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Potential for political growth
Resuming this column after my unsuccessful first contest in a general election feels good. It was a great and exciting adventure, full of thrills and spills, excitement and passion, frustration, disappointment and reward.
I have emerged a stronger and better individual from the experience. I was able to articulate the internal struggle of the Indian youth of my generation on a national platform. Breaking from the pack is painful. I feel a bit like the son who married the woman of whom the family disapproved. Lack of attraction and appeal notwithstanding, I should have wrestled my conscience into the ground, buried any feelings of discontent, and maintain the political tradition because my forefathers did. The rural Indian formed the backbone of opposition politics, and that remains so.
Decades of discrimination and neglect by the PNM, which ruled this country for 30 years (1956-1986), created a common bond that was rooted in the resentment people felt over the inequitable distribution of state resources and blatant political favouritism and corruption.
This bond was intensified by the common socio-economic base—the once great and mighty Caroni 1975 Ltd—and religious and cultural factors. Indians voted more as a mark of protest against their alienation, marginalisation and under-development than anything else.
They certainly didn’t expect to win the government, as the constituency boundaries were drawn to favour the PNM and guarantee its political success. The PNM attracted minimum support from the urban Muslim and Presbyterian, but the rural base stood firm. They frowned on their urban counterparts, as they found voting for the party that categorised them as a hostile and recalcitrant minority unpalatable.
Victory at the polls was—and remains—impossible without crossover support from the non-Indian community, and hence it was only in 1986, after 30 years of PNM domination and a crippling recession, did change come.
We have come a long way from the days of the DLP and ULF; there are now marginal seats where the outcome is not so easy to predict.
Three generations later, the children of the sugar cane belt are educated and exposed to different influences, as a result of technological advances. Numerically, opposition support has more than doubled, having grown from a mere 138,910 for the DLP in 1961, to more than 342,000 for the UNC and COP in 2007. The harsh reality is that we still live in an age where both the PNM and UNC can safely say “forget the candidate and vote for the symbol.” It is the right of each and every citizen to vote for the party of their choice. This is the essence (some say flaw), of democracy.
Change is painful and difficult. It would be as arrogant and wrong for us to condemn those who voted for what they have known and trusted all their lives, as it is for them to condemn us for not joining forces to defeat the PNM.
People will always prefer to hold onto the only lamp-post they know, because it has provided the only glow of light for them in the darkness of their political wilderness. It explains the plight of Laventille, despite half a century of political power, and the constitution will not be reformed to introduce proportional representation. You might think your street light is brighter and better, but the fact is, it has only just been planted. It will take time for people with the capacity to change to be persuaded to move.
The trust and respect of the masses will have to be earned beyond the middle and upper class. It is stupid to predict victory by adding the votes of the UNC and COP. It ignores the fact that many would have abstained, rather than cast a vote for Panday.
Fed up with having to rationalise the irrational and defend the indefensible, they wanted a genuine change. Panday re-energised and recaptured his base at the right time; he got his support. There is no potential for growth beyond that base. Those who voted for the COP wanted to vote against both the PNM and the UNC. One-third of the electorate did not vote, and this is where the potential for political growth exists.
The sight of Panday berating, bullying and even blackmailing people who did not vote for the UNC must be understood in the context of my prediction, many moons ago, that unless he facilitated unity and change, his legacy would be that he left politics where he met it 40 years ago: with his base divided and in opposition.
What a tragedy!
by Anand Ramlogan 2007-11-25
- 1244 reads
At Plottng against Panday 25th March 2007 Anand said,
"Panday ......for those who know him he is virtually incorruptible. His personality and traits have no leaning towards materialism and ostentation, and his primary concern and love is politics. One point two million dollars could hardly be credited as a bribe paid to a PM who was in charge of a billion-dollar economy at a time when we were aggressively monetising our off-shore gas reserves by international competitive bidding."
I'm not interested in concrete intepretation of these words. The thrust of them was that Panday is a good man, of reliable moral fortitude.
However, views expressed in public about Panday in the last few weeks suggest that Anand's perception of Panday has changed. Or has it?
I'm confused why would a Panday of such moral calibre, who is 'virtually incorruptible' resort to "... berating, bullying and even blackmailing people who did not vote for the UNC..." ?
Ah mean, is dis dee same Panday we talking about, or is it the same Anand Ramlogan we know?
Perhaps Anand the lawyer is concientious enough to defend his client in and out of the courts.
He is not the lawyer now, and Panday's behaviour is so obvious. It is what he did. Of course, Panday's corruptibilty or lack thereof is independent from his berating, bullying and even blackmailing ways. It is indeed possible to have characteristics of both descriptions. Perhaps now Anand realises that the latter is the deeper and more embedded in the man?
Panday may not have leanings towards materialism and ostentation, but he certainly is fanatical about politics. The only way he will ever leave is to be carried out.
I believe Anand has the right to live and learn from his mistakes, and if he has done so on this occasion, more power to him.
I haven't revisited that article but I do recall reading it and I think what was suggested was that it had more to do with his wife than the man himself. And that the man allows his wife free reign (even over him) and that she does things that is not 'moral'. And that the man goes down defending his wife once things are exposed even if things look bad for himself.
As for the politics...well one can say de man is dexterious and wily sometimes for his own good and does things to suit de situation rather than anchor at strong principle. I think it has been proven that de man is a fox and as such he remains fleet footed so that no one can knock him down. As such it may come across that de man has no moorings. But I think de man himself considers that real life and politics is two things: separate and apart. Politics is de man theatre where roles are played on stage. Manning has been known to do de same although not to de extreme to what and how de man does it. It may be the things what COP may be calling old politics and that there is a need for new politics.
Although one can be quick to judge de man on and about his platform and public live, understanding de context and views of things one may want to also get within de inner circle to see what de real man is about. Anand may be privilege to that. Let's face it de man is a political animal and i think that personna has consumed him at worse or over shadow everything else at best.
Yeah right Jumbie, and I am actually Prince Charles.
Look nah man, you would have me accept that men (including Panday), who are virtually incorruptible whose personalities have no leanings towards materialism and ostentation...can have separate abilities to berate, bully and even blackmail.
Wha' is dat boy? Like daize a union of opposites or what? Or is dat anodda way to define two-facedness. 'Virtually incorruptible' is a powerful and bold combination of words. See what 'ostentation' means here: http://www.tfd.com/ostentation - you mean daize Panday boy? No leanings to ostentation. Is that true of Panday or not? Well to imply that it is not true is to risk being hauled before the courts.
I'm left thinking that either Anand (lawyer or layman) is confused or somebody else wrote those words and Anand hurriedly approved them without really studying what was written.
I doh release from my notice contradictions like that. And I too can find tricks in logic to resolve almost any contradition. If it was anyone else making similar contradictions I would have taken equal notice.
Our friends can also be held accountable, when they venture in to public life and make public statements. And that is how accountable COP must become.
Well the truth is that Anand and William Lucie-Smith is on the ball in their articles "potential for growth" and "why do we vote for bad goverments?" respectively. We acknowledge the assessments and surely these are things we knew all along. We should not have to wait for an election and analyze the results to know that these are the cases.
What surprisingly both authors are pinning their hopes on is the vote and voice of the youth. It is surprising because as much as there are thousands who are educating themselves and availing themselves of the modern conveniences, there are equally thousands who 'ent business'. For them their partaking in the modern world is a 'nice' cellphone (bling), with which to text and indulge in the 'honeys'. That apart they continue the same rot of the adults. Content with the largesse of state and festering the dependency syndrome. That is the reality on the ground. And since criminal activity has such a rich allure with no penalities...that's the direction a growing number of young people are heading in.
So what we are looking at is a vicious cycle that is bound to continue into the future and surely by the next election. Further, the PM and the PNM are no fools. They know they have been fortunate to be back in power and they have a treasury bursting at the seams in which to carry out their plans. It will be foolhardy to believe that they will not do all they can to secure their victory for the next electoral cycle. Increase the dependency on state...'tief de young ppl head' with all kinda gimmicks/programmes, propaganda, pseudo-performance and of course the expansion of their already significant housing programme. In my own area they did not get a chance to finish a large housing settlement before the election. That will be finished within a year I am quite certain and populated with PNM benign voters.
So by the next election expect more of the same (including a similiar electorate with simliar voting patterns) or a deeply enthrenched PNM. That's the reality. What should be the opposition objective within the next 5 years is to slow any 'progress' (PNM kinda progress) that they want to make and expose their inefficacies at every turn. To play Mr. Nice Guy is to play in the hands of a ruling party that truly has no business being there but for the kinda politics T&T has they are.
I agree with Mr. Lucie-Smith that COP will always be under a squeeze between the UNC and PNM. It should be priority for COP to remove themselves from this squeeze because, just like the PNM over the next 5 years, they should not expect the UNC to remain dormant over the next 5 years and play the game the same way as they did. They too understand what the next 5 years mean and expect they will want to put their house in order to attract as many as they could, repairing their 'bad' image along the way.
What this points to is that COP will have a very difficult time to survive over the next 5 years unless they ride and build on the momentum they manage to obtain at this election. It will be crucial for them to note that there is not a moment to rest as the other 2 parties have realised. Their work is harder because they have no parlimentary presence, but their blood is cleaner and more fresh to capture the appeal. They don't need an overhaul as the other 2 parties.
This election, apart from what is appears at face value, is more than anything else the starter's pistol for a 5 year race to the next election. The next election is the crucial, decisive, mother of all elections - providing all 3 parties manage to survive the 5 year race and play their cards right.
The statement "The sight of Panday berating, bullying and even blackmailing people who did not vote for the UNC must be understood in the context of my prediction, many moons ago, that unless he facilitated unity and change, his legacy would be that he left politics where he met it 40 years ago: with his base divided and in opposition." is the most powerful political statement in a long time coming out of Trinidad & Tobago. It is ironic that most of Mr. Panday's statement since he lost the general election are indicative of the quote above. It seems that the leader of the opposition is more concerned about chastising the people than challenging the government.
History has proven "greatness" comes not how you got to the top but how well you rise from falling down from the top and getting back on your feet to fight and win. Anand has always been the hope for everyone and I am confident he will rise again and fight for equality, justice, peace and all the great qualities of life he represent. He will be back with a bang!!!!!!!!!!
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Ha ha ha! One brown nose (scholar) looking in the mirror to reflect the other brown nose's (mfr) view. Its still to much of the brown stufff..............
My friend still continue to regurgitate other people's garbage except this time he's regurgitating stuff that other people picked up from Panday and regurgitated. In other words he's the regurgitator of the regurgitated. Quite a scholar. From time to time I come across RF Rahman tit bits he write to the newspaper and he too strikes me like a knife and fork like scholar and a guy name Eric who calls the radio stations everyday, with plenty time on their hands enjoying the luxuries of life. It seems strange that these people have a hatred for those who have but yet they living it up. It is like they alone wish to have. Regardless of what their passions are this will not change the fact that Panday does not enjoy popular cross over support and he and the UNC will never win another election in sweet T&T under the west minister system. The best he can hope for is a change of the system which is where the fight should be taking place.
I want to say too things. Had I lived in the Tabaquite constituency I would have voted for you.
Can't believe the snake won.
Secondly, I haven't done a search as yet to see if you have already tackled this but is there a copy of the constitutional reform on your site?
The Venezuelans go to the polls on Sunday. Interestingly their slogan was not "No to the reform", but "read the reform". I suppose on the presumption that any sane person would not actually be willing to vote for it once they had read it.
Since we are in a similiar position, and I can (read that is), I suppose I should scurry now and read the powers of the executive president to be.
Interestingly also Barbados is going to vote on becoming a Republic later this year also, but apparently details have not been released.
Must be a water borne disease.
...I believe it was said and established on this site before, that Scholar showed no "independent thinking and/or thought process of his own", but constantly "repeats like a parrot" everything he reads or hear, without understanding it fully himself to begin with....! "
...hello?...the light's on scholar, but nobody's home"? Either you put together "two sentences of your own ' if you can, scholar, or get yourself checked out. (there is a medical name for it, you might be interested to find out)!
...and in the meantime, try not to chew gum and walk at the same time, the hospitals don't have any spare beds right now, ok? and the corridors and hallways are dirty and cold, we don't want you there...! Right?
...take care of yourself scholar, you are showing signs of constant long-term abuse by others, time to put a stop to it...! stand up like a man for what you believe in and break away from the shackles once and for all...!
...you might be surprised at what true freedom feels like, try it you might like it...!
goodluck.Trini.t.o.o
...Firstly, welcome back, and yes, I think your comment on the potential for Political growth is quite accurate and in addition, I feel there is also room for the "third party", notwithstanding the comments to the contrary by the "Political analysts" and "Political pundits" that TnT is too small for three parties.
...Of course they are making a lot of assumptions and speculations to arrive at their conclusions, but if we are to take a closer look at the actual results of the elections, the statistics, along with a number of other factors, the COP did extremely well under the circumstances this time around, their first attempt in such a short period of time.
...The big question is, does COP and the members have the will and the fortitude and wherewithall to remain intact and stay the course for the next five years, given their current situation? There is the need for a sound strategy to be implemented and put in place for its survival and continuity, as well as "tapping into" the fall-outs from the other two parties, which is bound to happen going down the road, and to be able to capitalise on those opportunities when they come, and they will, without fail.!
...I will elaborate on this as we go along, but for now, I just wanted to say that yes, to me there is the potential for growth politically, and its all fully supported by facts if we take the time to examine them.
...To many, it may come as a surprise that I did not see COP as really "a Loser" as some suggests, and with a sound strategy and tactical approach in the coming years all of this can be turned around to a huge advantage.!
...In the boxing business, they say when you have the guy on the ropes, "don't let up or give up"!
...It may sound surprising, bit as I see it right now, both the PNM and the UNC are on the ropes, and it is my view that neither can last the five years without falling flat on their faces on the canvass. In fact, it's starting to happen already, and election was only a few weeks ago....crimes, kidnappings, robberies, killings, schools, health services, roads, social services, labour problems, demonstrations and road blockages...etc...same ole, same ole!
...Its already unravelling before parliament even sits. Thats the PNM in power for you...!
...For The UNC-A on the other hand, well they have five years to go, five long years to fight amongst themselves as to who their leader will be, and they have all the right ingredients to do so, before they disintegrate and fall apart again, thats if they last that long...!
...The trick is, that COP must be able to sustain the "punishment" also, but to be there standing over them when that time comes, to take full advantage of the opportunity, when it presents itself!
...The surprise factor will be crucial and benefitial to COP too should they be able to last to the final round.!
...You have all fought a good fight, you have gained a lot of respect on the way and a have attracted lots of good people in your corner, and that will only grow with time and effort, as COP move forward.
...As for the other two parties, well as we all know, history is destined to repeat itself, and as we can all see, after all its happening already.!
...Be prepared as they say, as this time too will come and pass!
Goodluck.Trini.t.o.o