The STCW 2010 Manila (Scam) Convention

The case for STCW 2010 Manila Convention being a Government Policy promoted money-making racket is not so worthwhile. But it presently stands tightly protected within the covers of legitimacy.
    The Refresher courses are there aimed with a purpose; NOT out of need for upgrading of skills due to some new technological innovation, BUT by creating of legal need towards CONTINUED DEMONSTRATION of the basic seamanship survival skill ON-SHORE, WHICH *in the opinion of government authorities*, can NOT be refreshed and evidenced by on-board training. It should be noted that the assessors for what skills CAN be and what CANNOT be refreshed on-board is the Government authorities themselves. The in-service seafarers have hardly a recognized lobby to make case for them during the above assessments. Government authorities, therefore, acquire unchallenged authority to call the shots.
    It now becomes of less value when some random seafarer observes that there is no difference between what he already knew, and what NEW he has learnt after doing a Refresher Course. Because, even if it may sound suspicious to his mind, this lack of difference is very much in keeping with the intention of Continued Demonstration as envisaged in the 2010 Manila Convention.
  He may also suspect that the Manila Convention may have conspired to promote the pecuniary interests of various training institutions mushrooming in Philippines and in India, but that's how the policy now stands. The STCW policy turns seafarers into milking cows.
      He may also notice that in most of the training Institutes the cost of a refresher training is same as the cost for fresh(=new) training. He may be all the more pressed to suspect the objectives of the Manila Convention. But then this is how it stands.
    He may have a question as to how a refresher training in Advance level of some survival skill module will still not serve the skill sets of basic level training in the same module. But this is how the government authorities assess the case to be !!
   He may be wanting to reason why the Endorsements for Dangerous Cargoes can make do with a Refresher Training in the Advance module alone, whereas the revalidation of the Competency license requires Refresher training in both, the basic and the advance. But then the government authorities in their secret wisdoms have done it so and put the Circular or Order out there on the notice boards.
     He may want to protest that those ex-seafarers-cum-government authorities who do not hold valid license themselves, in keeping with all the convention which a regular seaferer has to undergo, must stop to represent their country during various Inter-Governmental Conferences and Conventions where such decision are made. Those people have no moral authorities remaining to be able to do so.
    But where is a lobby to make his case ?