The Fatal Error: Fazeergate?

The Fatal Error: Fazeergate?

November 9, 2010, 11:24 pm
Filed under: Everyday Commentary

After many missteps, the People’s Partnership has finally made a major stumble.

Over the past six months, the new government has erred and in recent weeks with great frequency.

From Errol Mcleod’s “I didn’t mean that”, to the laptops, to Jack Warner’s airport lights fiasco, the Partnership maintained a solid stutter.

The Prime Minister’s lack of diplomatic tact last week, I had initially believed to be the biggest one of all.

Then before that error had been properly addressed, came the major fumble:

Fired for his religious beliefs?

The removal of Fazeer Mohammed from his post as talk show host of First Up! morning show.

Now the dismissal of a talk show host would not normally shake the roots of a government, particularly one that scored a landslide victory in a general election less than six months ago.

But Mohammed’s removal had the odd blend of a heated on air exchange with a government minister, laced with the targeting of religious philosophy , followed by a holiday weekend phone call which announced his dismissal due to ‘cost cutting’ just two days after the aforementioned interview.

The mixture left a stench in the air allowing the public to join the journalist’s cry of foul.

Mohammed, who graduated from cricket commentator to respected journalist, had gained many fans as host of the show which  airs on state owned Caribbean New Media Group’s television station C and its’ sister radio station Talk City 91.1 FM.

Now it is not the first time a government Minister has imposed himself on a media house and media personnel have been sanctioned as a result.

One should remember when the now shy of speech MP for San Fernando East Patrick Manning made a house call to 94.1 FM back in 2008. The then Prime Minister’s visit to the station after overhearing less than flattering comments about himself was believed to have earned two young announcers suspensions.

But that case differs, in that Manning took offense to something that was said and sought his interest behind closed doors.

For the first time, the people of Trinidad and Tobago were able to witness a government Minister set out with an agenda to unsettle a journalist.

Don’t believe me, look here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT4fRxhnLes

In case you haven’t figured it out, the good journalist Mr Mohammed was baited.

The former Chaguanas mayor asked his questions intent on getting a specific answer.  He got that answer when he asked,  “Philosophically, do you subscribe to women in leadership positions?”
As Mohammed responded,  “Well, religiously, no.” he had given rope to his hangman, noose already fitted for his head.

Rambachan had challenged the journalist to a round of Double Jeopardy and Fazeer had read the wrong answer.

The Minister had his quote and no amount of intelligent and professional backtracking could save Fazeer Mohammed.

Prior to this the People’s Partnership bent over backwards trying to not look like their predecessors.

Their enthusiastic embrace of the media since settling into office just under six months ago was so stifling I was among the many who labelled them the Public Relations Partnership.

It is because of this,  it seems strange that the Foreign Affairs Minister should instigate such an incident.

Has the People’s Partnership simply given up on befriending the media?

Or was it simply Rambachan’s own personal revenge against a journalist who had bested him on more than one occasion previously during interviews?

Certainly it wasn’t because Fazeer Mohammed raised the point of Kamla’s lack of tact.

Now let’s say too much has been read into this and it’s mere coincidence that 48 hours after this exchange, Mohammed received news that his tenure as host of First Up! had come to an end.

But then the other ingredients added to this stew made the scent even more pungent.

Andy Johnson, a well respected journalist with a proven track record with TV6’s Morning Edition would seem like a excellent replacement.

Except that he had just left his post at an independent Media House to head the Government Information Services Limited.

Now while I would not go so far as the Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago to label him a non-practicing journalist, particularly since much of what GISL does involves actual journalistic work, his direct alignment to a government organisation more than lends the suggestion that the Government wishes to pull the strings.

Fazeer Mohammed divides opinion among many, but his impartiality in questioning was never disputed.

It would interesting to see if Andy Johnson, no matter how long he fills the seat Fazeer was forced out of, questions members of this government from here on in.

Johnson’s appointment, much like Fazeer’s termination  is yet another unforced error by the current administration. This one could easily erode a major chunk of the support depending on how the government responds to a now cagey public who now may be feeling they have voted for just what they wished to vote against.

The honeymoon is over.

Members of the media are frothing at the mouth.

The love is lost there.

No doubt members of the Islamic community have more than raised an eyebrow at this development. There’s more than a hint or religious persecution in here as well.

Had this not been a laid back Caribbean “lime-centric” society, mass riots with effigies of Rambachan being burnt likely would have occurred outside the Prime Minister’s office or the Red House.

The opposition, which tends to show less wisdom each time one of its members (particularly Fitzgerald Hinds) speaks to enunciate criticism of the PP need do little more than push a mirror in front of PM Persad-Bissessar and company.

The cracks are getting wider for the new government and I fear they are quickly running out of mortar to seal them up.

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