By Stephen Kangal
November 21, 2007
In the rest of the civilised world politics is the art of the possible and of compromise. In T&T it degenerated in 2007 into a fine art of naked UNC deception that caused some 190,000 unsuspecting people to be so manipulated that they bought into it with their rustic innocence and hero worship of a badly scarred leader.
Panday whose political credibility has reached ground zero deceptively led Mr. Dookeran in October 2005 into the lion’s den under the false illusion that both were participating in leadership succession planning in the UNC. Mr. Dookeran suffered from the worst form of humiliation and total disrespect as Leader of the UNC.
Panday tried to use Dookeran to sanitise his declining political image. They the UNC cabal told him to go directly and indirectly. The result was a deliberately Panday- induced split party. That is where the UNC lost the 2007 elections. COP received 148,000 votes and was second in 21 constituencies. Only 6 candidates including the two in Tobago lost their deposits but 13 of the UNC candidates lost theirs.
COP has deeply rooted organisational structure and internal resilience that will grow into a strong electoral outfit by leaps and bounds.
That split is singularly responsible for Panday being consumed by a blaze of ignominy and political oblivion in 2007. But Panday attempted to deceive and manipulate his “short memory” supporters. It is Winston Dookeran and the COP that caused him to lose the election according to concession speech delivered at Rienzi. He is the architect of his own political debacle and indulges in the blame game because his followers (chelas) will repeat whatever nonsense he spews on them. Panday on election night was speaking exclusively to his chelas- not the right and sober- thinking people of T&T.
The Mid Centre UNC meeting and subsequent press ads were deception geared to mislead all T&T. He deceived the UNC spineless sycophants into voting for him because he manipulated and deceived them into believing that he would be the next Prime Minister. He fooled them with hoaxes about visits from Mandela and Jesse Jackson designed to attract the black vote. The electorate would never have accepted Panday as Prime Minister in 2007.
On the night of his humiliating defeat concession speech and repeated afterwards, Panday tried to deceive his fold that if the UNC had been elected into Government on November 5 there would have been an immediate cessation of murders, rapes and instant reduction of food prices. Panday will have rained manna from heaven.
He conveniently wished us to forget that he (“come let us go kid”) and Ramesh (“done deal”) with his Crowne Plaza Accord installed the PNM Government in 2001 and 2002. Crime began to escalate then. Panday and Ramesh should have been looking in the mirror since 2001 by his own twisted logic- not the COP supporters who shocked him into uncontrolled trauma at Rienzi on election night.
Having used deception, what Dookeran terms falsehood, to worm his way back into his natural habitat of the Opposition benches, he then tells us that is a waste of time, talk and powerlessness. But he admits of having a group of giants coming up against the neophytes on the other side. He further admits to us that he spent 20 years doing nothing in Opposition.
He tells us that he will die with his boots on. But 11,000 voters (53%) of Couva North have now abandoned him. One deceptive, obscene and vulgar man with a following but without any shred of political credibility who is now a yoke on our necks stood in the way of an electoral accommodation. He alone deprived T&T of good and caring governance on November 5. But the vintage deceiver blames everyone else. His chelas will repeat every word of falsehood he utters. Panday was sure bent on preventing Mr. Dookeran from becoming the Prime Minister of T&T.
But to his eternal credit this maha-guru understands the gullibility of his fast diminishing 190,000 chelas. He served the decimated, post-election UNC audience a cocktail of deception, vitriol, venom and falsehood at Rienzi. They called for more. He must keep them in a state of political indentureship to ensure his future marketability. They must not think or they will reject him outright.
One hundred and fifty thousand Trinbagonians refused any longer to submit to Panday’s shenanigans and deception. He knows that his eternal baby, the UNC is in rapid terminal decline. He has to destroy and discredit the natural successor COP vehicle that outperformed him in 21 seats, is only 40,000 votes behind the UNC and emerged as a truly national, broadly -based party after only one year.
Panday needs urgent, post-election de-fibrillation from the shock and trauma that he suffered on November 5.
The lion is terminally wounded and has lost it.
Dear Steve,
You fail to realize that, of the three major parties that openly and vigoursly contested the November 5th General Election in T&T, the COP got the LEAST number of votes and NOT A SINGLE seat! Or, in other words, the entire electorate of T&T, having had the opportunity during and, during the run-up to, the said Election campaign, came to the conclusion that the COP was not worthy of being given a seat, any seat in the House of Representatives!
Were I a betting man, I would challenge you to put your money where your mouth is in order to disprove your hyperbole that the COP is the “natural successor vehicle” to the UNC, for it is as much a successor to the UNC as the ONR was to the PNM.
One of the basic mistakes that your guru, Mr. Dookeran made, was NOT to understand that in any attempt to gain the ascendancy, one has thoroughly to assess the terrain and to negotiate with whomsoever one HAS to in order to succeed.
In the instant case, for the COP, or any of its apologists, to suggest, now, that Panday is to blame for their inability sufficiently to sway the voters, is yet another justification for the the voters acting as they did last November 5th. And, by now, we all know the result of their collective action, don’t we, though some of us are still shell-shocked at our complete rejection, aren’t we? what a pity!
See ya around, kid!
Stephen
First of all, the voters are always right. Simply accept that fact in any democratic society.Your scolding of Panday’s “chelas” is as vitriolic as Panday’s diatribe on election night.
You time would be better spent analyzing why Winston, the great brown hope, was unable to unglue the solid Afro-based support of the PNM.
Carl, Winston could not undo the PNM because it is the hope of all the people. Look at the support they got in the strongholds of the UNC. That cannot be accounted for by “PNM giving houses to get votes” but by people, just possibly, examining the gains of the last years of the PNM, compared to our fate since the votequake of 1986, and deciding to bet on their children’s future with the PNM. No one can explain why the PNM had so many candidates who were NOT Afro-trinis, by any other means. The country, just possibly, is coming of age, and those who would like to think Afro vs Indo, have to ask themselves: How do the Chinese-Trinis, the Syrian-Lebanese Trinis, the Euro-Trinis, the French-Creoles(Who have been in opposition since 1797) and all the mixed people vote? They may have thought their fate lies with COP, many of these also thought their fate lay with the NAR, or they may have stayed behind their high walled gates and waited to pick up the spoils. In either case, the PNM and others would be wrong to think that only Afros vote PNM. That is backward thinking. The PNM is forward looking.
Dear Richard and Stephen,
Allow me to dissect your arguments.
“You fail to realize that, of the three major parties that openly and vigoursly contested the November 5th General Election in T&T, the COP got the LEAST number of votes and NOT A SINGLE seat! Or, in other words, the entire electorate of T&T, having had the opportunity during and, during the run-up to, the said Election campaign, came to the conclusion that the COP was not worthy of being given a seat, any seat in the House of Representatives!”
We accept the fact that the COP has not gained a single seat in the recently concluded general elections, but I admonish you to refrain from spewing steaming piles of exaggerated falsehoods in saying that the entire electorate rejected the COP. The majority of the electors voted against the COP, not all of them. The same can be said for the PNM and UNC; the total number of votes gained by any combination of the three major parties is more than the third.
“Were I a betting man, I would challenge you to put your money where your mouth is in order to disprove your hyperbole that the COP is the “natural successor vehicle” to the UNC, for it is as much a successor to the UNC as the ONR was to the PNM.
One of the basic mistakes that your guru, Mr. Dookeran made, was NOT to understand that in any attempt to gain the ascendancy, one has thoroughly to assess the terrain and to negotiate with whomsoever one HAS to in order to succeed.”
The realisation that the COP is the natural successor vehicle to the UNC was made by the intelligent portion of the population. Unfortunately, we are in the vast minority. I would make such a bet if the outcome is to be determined via a general societal consensus; too many would invoke hero worship and blind loyalty instead of an intelligent approach to support the argument. You would have to be blind, uneducated, inebriated, or a combination thereof to not realise the COP is a much better party than the UNC. The COP commands abundant brain power, is more stable than the UNC and is the only party that manages to attain multi-ethnic support that matches the type of “pelau” slate that the three major parties have presented. To say that the COP is the natural successor to the UNC is not an unjustified conjecture, saying “the COP’s main intention is the put the PNM back in power at the behest and reward of the drug mafia” is.
I must touch on the vacuous suggestion that Mr. Dookeran should have aligned himself with the UNC to remove the PNM. This sort of move would have caused a severe dent on the COP’s following, in fact, despite the simplistic idiotic assumption that an alliance would have removed the PNM, an alliance would not have been able to successfully combine the COP and UNC-A votes as not all anti-PNM votes are pro-UNC-A. What we need is a one party opposition to remove the PNM. The UNC is not this party, their image is too tainted by the corruptions charges and Panday’s vicious attack on 800,000 people is not going to bring more support to the UNC. Alliances of convenience have that uncanny ability to crumble (the NAR or 86-90). A COP/UNC government would have crumbled after less than 6 months. Dookeran, intelligently, rejected any idea of an alliance. Let Panday find another corpse that can satisfy his necromaniacal urges.
“First of all, the voters are always right. Simply accept that fact in any democratic society. Your scolding of Panday’s “chelas” is as vitriolic as Panday’s diatribe on election night.
You time would be better spent analyzing why Winston, the great brown hope, was unable to unglue the solid Afro-based support of the PNM.”
How can the voters always be right when their allegiance is determined by who gave them the better concert or the bigger once-ah-five-year handout? They are not always right, or sober. The right thing to do would have been to vote on ability, integrity and character. If anything, in Trinidad, the majority of the electors are frequently wrong.
Dear Randy Evan Shane Harnarinesingh (a contrived appellation if ever there was one!),
One of the most noteworthy traits of all stunted intellects is that they always manifest themselves via name-calling and foul-mouthed language.
If you, whoever you be, represent the “new politics” of the COP then, thank God I have decided to stay loyal to the UNCA, which, need I remind you, is the present-day embodiment of the political entity that Mr. Basdeo Panday and others have, since 1966, been trying to develop in T&T.
I would be the last to suggest that it is a perfect vehicle, but, when compared to what otherwise obtains, it is the best and, being a rational man, it is my choice (and the logical choice of hundreds of thousands of others) for giving T&T the best chance at it becoming the paradise that it can and ought to be.
In conclusion, let me advise you to take a copious dose of pragmatism for evidently you, too, fail to understand that, this being a constitutional democracy, unless the greatest number of voters in the majority of the constituencies can be convinced, by whatever means, to dip their finger in the red for you, then dust be your destiny! Ask Lloyd Best, Karl Hudson-Phillips and, lately, Winston Dookeran, if you do not believe me!
God bless!
Maybe the time has come for election campaigns to be conducted on this basis:
* Each political party that wishes to contest, must prepare and, SIMULTANEOUSLY, present to the public, ON A PRE-DETERMINED DATE, which, in any event, must not be less than two clear months BEFORE the date of the elections, its detailed five-year programme and its entire slate of candidates, INCLUDING those whom it proposes to appoint to ministerial office, should it win.
Such a shift in paradigm would foster articulate debate re: the merits/demerits of the one party as against the next and, further, by that means, the party that is most worthy would be voted into office.
I share Linda’s views in that the PNM does seem to be emerging as a party for all of T&T’s people. This is certainly so, especially when compared to the UNC, which now has a substantially reduced support base, mainly within core rural ethnic Indian communities in Central.
What does this say? Basically, it shows that the PNM has been successful in making inroads into several traditional UNC support constituencies. How they have been able to do so is a question that the opposition must answer. They have to do some hard soul searching in an effort to see where they fell short in Nov. ’07, and also to hone their strengths in the Opposition capacity of the house.
Yeah, but it has to be an Indian Woman. Pardon moi, but your slip is showing.
Dear Mala,
1. Your statements: “A leopard cannot change its spots..” and, “Basdeo Panday betrayed HIS people…” are incongruous!
2. So, too, are your statements, “…we ought not to vote for someone because of ethnicity…” and, “…Maybe it’s time for a woman!!”
3. In light of 1. and 2. above, your assertion that you are “…an Indo-Trini…with a fair degree of intelligence…” holds no water, none at all!
Wheel!
God bless!
Richard Wm. Thomas,
“One of the most noteworthy traits of all stunted intellects is that they always manifest themselves via name-calling and foul-mouthed language.”
This is not to say that any foul-mouthed response is indicative of a stunted intellect. If that is your view, you are the quintessential hypocrite; chastise me for my foul-mouthed post (because I used the word “idiot” a couple of times) and simultaneously endorse a political party whose leader frequently refers to his political enemies as Neemakarams. I take this time to apologize to all readers for I have transgressed all limits of vulgarity with my socially unacceptable response. That damn word idiot, relly something eh!
The present day embodiment of the political entity that Mr. Panday has been trying to create since 1976 is suffering from intellectual malnourishment. The aforementioned deficiency to due to the fact that the 2007 incarnation of the UNC is a mirror image of the entity he envisioned at that time. That entity has no relevance to
our present day situation and its views are insensitive to the cries of a large sector of the population. The arguments made by the UNC-A during their campaign were saturated with vulgar innuendos, subliminal racist remarks and blatant chauvinism. This, coupled with your definition of what a stunted intellect is, paints a grim picture of their collective competence. I hasten to suggest that your analytical skill is miniscule in comparison to your vocabulary and bias.
It is an undisputable fact that the brown and black power movements has suffered a massive brain drain to the COP in the form of lawyers, doctors, engineers, defense experts and intellectuals. The COP possessed specialised teams to deal with certain issues had they attained office, had the best manifesto and was the only party to suggest that restrictions be imposed on the maximum number of terms one person can serve as Prime Minister. These are all good ideas, elements of the reformist initiative they were proposing that would have led to the necessary and long deserved uplifting of our people, but you and your brethren saw fit to vote against them. How anyone with a modicum of common sense would choose the UNC over the COP is beyond the understanding of a simple being such as myself. Care to give a good reason why? Care to treat with my arguments this time, or you going to skillfully avoid them, argue in circles and change the issue to my vulagarity and perceived stunted intellect (in the form of liberal use of the word idiot). I predict that excessive subconscious bias is going to dominate clear thinking in your response. Time will tell.
P.S. You can try copying and pasting my name next time so you don’t misspell it. (CTRL C and then CTRL V)
The analysis has been overwhelming in terms of what happened in the recent ‘elections’.We all have our perspectives and interpretations of the debacle.
Many intransigent in their beliefs and it did not matter how the ideals of democracy have been bloodied and battered by the long calculated Manchurian ethnic brainwashing. The awful deed is done.
The formidable task of a paradigm shift to national thinking is almost insurmountable but not quite.The pathological clutching to remnants of power of glory days often is only divorced at our graves.
There was a hope with COP but….
bob
canada.
Darlings, we are ALL citizens of Trinidad and Tobago. We are eachother’s keeper. Perhaps what you need to do is to get over what has already occurred and stop blaming or chastising people for expressing their views.
You are not entitled to FORCE your view on anyone. If you feel that strongly about any party, I suggest you contact someone therein and start working with them. Work to cure the ills of society, not to further the party itself, but its goals. You do not need a political platform to make a difference.
Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad more specifically (no offence to my Tobagonian compatriots), is a land of opportunity. Use some tact and get the work done. If people of each party did this, I am sure that half of the problems we have right now will cease.
This is not Cuba(yet). It is not a communist country where the government gives you ALL that you have. People need to start taking control of their lives and accept their responsibility to those in their society- the people your children will work with. Stop blaming and do your part. If that effort spreads, your world will be better. Try to make that change.
What I have said may be very annoying to most. I urge you to calm down and see the truth in it. Remember: democracy is for the people, of the people and by the people. Our leaders are a reflection of our people. What change do you think CAN be made? Honestly?
Come on guys. The commentaries were going good. Don’t spoil it now.
I agree that COP were spoilers in the elections. Time will tell if that was their intention. Time will also tell what would become of them as a result.
I believe that they will fade away since it takes a hell of a lot of money to run a serious national political party. In Trinidad and Tobago we love to back winners. I can’t see financiers putting any significant amount of money into COP’s coffers, not after the routing they got.
As I said, time will time.
Seems like we weren’t as evanescent as you thought we were.
Seems like someone think that it’s a slow news day , so why not revisit this pointless post mortem debate that is destined to be repeated every four years.
It’s call nepotism folks . Both political leaders will do everything feasible to ensure that this evil , undemocratic ,neo-colonial system remains irrespective of how harmful it might be for the party.
Both entail thrusting incompetent women into position of power, and serves to dupe the gender base into foolishly believing that the respective leaders both advocate equality amongst the sexes. Unfortunately, one is in power , and is destine to be there until the end of time. The other would never see a change in fortunes unless he first tear up the old schooled play book and secondly, fire his out of touch political advisors.
“You see, blood is thicker than water Whoa, look at that.
Got to survive ,inna disyah ghetto, yeah….”
“Some are wolf,Inna sheep’s clothing. Whoa, look at that. Many are called,But only a few are chosen.Whoa, look at that.”
Sing Brother Bob.
The realisation that the COP is the natural successor vehicle to the UNC was made by the intelligent portion of the population.
*********************************************************************
As an admittedly natural successor to the UNC, COP has demonstrably justified the conclusion of skeptics that it is just one more ethnic political organizationan. And Like UNC, panders to an electorate defined by its relationship with the leadership’s ethnicity.
Kangal’s excoriation of the UNC is not based on that organization’s inability to or incapacity to become the hope of a diverse Trinidadian electorate. Kangal’s criticism is based on the UNC not being sufficiently capable of being the kind of Indian Party he likes. He is hoping that COP will be able to skillfully become that, while presenting a disguised facade to fool people. What a pity.
“As an admittedly natural successor to the UNC, COP has demonstrably justified the conclusion of skeptics that it is just one more ethnic political organizationan”
Would you so be kind as to illustrate how the COP has become an ethnocentric political organisation? This observation is inconsistent with what is readily visible; the COP draws support from constituencies which have both been considered “Indian” and “African” dominated. In fact, the 2007 polls reflect a voting behaviour that is uncommon to both the UNC and PNM, that is, the COP gaining significant support in both UNC (read: Indian) and PNM (read: african) strongholds.
“Kangal’s excoriation of the UNC is not based on that organization’s inability to or incapacity to become the hope of a diverse Trinidadian electorate. Kangal’s criticism is based on the UNC not being sufficiently capable of being the kind of Indian Party he likes. He is hoping that COP will be able to skillfully become that, while presenting a disguised facade to fool people. What a pity”
Ascribing intent and characteristics to an opponent without due evidence is an improper but widely used argumentative strategy. This is your chance to substantiate your allegation. Can you prove that what you say of Mr. Kangal is true?
Kangal has learned from the PNM. They have created and perpetuated for over 50 years a party of the African kind, while presenting a disguised facade to fool people. And now they are seeking to dominate the largest ethnic group in the country – the Indians. Would they have accepted that if the tables were turned?
Joe, it’s not really that important for Stephen Kangal to learn from the PNM unless he is merely pretending to be an ardent respectable journalist today ,but beneath his sober exterior and attempts at objectivity , lurks a budding future politician.
What is relevant is that the parties that compete with the PNM for power , understands fully how the dynamics of modern political realities are played out ,and successful strategies adopted in this our vastly cosmopolitan society .
Contrary to what some local dinosaur -like academics , political gurus, and leaders would have you think, there are thousands of progressives all across our beloved country, that are daily clamoring for a vibrant political party, that can present a coherent alternative , people oriented policy- that would eventually serve all our interest- irrespective of how we look.
Joe Singh , you do yourself no good by attempting to insult the collective intelligence of Indo Trini nationals that voted consistently since 1956 for the PNM ,when you either naively ,or disingenuously claim that an African party has fooled them for decades with a disguised façade, and is now trying to dominate.
It is this unfortunate , anachronistic , neo- colonialist ,divisive type of tribal politics that would ensure that Mr. Manning rule the roost until he is well into his nineties.
Do not tell me that you are the type of guy that believes it is more worthwhile to attempt “to catch flies with vinegar,” when you have gallons of untouched honey locked away under your private cellar .
Neal
I love your optimism. I don’t live in T&T, but if your words are sincere and representative of the majority, I would return in a heartbeat!
Folks like yourself dig a hole for yourself when you display this type of public actions and then would react in shock when others can look into your soul and figure you out. It is you my friend that needs to do the introspection and figure out what your role can be to elevate your country , not the other way around. Ask not what your country can do for you, as it has done more than enough with out an iota of return in thanks. Fancy Canadian accent won’t cut it, grandiose foreign education and lofty skills means nothing if not utilized for a wider good outside of a paycheck .
Just play your part and choose to wave the flag high, not only on vacation or Toronto Carnival. We are all in this symbolic boat together , and are bleeding in similar manner from over 47 years of trauma- the direct result of social , political, and economic neglect by out of touch leaders on all sides of the so- called -divide.
Let’s perhaps give this ‘dead horse’ of a topic a rest , as we appear to be on a parthway to no where, since intransigent mindset seems to be the order. With citizens like these , one wonders who needs enemies , some might exclaim.
Listen to the words of another of the Black Socratic movement :- “He say Trini , I am born Barbajan , ah don’t like to fight, but when it comes to the occasion , I’ll fight for my right.
You put in your three cents beef bone , you Trinidadian lice , Don’t let me have to tell you , take your meat out me rice!” Ba La ba laba …
Sing Kitch
This is part 1 of my entire response to Joe:-
Are you listening to yourself Joe? You love my optimism , is skeptical of my sincerity , but needs some phantom clue as to whether my words are representative of the majority before you can show some genuine love to our country and it 1.3 million beautiful mosaic of people. If you keep this up Tommy Joseph, Spragalang , Fabian ,and if he is still alive ,John Agitation ,would be looking for work pretty soon . It is that comical, and revealing indeed for the perceptive and unimpressed .
You started off this debate dismissing an entire island of your fellow nationals in Tobago as uncaring and insensitive to your needs like our crafty Bajan neighbors were willing to display for your benefit.
Folks like yourself dig a hole for yourself when you display this type of public actions and then would react in shock when others can look into your soul and figure you out. It is you my friend that needs to do the introspection and figure out what your role can be to elevate your country , not the other way around. Ask not what your country can do for you, as it has done more than enough with out an iota of return in thanks. Fancy Canadian accent won’t cut it, grandiose foreign education and lofty skills means nothing if not utilized for a wider good outside of a paycheck .
Just play your part and choose to wave the flag high, not only on vacation or Toronto Carnival. We are all in this symbolic boat together , and are bleeding in similar manner from over 47 years of trauma- the direct result of social , political, and economic neglect by out of touch leaders on all sides of the so- called -divide. Let’s give this dead horse of a topic a rest , as we are on a pathway to no where since intransigence seems to be the order.