It is almost nine months since 69 lecturers were wrongfully retrenched by the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT). Twenty of us were sent home on May 11, 2018 after an ambush meeting with administrator Judy Rocke without an equitable, objective and transparent criteria.
It has been a long nine months at home holding on to our MAs, MScs and PhDs. The number nine is significant in Aztec, Hindu, Christian and Muslim symbolism. It represents patience, meditation and gestation (birth). Hinduism and Islam revere nine as symbolising the nine openings of the human body. Jesus Christ expired at the ninth hour.
Nine months ago, we were publicly stripped of our dignity and profession while most of our colleagues (95%) watched our termination without uttering a whimper, shedding a tear or raising a finger, even covertly. In fact, when UTT President, Sarim Al Zubaidy, visited the Valsayn campus on May 24, 2018, to announce that no more lecturers would be retrenched, some of our former colleagues in the assembly hall jumped for joy, and hugged and kissed that executioner from Iraq.
Meanwhile, we were placarding outside the gate in the sun against our unjust dismissal. Our publicist and trade unionist, Devant Maharaj, was present to lend support as well as the media which reported our story.
Suffering in body and spirit
We have been suffering both in body and spirit, not by being retrenched, but by how it was inflicted upon us. The humiliation which Rocke and Al Zubaidy have imposed upon us have caused pain to ooze from every pore of our body.
How could I be dismissed by Rocke for carrying a 70% teaching workload (discounting Practicum) when some of my former colleagues had scores as low as 15%, 28% and 34%, and were retained? Those who found friendship and favour with Rocke were not fired like the Maths teacher from Penal who went out of his way to carry “news” to her.
Rocke never timetabled me to teach Literature although I have an MPhil, and have published a book on the subject: Multiple Identities: Essays in Caribbean Literature (2017). She never fully utilised my higher qualification (Ph.D. in Anthropology which is multi-disciplinary). Yet, I and others who had varied qualifications were retrenched because she felt that we were “surplus” and “redundant” to the university’s “restructuring exercise.”
Field research, journal and book publications, and conference presentations were not counted in the retrenchment criteria … in this university. (WTF). They could not be. Most of those who Rocke kept, had none.
Nine months after, we are still spurned as if we are the perpetrators of wrongdoing rather than the victims of corrupt administrators. Most of our former colleagues (95%) do not call us on the phone, send an email, or reply to our WhatsApp posts, although we see them reading our messages. No “Hi!”, “How ‘ur doing?”, “Keep faith.”, “Hang in there.”, “God will be good to you.” Nothing of that sort. However, our former students still reach out to us.
30 pieces of silver
Teaching buddies with whom we had shared food, limed together, and chatted regularly at workshops, the photocopy machine and in the lunchroom, now avoid us. At the shopping malls and car parks, they run from us as if they have seen a ghost. When they are at the ATM machine withdrawing their 30 pieces of silver, we feel pity for them.
If all of them had the courage and decency to stand united on May 11, 2018, this atrocity would have never happened. If all the lecturers had told Al Zubaidy that that they were willing to sacrifice a five percent pay cut, the solidarity would have saved us and our families from living in poverty, having our children eat Crix and butter for lunch every day.
The Christians among our former colleagues should be guided by the Bible. James 3:14 and Romans 2:8 state that selfish ambition and selfishness are vile practices and unrighteous acts. Proverbs 31:9 states that a Christian must speak up and defend the rights of the afflicted.
The Hindus should be guided by the episode in the Maha-bharath [400 BCE epic poem]in which Draupadi was forcibly disrobed in the assembly hall. Yet not one person, peer or elder stopped the perpetrator. She cried, “Shame!” that the transgression of dharma [righteousness] had been ignored (2:60).
The Muslims should pay heed to Chapter 3:114 of the Quran which states that those who believe in God should advocate righteousness and forbid evil, and should be quick to do good deeds.
Chapter 31:17 says these are the most honourable traits of mankind.
It must be emphasised that we hold no resentment for our former colleagues. We miss them and our students dearly. Do not think we have gone forever. Through the High Court, our return journey has begun. Our faith is also pinned on the symbol of the rising sun.
is a full-time anthropologist at the University of Guyana (UG) and Fellow of The Eccles Centre for American Studies, British Library (2022-23). He is a former Assistant Professor at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT). He obtained his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Florida (UF). As a doctoral student, he won a Florida Caribbean Institute Award, an A. Curtis Wilgus Grant, and an Organization of American States (OAS) Fellowship.
Mahabir received a National Award (Hummingbird Silver Medal) for his contribution to education in his country in 2011. He was among 50 recipients who received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the UWI Alumni Association.
Mahabir is the author of 12 books to date.