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“A prominent political scientist devoted newspaper and academic articles to illustrating the UNC as corrupt and also darkly suggested an ethnic propensity to white-collar crime. He wrote: ‘For the UNC, politics is relative; everything is for relatives.’
“The party of all-ah-we-t’ief, Johnny O’Halloran and which spawned corruption-buster Gene Miles, had taken the high moral road…”
The following Letter to the Editor on the supposedly tactical labelling of the UNC party by the PNM was submitted to Wired868 by former CNMG CEO Ken Ali:
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/Wired868)
Former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday had nailed down one recurring PNM campaign theme that kept him out of national office following the 2002 general election.
“They kept accusing us of corruption,” Panday said, “and some of the mud stuck.”
He repeated the point on the eve of the 2007 general election, telling a public meeting at St Helena: “For five years, they calculatedly painted the UNC as corrupt. Anything we did, we were corrupt!”
Other influence-shapers also carried the campaign.
A prominent political scientist devoted newspaper and academic articles to illustrating the UNC as corrupt and also darkly suggested an ethnic propensity to white-collar crime. He wrote: “For the UNC, politics is relative; everything is for relatives.”
The party of all-ah-we-t’ief, Johnny O’Halloran and which spawned corruption-buster Gene Miles, had taken the high moral road.
While the UNC boasted that “performance beats old talk,” the PNM kept the corruption drumbeat.
Even against the backdrop of poster child Calder Hart, Patrick Manning spoke loftily to the PNM’s 39th convention—a decade ago—about combating corruption carried out by his political foes.
(Copyright The Globe and Mail)
Around that time, Dr Keith Rowley, then a deputy political leader, denounced his own government as corrupt, in a memorable parliamentary address on the heels of his sacking as a minister.
“The PNM is on trial,” Rowley said, amid a swirl of billion-dollar fraud being investigated by the Uff Commission.
In a remarkable declaration, he slammed: “In 1986, when we went to campaign in my area… and you are going door-to-door and they are slamming doors in your face in Westmoorings, in Glencoe, in Bayshore and all they are telling you about is O’Halloran.”
The PNM repeated campaign theme since the electoral rise of UNC was again its mantra in 2015—and is already shaping to be the clarion call for the forthcoming general election.
While the UNC justifiably boasted in 2015 of improving public infrastructure and citizens’ quality of life, the PNM ran a whisper campaign in its enclaves that this fattened the pockets of party insiders.
This convinced a sufficient number of voters in swing constituencies—remember the election is decided by a mere few thousand—and handed the PNM victory on September 7.
The PNM has already launched a propaganda document, which Rowley has termed “a bible of UNC corruption.”
The booklet is tauntingly dubbed: “The patriot’s guide to why never again.”
(Copyright Trinidad Guardian)
Rowley’s recent party convention address in Tobago merited clinical media examination, which was expectedly scant.
He said the country is overwhelmed by a cancer of corruption, and his ambition is to make politics “a noble calling.”
Few challenged the Prime Minister on the absence of public tendering for billion-dollar inter-island boats, lack of a feasibility study for the even more expensive Sandals project—or any other disputed deals with taxpayers’ money.
His recurring message is clear: Caricature the UNC as corrupt and incapable of proper governance.
Most conscientious nationals yawn at the repeated tune three years into the electoral term, but it plays well in the echo chamber where it matters. In the post-truth world, Rowley simply pivots from numerous opposition queries and sounds a dog whistle.
Indeed, post-truth politics is one where emotional appeals rule and dispassionate discussions on policies are sidestepped. Examine many social media posts for raw evidence. Witness US President Donald Trump.
The government’s argument on the contentious amendments to a tax bill provides vivid proof of the PNM’s electoral manner.
The opposition sent in Senator Saddam Hosein with reasoned statements, while the government rolled out its heavy-hitters, who played the PNM’s theme song.
Attorney General Faris al Rawi deadpanned that the UNC is running scared and has something to hide. The facts got lost in the combustible political exchange; no media house bothered with a sober analysis.
To be sure, this is the 2020 election campaign meme. The UNC will bemoan loss of jobs, the murder spree and economic and social instability. The PNM’s poker-faced rejoinder to the electorate will be: Do you really trust these people with your country?
For his part, Rowley is a moving target, with teflon skin, an aggressive take-no-prisoners manner and an angry disdain for scrutiny.
After an analyst thoughtfully questioned him on economy policy, he waved a dismissive hand at a public meeting and declared: “Drink yuh rum and get out mih face!”
The partisans roared.
It says a lot about Trinidad and Tobago and about our political contenders that this is today’s dominant electoral issue.
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley gestures to supporters at Balisier House after the election results on September 7.
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/Wired868)
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Again the zombism of this island’s people is just mind boggling!!!!!!
Kelisha David Many drones. Sadly.
Y all corruption bad but it seems inevitable.
I don’t want to say it’s inevitable, but a lot of the problem stems from Not enough members of the electorate understanding how deep goes the culture of corruption in this society. When you have a statement like this being made “I venture to say that on the face of the whole earth there is no place more corrupt than Trinidad” and this was made in 1832…..1832, think about it……then clearly the problem is deeper than PNM and UNC
Lets talk about who more corrupt
Orrrrr, let’s seriously examine thhe culture of corruption and how deep does it go. See my reply to Collin Cudjoe below
A Corey Gilkes wouldn’t you say the PM is talking a pack of ass with his comment? Do you think he was born yesterday? Or does he think with his track record, he could throw out an irresponsible statement like he did knowing full well what the perception is atm and get away with it?
Was UNC/PP corruption an illusion created by PNM.i think not.
you really dont see that both parties are different sides of the same coin? Explain to me why it is so easy for party members to jump parties and why both parties never went after each other hard for corruption? It is time for us to start thinking and stop being outsmarted by these diseases
Kelisha David at the end of the day we have to be governed by somebody.Pick yuh poison and hold them accountable.
Collin Cudjoe you got no choice and we never did for a extremely long time!!! All we got is a giant monster called the red and yellow party!!!! How could you make a choice when you got none in the first place!!
We have beeb drinking poison and getting beaten for decades and we still love the monster so I am not falling for that mantra
See my reply below Kelisha David (and check your IM)
While we the citizenry rush like wild hogs to get a $50 ham, the red and yellow disease patiently wait their turn to slice up the trillion dollar ham called TnT economy and resources
Kelisha, I’m VERY tempted to agree with you unreservedly, but that is indicative of a deeper set of problems and I think we may want to be careful about being judge mental in a blanket way of everyone who went to get things like ham and other consumer items. I don’t even eat ham anymore but I understand the need by many to preserve some semblance of what made their spaces liveable especially at seasons like this.
A Corey Gilkes I understand what you are saying but I think my analogy was to highlight what is important in we the peasants’ eye is nothing compared to what the elites savour
Kelisha, that’s why I said I almost totally agreed with you. But I see it as “both/and” not “either/or”
What is your plan Kalisha? I have learnt d best critics can be acquired and silenced.
Collin Cudjoe not vote for either of them and build with like minded people who are interested in making a better country for our people
Kelisha David we marched around town with Cadiz.till he park by d PP
Why would you waste a priceless vote on something that is a disease to everything to hold and hope for in your country, sometimes a cancer refuses to leave the body because we keep feeding it
Pnm won a no vote campaign 36-0
Collin Cudjoe I am sure I said the both parties are a disease and therefore are a lost cause
We the young people will have to get rid of the red and yellow cancer colonialism and our people created, as of now we do not have a democracy, we got a deadly fairy tale
Kelisha David I just exercise my constitutional right to vote.
Collin Cudjoe its all fake, there is no choice in all this voting matter when both parties are one and the same
?
Similar to what I and many others have been saying, Kelisha. The numbers even after the last couple elections show a growing number of people who refuse to vote either side for a lot of the same reasons. THAT — the things people do NOT want — is what should be the galvanic force at this juncture. Over and over I see that the thing beig called for is an organising of grassroots movements that governments will fear.
Cadiz and the Keith Noel 135 Committee got some traction so I hear you on that Collin, but their problem was that there was no effective follow-through. The PP government was essentially the UNC with a pick-up side, many people knew that, but that meant that even after the elections were won, the main organising should have BEGUN, not ended. I recall in Spain a few years ago, the then government got the country involved in the illegal war in Iraq and also signed on to some very unfair trade “agreements.” The labour unions banded together, drummed up support, voted them out and elected a government that was pro Labour. And as soon as *that* government took office, the same Labour movement shut down the entire country in a nationwide strike to force them to rescind the old government’s agreements. This is the kind of militancy and awareness that once existed here, we need to rediscover it.
UNC government was pro labour?and Cadiz really cared about d death of his employee?
I never said that they were Collin Cudjoe. You’re missing the point
A Corey Gilkes Ok
A Corey Gilkes he missed the point and still waiting to catch it
Kelisha David if we don’t vote a party will be swepted in or returned.
Collin Cudjoe I repeat, both parties are the same so in effect we never had a real choice! I choose NOT to vote for the yellow-red amalgamated disease, you are more than free to do so
Kelisha David Ok
You know I have heard those same talking points from many supporters of the disease giant party!!! It is clear that they are just regurgitating what their overseers told them and the overseers are just doing their plantation massa bidding
Kelisha David u realise all forms of government has failed. Communism Russia Socialism Cuba Democracy Trump.Hipocracy Trinidad. ?
Collin Cudjoe I am glad that you said that so then my question to you is why do you want to vote for a failed government? That is some serious cognitive dissonance there!!!!
Kelisha David stability it could be worse
Such government do not offer stability, they offer illusions and intentional confusion, you think our country is stable right now i seriously bed to differ
Kelisha David I am stable u r too.some countries u cannot even attack d government without getting locked up.look at people fighting to stay here.
I said again, all we see it is not as we think they are. Just because another country is super messed up does not mean that we have to accept the strangeness passing as governance in ours!
Kelisha David I wish I could use strong words like u.but I don’t hide my identity. Y r u so unhappy?
Strong words!!!!!! OK let me change it then.
I am unhappy because my country is gone. There is worse to come and there is nothing we can do about it.
Na u know y choose to communicate such.or not show your face.
By the way I just tell you that you voting does nothing as you perceive it to do but I don’t understand how that will is perceived as attacking anyone.
Why do you want people to vote for something that is not real?
OK if I were to vote,.which party should I pick?
Yuh country was never here. In d 60’s 70’s and 80’s we had massive exodus from here.
Vote for one of your choice.
I have voted for ONR NAR and PNM
Which is the better party?
Am I was Not born in 60,70,or 80s
Kelisha David Exodus r us
Kelisha David gone dey going and watch ah movie.
Thank you for the dialouge
Kelisha David k
No seriously, it is good get opposing views. Enjoy your.movie
And we wonder why after all the billions that passed thru we still undeveloped? People, and that includes journalists who are paid to do the bidding, just cannot be objective.
I love this story and think one day it should be a national debate!!! PNM imo won 2015 election based on the ‘drumbeat’ of UNC corruption. To date after 3 years….not a serious charge has been made, farless any jail time despite loads of evidence like Lifesport. It makes you wonder if this was fictitious or incompetence [current AG]. But wait…. the same rhetoric was used by UNC to win election from the Manning PNM and no jail time either, despite having access to power/files/control of more seats. If we keep looking back it seems this is a cultural trend to do nothing about corruption by both parties.
Nicholas Lochan well said sir
that’s why I vote for none!, my taxes will be paid and remain a committed citizen to my country, but that’s where it ends for me
Nicholas Lochan politicians do not jail politicians.
“Amlo promises clean government and has argued that previously corrupt politicians will fall into line if the president sets a proper example.
But last week, he stunned the country by saying he wouldn’t pursue past cases of corruption, preferring instead to turn the page.”
That’s the new Mexico president after promising to go after crooked politicians during his campaign.
Same as Trump. Same as Rowley.
Lasana Liburd I hope the Mexican Prez.is well protected, oh shucks, he is, hence his statement
Read:
U nc PNM?
yep it is
Yes it is.
Playing on party fanatics ‘ ethnic character assignations, sterotypes, and assassinations’
That also happens to be true
That I admire
“Politics is relative, everything for relatives”
And if your relative is competent, why not.
I would be in a drastically different place if my —— relatives werent sabotaging me from 2004 to 2018
Imagine where and how Trinidad would be if black folk utilized some of these collective principles
That are economic facets and character that make development of a people possible:
What he writes of has a name: “Social Fabric”
Jews as a people are considered to have the highest.
Indian people on colonial plantations have A Lot.
As do the one percent.
Or, see how closeted and inward the Middle Easterners in Trinidad.
If we had academics in trinidad this is the kind of thing they would explore so when folk bash groups or their own for having it, or not- They know what it is
SOCIAL CAPITAL
Black Africans have the least
As represented when citizens say rowley have no business with his party masses, but in the sole interest of his syrian lobby, financiers, and aspirations.
His friends regardless of what ethnicity, cause AV petrotrin defrauders — a nontopic when the company no longer exists, ehnt.
So this topic is more complex than the black african and indian dichotomy most try to bring.
Economics and Politics of Money and Friend Associations across Ethnic Barriers.
The Rowkey· Era.
Lol