By Stephen Kangal
January 22, 2010
Contrary to the uninformed view of Selwyn Ryan that victory for the Hon. Kamla P. Bissessar in the UNC internal elections will result in the political demise of Winston Dookeran and the COP I believe that based on all the post-elections scenarios the COP will derive political capital and find itself in a win-win situation. The COP is the common denominator in all post-elections scenarios and will emerge as the principal beneficiary post January 24 UNC elections.
In my view were either of Ramesh Maharaj or Basdeo Panday to prevail in the leadership race that will engender a mass exodus of the UNC membership into the corridors of the COP. That is because the former will not be trusted or willing to enter a sustainable and genuine alliance/accommodation with the COP. As for the latter his victory will be either regarded as stolen and/or as an indicator of the UNC being further relegated into a permanent state of Opposition. The leadership/membership of the COP will neither attempt nor be receptive to forge any electoral accommodation or unity with a discredited and widely known politically damaged negotiator.
Kamla and Jack can only lose via ballot box-vote-tampering. In this scenario they will gravitate towards the COP with their huge following. However were they to prevail in spite of the risk of electoral irregularities the scope for functional co-operation with the COP and the forging of an invincible UNC-COP electoral arrangement will attract enormous support from the huge external and balance of power floating pool. The “dual nationalities” will disappear.
But were Panday to visit as Leader of the Opposition to either or to both of the Kamla-Jack victors the marginalization treatment he meted out to Dookeran (2005) and Ramesh Maharaj (2001) and retain control and domination of the UNC their recourse can only be towards the COP.
A reconstituted Kamla-Dookeran-Jack alliance resulting from any of the above-mentioned post -January 24 scenarios can generate the electoral melt-down of 1986 having regard to the mushrooming disenchantment with the mismanagement, corruption, ineptitude and nepotism endemic in the modus operandi of the misfits directing the Manning Administration.
34,430 to vote
UNC membership committee chairman Kelvin Ramnath yesterday said 430 names were placed on the supplemental list and submitted to chairman of the elections committee Kemchan Ramdath.
Blind support for Bas is my weakness—Kamla
Kamla Persad-Bissessar has confessed that she has a weakness—blindly supporting Basdeo Panday for too long. She has also revealed suspicions about recent meetings incumbent UNC leader Panday held with Ramesh Maharaj, and another one with Prime Minister Patrick Manning.
Kamla, Bas battle it out
In the last round of meetings before tomorrow’s election, Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday continued to battle against each other in the race for the leadership.
Basdeo Panday on the campaign trail
Today is the final day that candidates have to woo United National Congress registered voters in this most hotly contested internal election.
…Kamla hints of secret deal
For the first time since she kicked off her campaign for political leader of the United National Congress, Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar hinted that Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday may have made a deal to stay out of jail.
Sat: Kamla has my blessings
Secretary general of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha Satnarayan Maharaj has endorsed Kamla Persad-Bissessar for political leader of the United National Congress (UNC).
…Bas heckled in Barrackpore
Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday took his election campaign for political leader on Thursday night to the loyal sugarcane villages of Barrackpore-and was heckled and shouted down.
PNM out UNC business
PEOPLE’S National Movement (PNM) chairman, Energy Minister Conrad Enill yesterday rejected renewed claims from former Chaguanas Mayor Suruj Rambachan that the PNM was involved in tomorrow’s UNC internal election.
A repeat of the “1986 electoral melt-down ……having regard to the mushrooming disenchantment with the mismanagement, corruption, ineptitude and nepotism .. of the misfits directing the Manning Administration,” eh Mr K? I can see where your astute intellectual mind is leading re a possible hatchet burying alliance to do what others could only dream about – removal of the PNM and by extension so called Afro Trini domination of the political realm.
Forgive me, but by now you’ll observe that I enjoy doing what a few of those crazy Generation X folks like to do ,which is ” keeping it real via dialogue .” You see , Mr. K, I raised four boys in this crazy multifaceted Zoo York for the past 17 plus years, and I too was forced to become acquainted with that type of plain talking lingo and attitude- and do posses the scars to prove it my friend.
Now if you don’t keep it real in these parts of the global Industrial North -that you also worked in for a number of years -then you’ll get eaten up faster than four pretty twenty year old bikini clad , half naked virgins walking through the Caroni cane fields , the Renzi Complex ,or Maracas beach , or Second Caledonia ,at 12:01 am , if you catch my drift.
Listen Mr. K , UNC/ COP alliance is all well and good , but to beat the PNM ? Let’s keep it real shall we , for you also need disgruntled ,progressive , PNM supporters, leaders and power brokers on board.
Do you think that Jack Warner the highflying ,sharp talking, ex FIFA head honcho ,can help carry any of the PNM East West corridor strangle holds?
As for Madame K do you believe that she is convincing enough with her sudden post Panday “keep out of jail” / “blind support”/ I am my own woman and leader ,maneuvers ?http://guardian.co.tt/news/politics/2010/01/23/blind-support-bas-my-weakness-kamla
Can she be trusted by the wider electorate to do the right thing as she stick her fingers ‘into her mouth,’ and placed it in the air to feel which way the breeze is blowing ? You be the judge. Can Dookeran be forgiven by the Panday loyalist when he is considered a spoiler , and vote stealer ,that benefited the PNM enemies, thus curbing the legacy of the Bengal Tiger Mr. P.?
On the wider political platform , remember a guy called Al Gore in much beloved ,big brother America? He slept in bed as VP to the immoral Bill Clinton for eight years without even a squeak about the ugly prostitutes and dumb interns the then Presidents was daily banging , perhaps with the full knowledge of his loyal politically driven stand by your man wife ,Tammy Wynnete/ Hilary Clinton . He then had the audacity to distance himself from slick Willie ,and ‘be his own man,’ on the campaign trail , when he unsuccessfully ran for office.
Political lesson to be learn is that there is pain and retribution to be experienced when you sleep with the devil even in a brief encounter in the Garden of Eden , or after lengthy conspiratorial drunken escapades in Couva and Siparia constituencies.
I wish them well in the year 2090 , when they might have the courage to finally do what is necessary to drive a stake into the hearts of the PNM and finally fully regain the mantle of power.The grand kids of Mekila along with yours, and who knows mine , might be the ones to lead the charge, yes? . We’ll spare the nation another inter tribal, ethnic marriage of convenience for the time being. What we want are progressive, honest , and intellectually savvy leaders that put country first 365 days of the year. Ah , I look forward to a good birthday this Sunday as I sit court side and inwardly chant – let the games begin, and pass me a pice of that curry duck and Vat 19 , as we await the election results!
Yours truly ,
‘The patriotic Unpaid Progressive Political Advisor.’
You have always refused to publish my replies, why ask me now?
We owe Kamla a debt in that she chose to run. Her victory can only help to validate the presence of women beyond the secondary role to they were historically assigned by all existing political entities. It is good for the Nation too. It sends a clear message to female political activists that “Kamla” has kept hope alive and now, the torch has been passed.
Are women a monolithic group especially in Trinidad Errol? If not,what clear message was sent to them by this victory?
Did n’t you hear the UNC founder and apparent lifelong leader Mr. Panday say dat ‘he vex like hell at this political travesty , and ain’t going down without a fight against the drunken crooks ,and ungrateful bandits’ that stole his party and thus power from ?
My admonition is to stop the pipe dreams my friend , changes need more than carefully worded electioneering slogans, by elite bourgeois folks . As one of your kaisonians said in song, “de journey now start.”
Yes the journey (baccanal) now start, we have, well the UNC has three years to the next general elections to mash up the place and further devide the party and by extension give the PNM regime a default victory. less the COP get into the right mode and really discuss genuine unity so that a strong opposition could be formed.