LARA PICFORD-GORDON Monday, April 27 2009

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BON AIR BOOST: A cook from 'Blended Perfection' chats with Housing Minister Emily Gaynor Dick-Forde during the opening ceremony of The Village Plaza i...

There was so much hullabaloo with the Summit that the event itself struck me as anti-climactic. The frenzy of the preparations with security cameras being installed, painting, things being fixed, and the dry runs. The Summit Village generated excitement and there were many people visiting, some under the premise of seeing how the tax dollars were spent. I marvelled at Trinis playing tourist wandering about the village and people posing for photographs at the waterfront. The Summit village was responsible for increased traffic on Wrightson Road with people parking or jay walking. On Easter Monday I had to go to the Old Fire Station building on Abercromby Street for my accreditation pass. Foolish me thought I could go early and leave and be in time for the 11 am media briefing at the International Financial Centre and still arrive home at a reasonable hour to salvage what was left of the public holiday. However, when I got there colleagues informed me they were told to return at 1 pm. So I had to wait in the office until 11 am for the media briefing scheduled for local media. That was another story.

An official from a foreign company charged with handling the media arrangements outlined the facilities and services available. Then she said some events would not be open to all media and “media pools” would be selected. However, the official could not say exactly how the selection was done but assured that the process was reliable. I strongly suspected names were selected like numbers for the lotto. A few of my colleagues were lucky to get selected but I hear that pool caused vexation for many from the media which were never selected. The pool system was abandoned on Saturday–the first official day of the Summit because of the indisciplined behaviour of foreign the media personnel. That was the day I nearly got crushed during the arrival of President Hugo Chavez. The arrival of the Heads of State at the Hyatt on Friday April 17 was a cause for some excitement. From Thursday media personnel positioned at the entrance to capture the leaders who came in Thursday. The following day the numbers had increased as the main news attractions–President Obama on his first trip to the Caribbean, Venezuela’s President and Bolivia’s President Evo Morales.

There was a buzz as reporters eagerly looked out for the US President. Photographers and reporters were alert for every vehicle driving toward the entrance of the Hyatt. But that “Beast” took another path and Obama evaded the media crush. The arrival of Chavez caused a frenzy.

Media as well as persons who were “volunteers” for the Summit rushed forward. There were barriers placed to prevent media from getting too close but these seemed irrelevant as the Spanish speaking broadcast media shouted questions to Mr Chavez. There was a point where the crowd seemed to sway and I was sure I would fall. I had my recorder out but was too far away. A foreign female reporter who also had a recorder prepared to capture a few quotes looked at me.

“It’s no use” she said with resignation. She was right, besides, I can’t translate Spanish.

What really irked me was how local and Caribbean media were totally frozen out of those media briefings with the US President. A White House press briefing at the Hyatt broadcast via cable, a media briefing on the roof of the Hilton Trinidad but only US media was present and the President knew their names. But I guess the reality is what local and Caribbean people think or not of his words is irrelevant compared to what the people back home think.

The Summit may not be remembered for the things that happened in the plenary but what happened on the sidelines. Obama greeting Chavez (and being too friendly according to some critics), Chavez giving Obama a book (which overnight becomes popular), calls from heads of government and civil society for the end to the US embargo against Cuba, Morales accusing the US Government of plotting to kill him. Plus there must have been other diplomatic manoeuvring which we outsiders were not privy to. To think in our little island was the scene of all the drama.

I attended a few of the civil society pre-summit meetings and what struck me were the many appeals and demands for heads of democratically elected governments to remember the vulnerable in their decisions. Some of the same issues are always highlighted particularly appeals for support and human rights protection for the poor, women and children as well as marginalised groups, and protection of the environment.

The worst part of big meetings being overshadowed with political issues (or violent protest) is that we are left with the impression that nothing was achieved. In our case people are already saying it was a waste of time and money.