Why I'm Voting PNM

People Want Real Services not Platitudes

I’ve never dipped my fingers in red ink.  I consider myself a social activist and feel that it is important to exercise what I feel is my civic duty to influence any election in my community or nation. 

I lived in the US many years and vaguely remember voting for a candidate who lost the election.  It did not really matter who won at the time, just the fact that I could vote in the US Primary Election was enough.

So five years ago, I returned to Trinidad a couple of years before the last election in 2010 when the People Partnership was elected into office.  My memory is still clear, I admit I was in full support of the UNC party over the PNM, It seemed like an easy choice, and Patrick Manning may have been suffering from Hubris.

Today I have a sense of déjà vu, in less than five years the UNC party proved itself to be the worst choice of governments.  Now it’s PM Kamla who is showing early signs of Hubris.  Her campaign is dubbed “Kamla 2015” She claims that the fight is between herself and Dr.  Rowley and he is a demon so she is the only logical choice.

Her NoRowley campaign, back fired like so many other mean spirited campaign Kamla 2015 have launched.  The latest in the news about that campaign were death threats that put a price on Mr. Rowley’s head of 15Million dollars.  That would effectively eliminate 99 percent of the people in TnT as having that money to pay anyone.  You connect the dots yourself.

I can’t see myself voting for ILP that is a phenomenon that really intrigues me.  That is almost as amazing as voting for Kamla 2015 by rationalizing and ignoring the some basic facts of life.

Quite frankly, I would rather vote to put an Independent into Parliament.  The way the Constitution is written now, every elected member of Parliament is beholding to their political leader.  He decides, they follow, and an Independent will always hold the needs of the people they represent first.

I’m voting for the PNM not because I love Dr. Rowley but because I will not stand by and vote for a government that has failed over and over.  A government that is fraught with dishonesty, corruption, racism, and nepotism; just to name a few. Those are my words formed from my observation over the last 5 years.

The Constitution needs to change. There is way too much power in that office of the Prime Minister.  This executive power infects the holder; it appears the weaker ones succumb faster when they taste the power.  It is the infectious nature of the office that concerns me about Dr. Rowley.  Do you remember he had a makeover when he first became political leader?  A people person would never need a makeover.  How long will he last before the power of the office infects him and the makeover melts away?

Unfortunately, at this point it’s not about Dr. Rowley, when I vote PNM it’s about the future of this country.

No amount of advertisement, in the newspaper, online, television or the radio that will change the minds of people who can see.  Promises were broken, there were typos in the manifesto, corruption festered and influence was a commodity with a price.  Trinbagonians will not sit by, well not all will, and let the country be dragged down to nothing because of one power hungry woman. Someone needs to advise the government that advertising is not effective in changing minds.  Advertising reinforces what people already believe.

There is something curiously similar to the 2010 election, ex PM Manning was delusional about his chances for victory.  What caused his gross misjudgment? 

He was wrong because the people he interacted with daily told him what he wanted to hear.  They, many of them, told him that the PNM would walk away with a mandate.   He believed them.  Is PM Kamla delusional?      

Here is the reality that hit the exPM Manning like a ton of bricks on election night, even if you have a 100,000 die hard Party followers; it does not mean you will win.  In other words, even if only 30 percent of the population of 1.3 million actually voted you would still lose the election.   

 I am voting for the PNM because I want to see improvements in the Health System, the Police Service, Education, a reduction in crime – just catch some criminals.  

Most of all I am voting for the PNM because this last government has wasted so much of TnT resources that the future for our country is at stake.  

If they had five more years the future of this country does not look rosy. .  

Who Do You Think Will Win The Next Election?

Spying Into The Future  

This is an election year and it seems like once again, like déjà vu the population want to change the government.  And once again, the government just doesn’t get it.   They are adamant on winning the election.  A lot of money will be spent on a futile cause.  It was the same in the last general election. 

BUSINESS OWNERS - GET WHOLESALE PRODUCTS FOR SALE HERE

The PNM, Patrick Manning administration did not get it.  When it hit them like a ton of brick, Mr. Manning could not hide his surprise.  The people who supported him turned on him and chased him out of the party headquarters.  To Mr. Manning, the PNM party and his supporters the results devastated them.  Everyone else knew it was inevitable. 

Trinidad and Tobago is for all intent and purposes a two party state.  All the other parties and the independents are usually left out of the race. 

The present government pushed for constitutional change that would affect the upcoming elections but after a lot of heat the fire has cooled down.  It is rumored that it will not be signed by the President because if it passed before the elections it will help the opposition more than the incumbent party.  And they were the ones who were pushing for it to passed post haste.

In my humble opinion, I am no politician or analyst but the incumbent party will experience an awakening like the PNM had theirs five years ago.  It does not matter what legislation they are able to put in place, how much money they spend or how well they run their campaign, they will lose.  The people have had enough and they cannot pay all the people who want them out.

The only way the smaller parties or the independents will make a difference is to focus and generate a following based on a solid ideological position.  The PNM will win the next election without a doubt because there are no other significant choices.  They will win by default.

There are rumors about Mr. Rowley management style, his arrogance and aloofness.  It is also my opinion that the Prime Minister according to the constitution has too much power.  Power corrupts what is good.  Just imagine what it does with someone who has no moral compass. That is not something we have to try hard to imagine.  

They say everyone has one and I just showed mine. If you have one you can leave a comment below. 

BUSINESS OWNERS: WHOLESALE PRODUCTS FOR SALE HERE

TnT PP Government Has Begun Its Slippery Slide From Grace

Yuh Hatta Think It, Before Yuh Do It

Trinbagonians Thinking Now

Trinidad and Tobago had 2 elections since my last post.  Time flies.

The local election results saw a strong return by the PNM.  You can read the resultshere.   

My predictions were all correct.  Love it when you could read the writing on the wall while other believe differently even in the face of facts.

First - The PNM walked away with 9 of the 14 available seats, gaining some inroads into the Chaguanas constituency.  The PP government saw it as a win for them, I'm not going to touch that, maybe you could figure it out.  

The ILP also was able to grab a couple of council seats in Chaguanas but in the end one of the Councilor cross over and voted for the UNC nomination for Mayor and control of the Chaguanas Corporation.  You can read about that here if you wish.   

St Joseph By-Election

UNC beaten again in the St Joseph Constituency By-elections.  The candidates and the results were as follows;

The winner:  PNM, Terrance Deyalsingh, previously a Senetor, calm low keyed.  He is the one who wondered why his opponents came to register as a candidate with tassa drums and a huge entourage of supporters. He won by 779 votes, see here.

Second  -: The UNC , Ian Alleyne:  Mr. Alleyne was a local talk show host who labeled himself as a one man crime fighter  whose favorite saying was “I’m not for sale”.  He surprised everyone by taking the UNC platform and lamblasting Jack Warner for lying about a phone call he got from the AG, Anand Ramlogan, offering him the candidacy for St. Joseph.   Then there were rumors that alleged that “He did not sell out because he was bi”  His promise was to help the security minister fight crime.  Now that he lost, he ent helping nobody. Makes you say hmmm ,

Third - ILP, Om Lalla, Om Lalla is Mr. Warner personal local lawyer and anyone would think that he had to know that he did not stand a chance of winning or even beating the PNM or the UNC in St. Joseph.  He maybe was thinking that the ILP would do what they did in Chaguanas where they won every district.  OK so if he knew, why did he do it?  It is my opinion that people have hidden agendas, things they don’t share with the public.  That would be the only plausible answer, and he is not sharing.

Independent Candidate Errol Fabian:  Local TV station owner and comedian, Errol is well intentioned and I could see why, like me, he did not align himself with any particular party and like me he should not have wasted his time and energy contesting the election.  His loss was too predictable.  

The fact is that an independent don’t stand a chance in this political climate.  People are looking for representation that could make a difference, if not now, at least in the next election which is due in 2015.  Errol offered no hope for people to access these services.  

He did however beat the last candidate, Mr. Lopez resoundingly; he got 300 votes.  From memory I believe that Mr. Lopez got one vote. Agenda again, the hidden agenda we may never read or hear about. 

The writing is really on the wall when a government that won a mandate in 2010 finds itself losing every election that is called during it’s reign.  In fact, few governments have had to face the embarrassing situation of having to conduct so many elections during its term of office. As we speakthe plot unfolds.

 The writing on the wall is saying that the government is about to change again.  In 2010, with Patrick Manning at the head of the PNM the government had to change.  Now we find ourselves at the same crossroads with no viable alternative but the PNM.

Do you see any other conclusion to this?

Trinidad Local Government Elections PP, PNM, MSJ, ILP

Sharing Why I Voted & Who I Voted For

Today I voted in the Local Government elections in Trinidad and Tobago.  There was no indecision in my vote or the reason for me voting.  First of all let me say that one of the reasons I felt I had to vote is because I think that for someone to comment and observe anything that sooner or later you have to take a position.  I vote for the right to be able to take a stand and say I prefer this party or that party. 

Before I tell you who I voted for, I will share with you the choices I had and you tell me how you would have voted given the political climate in the country.

The People’s Partnership Government (PP) , primarily represented by the United National Congress (UNC), The Congress of the People (COP) and the silent partner, the National Joint Action Committee.  This is the Party I supported in the last election.  The situation was that the then incumbent government led by the then Prime Minister, Patrick Manning had to go.  The reasons are all recorded in history.   But I could not and would not vote or support a Party that has made so many missteps, mistakes, misrepresentations with numerous allegations of corruption, nepotism and outright waste.  That will never happen again if my vote matters.

The Independent Liberal Party (ILP) This is a formed by a rejected minister of the present government, Jack Austin Warner.  He had to leave after allegations of theft, bribery and corruption which he all denied and instead began hurling accusations at the present government.  His campaign was one of the meanest in the history of Trinidad, yet it appears that thousands of Trinidadians are following him.  That in and of itself speaks volumes, "which we will not address here… not now”.  But the bottom line is that the people who follow this man are either morally or ethically blind or are so desperate for an alternative Party that they will follow Ali Baba if he was running.  He is, in the person of Mr. Jack Austin Warner, never convicted but always suspect.  On the eve of the election it was revealed that he has not paid taxes in the last 10 years.  Ouch that hurts.

Movement For Social Justice (MSJ) This I believe should be a favorite Party; it is the Party that can really make a difference in the way the country is run.  They have demonstrated their integrity when they walked away from the government partnership because as they put it, “they no longer wanted to be a part of the corruption”.  Ideally, this is the Party most citizens would choose.  There is one problem.    Their appeal is not wide enough, so the other Parties are dwarfing them in the campaign and getting the message out.  They will lose the elections.

The People National Movement (PNM) This is one of the oldest Parties in Trinidad and Tobago.  It is the Party I wanted out in 2010 because of the aforementioned leader, Patrick Manning.  Since then, the new Political Leader, Dr. Keith Rowley took the helm of leadership.  He was the only Party politician to stand up against Mr. Manning excesses while they were in office.  The PNM has attempted to re-invent themselves, as any sensible Party would do, after the licking they took in the 2010 elections.  They were lucky to get away with just a few seats in Parliament.   Today they are seeking a comeback in an election that they did not give the people an opportunity to have for 3 years.  

My question is given the choices above.  Who would you vote for if your interest was in the improvement of the country.  

I voted PNM, not because I know they will do any better but because given the choices the PNM was the only logical choice.

The sad fact is that this is just a Local Government Election, tomorrow the PP government will still be in power.  In terms of governance nothing will change.  

With my vote I hope to send a message to that government that I don’t agree with the way they are doing things.  At the end of the day today, we will see if that message was sent.

If you are a Trinbagonian, Who did you vote for and why?  

Your answers are anonymous unless you choose to identify yourself.  

I Was A Supporter, But I’m No Fanatic

Why I'm No Longer A Party Member

Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe, and enthusiastically act upon... must inevitably come to pass! -Paul J. Meyer

As many of you who read this blog know I have recently (3 years) returned to Trinidad to live and have become a sort of social activist. My reasons are simple; Trinidad is my home.

My emotions run high about many injustices in the world. Pretty much all of them I can do nothing about. I was never in a position to make any significant contribution in the communities in Boston, MA or Ft. Lauderdale FL. It was not long after my arrival here that I decided that I would not quietly blend into my community.

I think what initially motivated me was a feeling of wanting to give back to the community. As a result, I campaigned to revitalize my community Village Council so that my neighbors would have representation. The government had initiated many social programmes but without an organized active body in the community only the basic services were provided.

The Village Council operates under a constitution and is governed by national and regional organizations. With a long history of providing social services to the immediate community it is strictly non-political. And because of this organization, I ended up in the politics of the country.

Here again the logic was simple. Most of the community supported the People National Movement (PNM), that being a tradition with no apparent logic. From what I had known of the politics of this particular party was that there was a lot of “stupidness” going on internally.

That mattered little at the time because, in my opinion; with or without me the “stupidness” would continue. So my logic was that if this is the party that would most likely win the election, this is the party I would back. In hindsight I think that getting involved in politics should come not from who would win but some other more enduring philosophy. Anyway, here is what happened.

I was elected to the position of Vice President of Party Group 18. As the vice president there were the obligatory weekly meetings to discuss party politics and campaigning to recruit more members. It was at these meetings that I was singled out as not being timid in voicing my opinions about issues.

Maybe it’s because I articulated what I felt with out reservations for party politics. What amazed me most was how the people in the meeting led by the Chairwoman of the Constituency ignored the currents issues in the party. In fact, they fleetingly rationalized what I considered very significant issues related to ethics and morality as practiced by party leaders. Issues like the Finance Minister which I wrote about in one post here.

The constituency Party Group meetings never discussed relevant issues like the high crime rate in the country, the fact that the Prime Minister wanted to purchase a private jet, the close to half a billion dollar mansion he built or the proposed construction of, not one but three, smelter plants in the country. To them these were non-issues. I begged to differ.

My question has always been; how could sane, intelligent people not rebel or even discuss issues that apparently affected their lives? The answer was not readily available but with a little research I now have an answer to the riddle. You could probably guess the reason too; it’s really that obvious. But I digress.

Now here is my dilemma. I am now receiving invitations to what I would call party sponsored events some of which make me appear as if I agree with the party politics. I have received personal invitations to conventions, sporting events and consultations. Some I have attended and some I have ignored because none really every address any of what to me are very relevant party issues.

If you have been following me here you may remember the post on the Summit of the Americas where I related the story when the President of Party Group 18 was denied an invitation because only my name was listed as an invited guest. My protests were ignored and because I did not reach the point I’m today, I accepted it. That too was a revelation.

Well I called it a dilemma but the dilemma lasted for about a day. Today, I’m officially and symbolically burning my party card, symbolic because the promised party card was never delivered. I’m exercising my right as a citizen not to participate.

I’m willing to accept the backlash that I will no longer be invited to functions and meetings that have provided a network of party associates. I was a supporter but I am no fanatic and will continue to be a social activist in the true sense of the word. I refuse to compromise my moral and ethical values for what I could potentially gain from being a member

Thank you for reading my rant.

Be well.