By Stephen Kangal
September 20, 2013
The critical factor underlying the growth, continuing relevance and survival of all political organizations especially in diverse democratic societies is the priority accorded to developing, adapting and embellishing an open-ended, politically-dominated and all-embracing strategic framework. It is against this standard that all challenges to the status quo/ existence are assessed and a politically correct and objectively determined response to external stimuli brain-stormed, conceptualized and implemented.
It is very clear to me that the UNC, obsessed with allocating and disbursing the rewards of the state to its financiers has not addressed the enormous challenges of assuming governance. Its false mantra is that whatever the PNM did, so can the UNC. It has not internalized nor responded to the differential political cultural practices endemic in T&T. It has allowed personal vindictive obsessions and the feelings of dwindling electoral security of a few to take precedence over the need to treat politically with these challenges that can achieve cohesiveness,, extinguish brush fires and retain electorate support.
The UNC now appears to be a one-term, politically bankrupt feeding trough. The leadership continues to make and repeat elementary political mistakes much to chagrin, humiliation and disappointment of those whose support propelled them on the crest of a high tide into coalition governance.
The strategy or lack thereof that was adopted in relation to their high profile in the THA elections demonstrated a fundamental ignorance of both the Tobagonian political and communal culture and its cohesive political elasticity in the face of outside threats of repossession imagined or real.
I had advised the UNC on the correct political position of reconciliation to be adopted relating to Jack Warner’s candidacy in the Chaguanas West bye-election. They preferred to sacrifice themselves on the altar of the get-even, vindictive agenda of Suruj Rambachan. The result is a mushrooming political challenge and divide to which hitherto they have demonstrated no credible political response at present. In politics win, lose or draw however poetic is not an option especially when in governance.
Their handling of relations with the COP in the face of the local government elections clearly demonstrates their political bankruptcy. The COP is now stronger in parliamentary terms holding the balance of power and preserving the façade of the coalition in the face of the uncertainty of the two Tobago votes. This is diminishing its national appeal and no one seems to care.
Why would any leader whose political stocks are in terminal decline want to trigger a potential bye-election in a traditional marginal seat after suffering political humiliation and hemorrhage in their two most recent electoral outings especially after invoking party political criteria to thwart prematurely the democratic will of the constituents of St. Joseph?
Lack of an integrative political strategy framework geared to underpin survival is manifesting itself in a number of ways. It may lead political pundits to conclude that the UNC has been located on a suicidal path that can only be circumvented by a credible leadership challenge to the status quo.
This author ought to given that Medal I hear is reserved for finest of Trinidadians.
If thought necessary, then awaiting the fulfillment of his prophecy would be alright.
Absolutely an objective analysis of the UNC presently. Sad it may appears to international readers, we Trinis tend to be followers and not leaders. “Its false mantra is that whatever the PNM did, so can the UNC”. Very true, especially when we talk so much of 2020 vision. We become so fixated with the past that we become mired in lowly thinking not too far away from despotism. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN34FNbOKXc The vindictiveness between Rambachan and Warner and the tit for tat between Warner and Moonilal has moved on to the destruction of political intergation leading us into a tailspin of political ignominy on the international stage. Where is the leader of the UNC and Government? The ILP need to take some lessons here and focus strongly on issues of national importance, even if it is taking the leadership role with Latin America on the international stage of decriminalizing marijuana. What Alcohol is as sterilizing agent, energy substitute and potable spirit yielding tremendous revenue in duties and taxes so can the cannabis plant and hemp with medicinal value,food supplements, clothing etc. become a major revenue earner for governments in our region. http://www.manitobaharvest.com/.
I tend to disagree with Steven assessment of things. The UNC continues to be the right choice for citizens of the honorable Republic. As compared to the PNM the UNC have done more for the development of TnT than the PNM did in the past 10 years. Rural development only came to the fore under the UNC with thousands of miles in roads being fixed and water reaching areas that was neglected. The PNM sphere of development excluding the Eric years was PNM areas and supporters of their party. Their “modus operandi” was to take care of their supporters by proving jobs and housing to them additionally importing islanders to increase their voter bank. So much so that 80% of the government employees were PNM party card holders. Much of what the PNM did was kept under wraps including scholarship program since Eric days that saw 1000 of PNMites get education abroad. Where was the voice of Stephen then???
It is within the Hindu genes to fight amongst themselves and for spite bring down each other. This was found way back in India when the Muslims invaded. They discovered that the Hindus did not fight at night and if you were capture and said you are sorry they will let you go. One of the Muslim invades invaded India and every time he was captured he said he was sorry they released him. He did this an astounding 13 times till eventually he conquered the area and slaughtered the whole lot, something they deserved. This needless rage against corruption cannot be changed by the PNM or ILP. Therefore it is incumbent upon the UNC to be like the great Hindus of old and allow your enemies freedom until they destroy you…lol.
And there you have it. T&T can only be ruled by a traditional Hindu Value system. Well that Hindu Value system of old is rife with the practice of defining the value or humans based on how they look. Compare the ancient Hindu value system that is entrenched with an inferior/superior perspective on the human value of people to an ancient African Value system that was accepting to all groups regardless of how they might appear.
I continue to warn the citizens of T&T to be cognizant of the seemingly inherited traces of prejudice that inundate the thinking of many in this land in which their foreparents struggled and bled for centuries under the yolk of slavery and oppression, and determine whether they are willing to have this revisited upon the existence of them and their children. Those conditions were imposed by a European value system that argued that they and only they were entitled to rule, to govern, to make determinations on who should eat and who should starve. Today we see the manifestations of these same ideas, these same perspectives being presented as the preferred order in nations like T&T and Guyana. Wake up and smell the coffee people, the slave master of yore might have gone into retirement, but he has been replaced by those who are no less venal in their prejudices, and maybe even worse in the ignorant displays of such prejudices
Typical! Mamoo is caught in his hindu moment and it is indicative of of the thought process that goes into governance by this present regime. They are a pack of hindu ideologues that are applying hindu ideology to govern a people mixed in race, culture, art, science and outlook. Hindu idealogy is rife with superiority and inferiority connotations which puts permanent displacements on one’s future from birth to death and assigns them to the complexes of the traditional mindset. This is the Aryan mindset which replaced the original Dravidian culture with this type of hindu ideology. Mamoo reminds us that that is what you get in Kamla, Rambachan, Deviant, Sat, Prakash, Tim, Sharma, Bhoe and company. Apply that politically and what you get is a distortion. Whilst I almost never agree with Stephen politically, this is an issue where he takes into consideration the varied conscientiousness of the population make up and arrived at a political reason that to take us down a hindu path rather than a reasoned political realism is suicidal. But this is a government not known for reason. It is easier to pay marketing pundits to tell everything that you are not instead of relecting who they really are.
I tell ya Kian, I check the vibes coming from Guyana and the shared ethnic hubris and arrogance that drives policy in that nation is very present among the leaders of the UNC/COP Government. It is reflected of course by their pundits in this blog who cannot help yielding to their visceral prejudices.
Could you imagine what the lives and freedoms of black people would be like if these people had a majority in the Caribbean. The white man understood quite clearly that his retention of control over his former slaves relied on him importing a demographic with a mindset and perspective similar to him. That is why his choice was people from India, and based on our collective experience we can now see why he came to that conclusion.