More in the mortar than the pestle?

THE EDITOR: The ultra-modern fuelling station on 65,000 square feet of land at Preysal, central Trinidad, with great attention paid to CNG (compressed natural gas) and solar energy, is a project which generates great pride in the 43-year-old National Petroleum Marketing Company Ltd (NP).

According to Energy and Energy Industries Minister Stuart Young, the Government views the opening as “a significant achievement in developing the compressed natural gas industry since the Government approved the introduction of CNG as part of the transportation fuel mix in 1992.”

“From then to now, the Government has attempted to place a substantial focus on the acceleration of the use of CNG,” Young said.

While all seemed well and good as the cameras rolled and the recorders set about taking in the historic scene with various officials duly assuming proud poses for “photo opps” for a job well done, I later found something curiously amiss with at least one media house.

With all the media called upon to do their best in this glaring spotlight, I found it downright flabbergasting that a television station now seeking to get into the good graces of audiences could fumble so badly on the big stage.

It’s absolutely amazing that MCTV (MultiCultural Television) could attend a function of such significant importance, record it and present a news story (which I saw on September 22) where the minister responsible for the project was not allowed to utter one single word on screen.

Addresses by the NP chairman and other officials are all appropriately recorded and presented but there’s not a “peep” from Young, who is actually seen front and centre cutting ribbons, unveiling plaques and giving high-fives for the outstanding work by NP’s people.

The behaviour of such a brass-faced newcomer to the field suggests that there may be more in the mortar than this pestle.

RUDOLPH WILLIAMS

St James