WAYNE KUBLALSINGH

IN 1991, dismayed by the body of lies being used to justify the invasion of Iraq, I left the British Territorial Army. A retired officer had come to the Oxford Officer Training Corps to sell the war to the young officers and recruits. He spoke of war in glorious terms, as if it were a grand Safari expedition.

I visited the commanding officer of the corps and told him that the Iraqis would be bombed like rabbits in their holes. It would not be a war; it would be a massacre. He was not upset. He was genial. He did not agree with my position, but he accepted my withdrawal from the corps.

At home in Trinidad, I visited Teteron and met with Lt Col Alphonso and Major John Sandy. I was hoping they would grab me up. I was fresh, enthusiastic, bearing a sergeant major mentality. But no such luck. There was a suggestion that I join the reserves: 'Let us see what you have in you.' To see what I had in me, I had hoped they would search my record at the corps, at Sandhurst, where I had gained my lone officer's pip. No such luck.

Even though I was told that I had to resign my commission with the British, which I did, and revisited Teteron, there was no enthusiasm for me. Relations petered out. That was that.

Ten years later, lecturing at UWI, I learnt that the assets of Caroni (1975) Ltd were being transferred to political party favourites at peppercorn, low rates. I went down to Sevilla House and met with the company PRO. I met with the trade union. I met with a female worker, a former senator, who was advocating non-closure. Basdeo Panday appeared to be silent on the matter. But the company was bleeding workers who opted for the closure plan.

I organised and hosted a symposium at UWI to determine how Caroni's myriad and valuable assets could be levered to diversify the entire economy. This led to my writing, with the ideas of over 50 experts, the National Transformation Plan for TT. The Government, Minister Rahael, welcomed the report; then shelved it.

When the Government announced its plan to restructure Petrotrin, which eventually led to its being mothballed, I visited an expert in the industry. He had 40 years of experience in the State's oil and gas sector. He said if Dr Rowley mothballed the company, he personally would shake his hands.

I next visited a very eminent manufacturing company. I held a meeting with its CEO and chief financial officer. I asked if they would be interested in assisting the OWTU, raising capital to run a reformed Petrotrin. No luck. They seemed pleased with what appeared to be the Government's intentions.

And though I attended sessions at the Industrial Court, the High Court, marched, spoke out at a meeting, and asked the ever-generous OWTU, its leader, a lead officer, the leader of the political party affiliated with the union to meet, add my little capiche to their advocacy, no such luck. Eventually, the company was mothballed.

In 2015, the Highway Reroute Movement (HRM) held a meeting with Dr Keith Rowley, the then Opposition Leader. I sat next