Samuel Goldwyn, the famous Hollywood producer, was famous, even during his lifetime, for 'Goldwynisms', which came after 'malapropisms' and pre-dated 'Bushisms' and other 'isms'that perpetrate grievous bodily harm on the English language.

While some of them may have been attributed to, and not originated by Goldwyn, they are all very funny.

The Goldwynism I like best is, "If Roosevelt were alive today, he would turn over in his grave."

Condemnation

The British-American Rock Band, Fleetwood Mac, came out with the song Murrow Turning Over in His Grave, about the present excesses of the media and CBS, the major United States broadcasting company, at which the legendary American journalist, Edward R. Murrow, spent his entire career as a broadcaster.

The Fleetwood Mac song about Murrow, in the album Say You Will, is a condemnation of the increasing lack of integrity in journalism. According to one source, "Edward R. Murrow was a legendary CBS news broadcaster who was the first to appear on a television newscast. (The show was called See It Now). He represents the standard for integrity in broadcast journalism, so when a network does something unethical, incompetent or stupid relating to its news division, it is often met with commentary that 'Edward R. Murrow is turning over in his grave'. As news divisions at major networks suffered budget cuts in favour of entertainment, Murrow has turned over quite often."

Today, there is a new kid on the rotisserie block. He is Cyril Duprey, OBE, father and founder of Colonial Life Insurance Company (later to be known as Clico), the first locally owned insurance company incorporated in Trinidad and Tobago, which opened for business on June 1, 1937.

According to the CLICO website, "Colonial Life offered coverage in the form of industrial insurance, with premiums ranging from six cents to 24 cents a week. By the end of the company's first financial year, Colonial Life was able to gross $20,000 from its single branch located at 75 Queen Street, Port-of-Spain."

Branching out

The company's success in Port-of-Spain led to branches in other part of the country. By 1946, in less than 10 years, the company had branches in Grenada, Guyana, Barbados, St Vincent, St Kitts and St Lucia. By 1954, the company's profits had reached TT$6.5 million. In 1974, Clico sold over TT$100 million and made a profit of TT$14.6 million.

Lawrence Duprey, the nephew of the firm's founder, Cyril Duprey, joined the Colonial Life team as head of the data-processing-operations department in 1970.

In 1987, he was promoted to the post of managing director of head office, Trinidad and in 1988 was appointed chairman.

Fast-forward 21 years to Wednesday, February 4, 2009. The Clico website boasts: "From offering 24 per cent premiums in 1937 to operating in more than 24 territories today, CLICO, the first locally owned insurance company in Trinidad and Tobago, has come a long way, and with plans for the years ahead already in place, CLICO's future promises to be even greater than its illustrious past. More than 70 years later, the dream of one man has become much more than reality. Taking on a life of its own, CLICO has grown to become an integral part of LIFE in the Caribbean."

The irony of it all is that last Friday, January 30, 2009, the less-than-illustrious present and most-recent past caught up with CLICO.

It was bad enough when Lawrence had to appear in court in the Panday matter, something the straight-laced Cyril would never have anticipated or condoned.

Now, his company is in such a sad and sorry state that it had to beg for a bailout from the Trinidad and Tobago government. Included in the package of goodies on the block is Cyril Duprey's Colonial Life Insurance Company (Trinidad) Ltd.

Ancestor's wrath

While CLICO is trying to consolidate and put itself in a defensive position, what in the old Wild West they would call, 'circling the wagons', old man Duprey has to be like Chief Crazy Horse, going round and round on the outside as he watches his pride and joy, a genuine gem of Caribbean entrepreneurship, turn into paste.

If I were Cyril, my nephew Lawrence would feel my wrath both in this life and the next! The Duprey in his surname would become two words: 'Do Pray!'

Tony Deyal was last seen saying that perhaps Lawrence should have taken the advice of Sam Goldwyn and pay closer attention to who he has as advisers, "I don't want yes-men around me. I want everyone to tell the truth, even if it costs them their jobs."