By Stephen Kangal
April 13, 2010
It is patently clear that the cohesive, disciplined but inept and groping-in-the-dark Manning Administration had all but collapsed under the increasing weight of his arrogant and errant ways, the secretive, non-transparent vandalisation of the public purse, astronomical exorbitantly priced politicization of the Public Service, its collision course with Trinbagonians and a concatenation of unfavourable events.
The stars were in discord in the firmament.
How the calling of snap elections in mid-term in the face of these insurmountable adversities will improve the lot of PM Manning appears not to have been addressed by him. He chose the maximum cost-minimum benefit option. The stocks of the PNM were at their lowest ebb. The people will totally reject his brand of cohesive and loyalists-driven political mismanagement that is in the DNA of the PNM. The prophetess on whom he is waiting to get the date has misled him again.
Post-elections win or lose Manning and the country will be worse off. The property tax, TTRA, UDECOTT, the Rapid Rail provoked and evoked deeply ingrained widespread public discontent. His privatization of the public service touched a raw nerve in the psyche of the people. He has squandered all credibility.
But were Manning to prevail, God forbid, his new government could hardly survive last another year. He is so steeped in his dictatorial ways and squandermania of the national patrimony that changing course to adopt a new set of national priorities is congenitally impossible and will not be supported by the electorate.
The PNM could theoretically speaking re-brand itself under new and enlightened leadership. That option has been suppressed by power-hungry and prime ministerial security of tenure-driven Manning. But its operating culture makes this mission impossible. Hitherto since 1991 and before the PNM has demonstrated that it cannot resist plundering the public purse via waves of wild prodigal spending. Today that cannot be sustained by the constraints and vagaries of the volatile world energy market.
Time to think of donning sacerdotal robes to continue the Elma Gantry deception!
Does this sort of language add anything constructive to the governance debate?
” political mismanagement that is in the DNA of the PNM”.
“changing course to adopt a new set of national priorities is congenitally impossible”
Mr Kangal seems to be literally implying that the PM and the PNM have some sort of hereditary condition which makes good governance impossible. Is this not a biased racial characterization? I am hoping that Mr. Kangal can offer a figurative interpretation of his seemingly biased remarks.
The PNM as an organisation has an operating political culture that is peculiar to that organisation that is multi-ethnic. It has nothing to do with “racial characterization”. It is difficult being in that organisation and thinking or acting outside of the prevailing cultural box. The PNM is a graberment outfit that cannot put T&T first. With the recruitment of the young ministers in the last election it has become a disaster waiting to happen even though it remains a cohesive unit.That is why it collapsed in office on its own volition with no effort from the UNC.
With respect to the PM his state of mind is not reflective of his ethnic grouping. He is uniquely dotish. He is degenerating daily in his ratio dicidendi. The statement that I made is exclusive to him because he lacks rationality. He is an embarrassment to T&T from an intellectual perspective
Corruption defines the PNM, they cannot live without it. They have and would always be corrupt. Their vision 2020 is a hoax designed to hoodwink people into electing them and then they continue to neglect the very people
Slavery left an indelible scar on the black mind affecting future generations of an entire race,black psychology and genetics will help to elucidate the devastating impact of slavery on a certain group.Dr.Watson nobel prize laureate made a controversial statement on the relationship between race and intelligence years ago but it’s possible future research will prove his statement true.Do afro-trinidadians want a better Trinidad and Tobago or do they enjoy having their “backs”ridden by a passive criminal psychopath?How much more blood must be shed from black males before there is an epiphany?Wake up afro-trinidadians you all are being manipulated,blind loyalty must be replaced by logic and intelligence.Ethnic voting resulting from the traumatic effects of slavery on the black mind produced deeply entrenched racial attitudes and distrust among an entire group.I hope that this ethnic group would change their voting patterns for the sake of a better Triniad and Tobago.
Make up your mind pitbull, do you agree with the Dr. Watson Nobel winner that degenerate kinky head , big butts folks of the African Diaspora possess low IQ’s because of their race, or instead ,did the dehumanizing practice of slavery as enforced by white savages on African ,explains many of the social maladies , and cultural deficiencies that you and others find so abhorrent in them today?
Let me see if I can decipher some of T&T social com political dynamics, as played out on this here blogersphere by some of these so called intelligent cry babies . They are as follows:- 1. Indo Trinidadians perhaps since the last three elections are now the majority population in our country. 2.With the exception of 86,95, and some say 2000/2001 An Afro Trini dominant party won every election since 1962 Independence ,due in part to tribalistic,racially motivated , ethnic voting ,by their distrustful feeble minded ,traumatized slave byproducts supporters. 3. The onus is on this group to now do what is right in terms of voting pattern for the good of our country.
Of course ,we know how ludicrous this is , and can only be perpetuated either by illiterate fools ,with apples in their heads for brains , or conniving , disingenuous frauds, that are ill prepared to accept the real reasons for obvious failures-namely, the self.
Work with me now, fellow thinking bloggers . Since it’s inception in 1981, ULF/ Club 88/UNC , has consistently won a maximum of perhaps 10 or less seats on each general election occasion, in ethnic enclaves where the majority are of Indo Trini decent, yes?
If Afro Trinis are a shrinking majority , yet their alleged PNM has won every election with the exception of the times indicated, then it must mean that baring electoral corruption and discrepancies ,Indo Trinis must be giving their support to the PNM , just like Afro Trinis did on the occasions that the ULF/ UNC won,correct?
You see folks ,there are some parts of the world were education is use for the betterment of a society ,while for some it’s a symbol of some lofty status ,and faulty, vain, sign of progress ,just to be educated . Where our country falls in that equation is yours to answer.
Who is doing the demographic studies,what does it mean to have high concentration of a particular group fixated in one area with little movement of others in , or out?Care to hazard a guess on the impact on immigration, and emigration on our society? What’s the Perception of one groups power position ,verses the other , and who or what can change any distorted notions?
I have been fortunate to travel far and wide across the globe , and even obtain some semblance of an education that I want to believe is useful , but the best two lessons I learned was obtain right here in my wonderful country , a few moons ago. The first was from a Tranquility A Level Pol Sci lecturer , and one time Valsayne College Teacher , who as a barefoot country kid growing up in simple Tobago , was too poor to even take up a high school scholarship in the city of his island , of a mere 116 square miles. It stated that “politics is the art of compromise.” The second was from an old West Indian Reader Fable that we desperate kids had to read about in, I think it was standard two , and dealt with the story of the greedy “dog with the bone.”I am not going to touch the subject of land reform, equitable distribution of wealth,and the role that the predominant Indo-Trini , petty bourgeois business class plays in helping to alleviate some of the social unemployment problem , and other problems that our country is facing across all lines.
The ball is in your court Pitbull and others of similar mindset. Blame the historical victims , point fingers , lay unsubstantiated accusations where you deemed fit ,and continue to do what you have been doing all your life – look out only for self,while ignoring the plight of the weak , maligned , and desperate across the nation’s masses, then remain surprise as to the repeated negative results. By the way my favorite teacher also reminded us in words that “something is good if it works.” Let me add for your edification, ‘a word to the wise is sufficient.’
I wish you well my friend.
I think it is about time that Patrick Manning step down. I visit T’dad every three years, and each time I get there the city looks more delapidated that when I left 30 years ago. Manning needs to allow someone with brighter ideas who has the best interest of the country to run and step down gracefully.
I totally agree with this opinion,either Gary Hunt, Karen Nunez-Tesheira,Hazel Manning or Colm Imbert, should be given an opportunity to lead this country forward. It is the type of change I too can support, as well as the rest of the nation.Thanks very much Paula for this novel suggestion.
Karen Nunez-Tesheira – questionable dealings in the Clico affair.
Hazel Manning – has never been elected.
Colm Imbert- Manning’s Tatoo on Fantasy Island (Trinidad)
Any other suggestions?
It’s called being facetious T-Man. Now I am begining to really get worried about your birth place my friend. I would not choose any of the three characters to run my 10 year old niece ,school/ Girls Guide,or 4H, fun raising raising lemond stand, so tell me why I would subject my loving nation to either ,especially when one time First Daughter Mickela ,or her loyal Uncle Subhas is available, hmmm? You know how Uncle P want to go out in a blaze of glory, and therefore end his political life on a fine note. Any two bit fool , who chooses to underestimate Uncle Panday, will be doing so to their own detriment. If you doubt me then , ask Shah, Robbie, and Dookeran.let us continue to wish our country well, for tough times are ahead, ehhh?
‘astronomical exorbitantly priced politicization of the Public Service’
‘secretive, non-transparent vandalisation’ Secretive, non-transparent???? can someone get me Occam’s razor?
‘dictatorial ways and squandermania of the national patrimony that changing course to adopt a new set of national priorities is congenitally impossible’ WOW….
‘prime ministerial security of tenure-driven Manning’ hmmmm …why?
Lets try speaking to each other. Lets really aim for our communication to communicate a message and now a desirable perception of ourselves as intellectuals and erudite individuals. We can sense that in simple prose, like Naipauls and other greats
Which one of the Naipaul prose you wish to use the ones in ‘House for Mr Biswas,’ or ‘Miguel Street,’ when he still considered himself a Trinidadian ,or when like most of his insecure , phony intellectual kind , sold his soul to the highest European bidder, to change into groveling anti Islam Englishmen.
Truth , Naipaul might be your hero , but to me no ungrateful, country hater deserves any recognition. I am more concerned with nation building , and it starts with developing a sense of patriotism, not only love for unity when power lust is dictating behaviors , as it occurring presently with some of the selfish , political bandits that are lurking.
Naipaul is not my hero. and I am not talking about his personality, but his skill with the language that makes it readable and not ostentatious. Every one has something we can learn from. And that cliche way of people selling their soul to the empire is getting old. What does Naipaul need to be grateful to Trinidad for ? really? for giving him culture, a culture that the man obviously doesn’t want to be a part of? You are interested in nation building, that is fine. but mr. naipaul may be seeking something else, something more metaphysical maybe. we must understand things and not just fall in line with existing cliches and sweeping generalizations. And if you read the man more carefully you will see that it is an internal disintegration…internal both in the sense of the culture and the person….that has such men doing such things. Many writers of that period owe their countries very little, because had they stayed, they might have never been the figures that their countries, prehensile and hungry for heroes, want to claim so badly. (and to obviate a reply, i am not saying that trinidad wants naipaul badly)
Truth you are obviously a much bigger idiot than I thought ,to try and regurgitate such nonsense you extracted from some unknown source ,in defense of this insecure cultural miscreant. I do not care if Naipaul is a Graham Green, Williams Shakespeare ,and the other, anti Muslim , European wannabe ,self hater Rushdie ,all rolled up in one.
He is just another of the many despicable country haters that we in Trinidad and Tobago unfortunately have been saddled with over the years.
Am I surprise that you see him as a hero ? Not really, for the same reason I am not surprise at your attempt to hide behind this silly name. I tell you , it is really not too difficult to despise many of my fellow nationals, and the so called truth and phony Naipaul leads the list.