By Dr. Stephen Kangal
October 2, 2017
The time has come when the bifurcated national community must now say that they have had enough of indiscretions and mediocrity. Is this what we have to show after 55 years of statehood and political independence?
We must abandon our traditional tribal loyalties/ political moorings and arrest the frequency with which The Honourable Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley has been bringing T&T’s democracy and governance into odium and disrepute in the eyes of all of us and those watching us from the outside.
The very fine political image, stability and reputation of T&T is being tarnished, rubbished and stained by the use of undiplomatic, vulgar and crude language unbecoming of the Head of Government who is on record of choosing his language carefully. One can only shudder to think to what depths he could have descended to if he were not to exercise this caveat and caution.
The vulgarity and crudity of the pronouncements including jamettry, crooks, shut up etc represent a new low to which the political narrative has degenerated. To brand the Parliament as an assembly of crooks that also includes The Speaker and Parliamentary staff and to equate this with the crooked dealings similar to the modus operandi of the Port Authority on the sea-bridge fiasco is clearly indicative of an unhappy situation that implicates all of us in this cascading mud-slide of degeneracy.
Having told the population to shut up in the face of the offer to Dominicans to come to T&T this error of judgement is compounded when the PM said that he meant to refer to Opposition MP’s exclusively who in fact had not uttered a single statement in opposition to his offer. Even if they did the Constitution recognizes the right of MP’s to represent the interests of their several constituents and not to be deprived or denied of this right even by the Prime Minister of T&T.
This is an affront to constitutional rights of citizens and the recognised role of the Opposition to screen and comment on the gyrations of the Government. In seeking to achieve damage control by his clarification he added fuel to the fire.
We have a runaway horse in our midst given to serious indiscretions and indulging in statements that create divisions and divisiveness even when natural disasters are upon us and upon our fellow Caricom partners such as Dominica and Barbuda. These are occasions for consensus-building, sensitivity, inter-party consultations and unanimity for mounting relief efforts. We have to respect and accommodate differences of opinions as to how we should proceed nationally. We must defend the right of those opinion holders to express them without fear of retaliation and coarse reactions denigrating the purveyors of these different viewpoints.
The question of inviting Dominicans to T&T is a politically very sensitive and toxic matter that is very exclusive and unique to the T&T political landscape with the real potential of what is touted as temporary becoming permanent.
The body politic has slowly progressed to a relative state of political maturity since Independence. It expects a certain standard of political decorum from all quarters including total respect and gender sensitivity towards our mothers and daughters especially to those like former Prime Minister and now Leader of the Opposition Mrs Kamla-Persad Bissessar who very often is the victim of unwanted disrespect shown to her in the House with unending frequency by Johnny-come-latelies, novices and those who ought to know better.
Who created the “Bifurcated” that you are expunging to Kangal? did it not show its true colors during the NAR, Panday and KPB administration? who must abandon their national tribal loyalties? don’t the UNC use black faces to get into parliament, only to drop them mid-way to create a place for the cabal? you cannot be a christian and Indian nationalist at the same time, you come across as an abomination.In terms of statehood, 55yrs is an infant, with the exception of the scandinavian states and China, we don’t have much to learn from .Had Dominica and Barbuda populated by Indians would your song be the same? the last time i checked, there might be 100 Indians living on the island, the national football coach included, your discourse since the hurricane devastation showed no humility or humanitarianism, how unletteredly base can a man be Kangal?the greatest disease of the soul, is ungodliness and ignorance, all embodied in your psyche.Body politics comes with nation building and respect for fellow citizens, having neutral positions in day to day deliberations, what was your position on 4yrs of Kamla riding the airwaves in helicopter transport? if a leaf stays long on a soap,it becomes soap too, in your case Kangal, you have been so long in the darkness, it has taken over you.A tree alone cannot withstand a hurricane.
Kangal, reading your article leaves much to be desired in terms of your use and exercise of the English language. It is a shame to think that you were a junior diplomat in our foreign embassies, representing this country. Your points are muddled and use of adjectives baseless, in terms of your expressions to support your claims. It would seem that as a faithful UNC supporter you are in concert with the UNC claims that Dr. Rowley is incompetent. That, in my view is a political statement to make a case where there is no facts to support your judgement. Kamla is a victim of disrespect because she does not deserve respect. Kamla became leader of the UNC by the choosing of two individuals, Jack and Gypsy. The rank and file followed and now you have a leader chosen by those you now regard as nemakarans. Tell me one, yes one memorable speech or lecture that this goodly woman has ever delivered to the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago worthy of mentioning and archiving? Yet, you would want us to believe that she is a leader. True leaders are made of characters not easily discernible by ordinary men and women.
Your views represent a retrograde step in humanity. Your views are steep in ethnicity and shallow in nationality. You do not represent the best we have to offer, but instead is evidence of what is despised in building a nation. There is great ignorance by those who subscribe to the politicly of the UNC. They savor and clamour for ethnic purity while when convenient, want to lay claim to citizenry. Why can’t you guys just
become Trinidadians? Why is it so difficult to make an unconditional claim without the need to clamour to your ancestral origin? In this country we need unconditional Trinbagonians and not those who would bifurcate their allegiances to suit their own desires.
Kian that is water on duck back
Just giving Teacher Kian a taste of his own medicine.
He says Stephen Kangal’s English “leaves much to be desired”.
My advice to Teacher Kian is that he should improve his own proficiency in the language before criticising others, like getting his subjects and verbs to agree.
For example Kian wrote, and I quote, “That, in my view is a political statement to make a case where there IS no facts to support your judgement”.
Then again he wrote, “You do not represent the best we have to offer, but instead IS evidence of what is despised in building a nation”.
Come on, Kian, “there IS no facts” or there ARE no facts? And “You IS evidence of what is despised” or You ARE evidence of what is despised.
Tork bout monkee not being able to see dey own tail.
Stephen Kangal:
“It expects a certain standard of political decorum from all quarters including total respect and gender sensitivity towards our mothers and daughters especially to those like former Prime Minister and now Leader of the Opposition Mrs Kamla-Persad Bissessar who very often is the victim of unwanted disrespect shown to her in the House with unending frequency by Johnny-come-latelies, novices and those who ought to know better”.
It is clear that the nature of this Rowley led PNM Government’s criticism of the Opposition Leader transcends the normal cut and thrust of political disagreement and rivalry associated with our adversarial political system and culture.
Going back to the 2010 General Election campaign there was a certain level of vicious, personal invective in the PNM’s campaign rhetoric that targeted Ms. Persad-Bissesssar for frequent ridicule.
When Ms. Persad-Bissessar became Prime Minister in 2010, what many would have dismissed as mere political picong on the hustings, albeit in poor taste, by the PNM, turned into settled practice by that party with Dr. Rowley and his then sidekicks Fitzgerald Hinds and Marlene Macdonald not confining their public criticisms of Ms. Persad-Bissessar to whatever the substantive issues at hand, but instead, prefacing and punctuating their political statements with snide, ungentlemanly, womanish potshots at the Lady’s face, make-up,hair, clothes and shoes.
They are all on record as having done so on several occasions.
Fitzgerald Hinds once became so incensed over a young Rastaman kissing of Ms. Persad-Bissessar’s hand that he called the young man an idiot and said that he felt like cutting the youth’s dreadlocks off.
Right tinking people cannot be faulted for coming to the conclusion that the PNM harbours an animosity towards the former Prime Minister, now Opposition Leader, that is irrational, personal and most likely racial.
Totally concur with the expressed concerns. The vicious verbal and written attacks directed towards KPB as a woman and as a leader are totally unacceptable from the Opposition be it on political platforms or during interviews. Disagreeing with issues is acceptable. The disrespect that is accorded by Trump toward his political rival ‘Crooked Hilary’ would soon become egg on his face. The message for Madam Persad is to keep her level of cool and show political maturity in handling the issues at hand and set aside any possible invectives towards her male counterparts. To undertake such would be an exercise in futility.
The accusation of incompetence against Rowley and his government is no longer debatable. There is an extensive record of proven incompetence which will become the legacy of this administration and this PM.
I always knew the truth will always prevail because there is an institutional memory amongst us willing to tell the truth when deliberate falsehood is projected. Let Kian know that obtained distinctions in English at O’ and A’Levels and studied English for my Degree. My English is clear and clean as H2O from Blue Waters.