfagz/-/index.html