Six of One, Half a dozen of the Other... (For Political Supporters Only)

Listening to the PNM activists and supporters tell it, the country is now frightfully exposed to abuse under the People's Partnership and the country needs to pay close attention or we stand to lose a lot.

Sounding altruistic and patriotic in their motives, they are standing guard and calling out the UNC on every perceived slight of hand and looking on one would be hard pressed to recognize these same supporters, so mute and silent were they when their side was in power looting the treasury under UDECOTT, CHOGM, the Sport Company, and all the other bandit constructs with nary a dissenter, save and except for Rowley and the rest of Emile's boys.

Now the UNC is in power and their supporters get to play the role of silent bystander, their 'people' get to loot and the cycle of abuse and pillaging resumes in ernest, same play, different players.

Barely seven months in Office all the signs are there that this version of the UNC is no different to its last incarnation under Basdeo Panday, and certain key individuals in the Government are rumoured to be renegotiating the kick back deals with all who would be national suppliers and who originally had deals with the former Administration.

Certain State Board and other appointments would have embarrassed people who had shame, but local politicians have no such handicap and the people are either too divided or too lazy to stand against the obvious.

For all the sophisticated sounding drivel about serving the people and delivering, their intentions appear to be no different to those they replaced and all the supporters and activists who attacked Manning and crew have settled in for their own piece of the pie.

To quote my Syrian 'pardner', it was never about change, just exchange.

This is the real history of Trinidad & Tobago and it needs to be part of any political discussion if that discussion is not to be a lie; Party activists and supporters make it possible for corrupt public officials to cheat and steal because they conspire, deflect, conceal and partake in the abuse.

They are conspirators either before or after the fact, are complicit in crimes against this country and ought to be charged for their involvement.

This is in no way new, started by the PNM under Eric Williams and were world famous for their ability to cheat, steal and plunder banana republic style, matched only in recent history by Panday's UNC, starring Ish, Brian, Steve, Carlos and the boys.

So crafty was this bunch,  it was said they could literally steal milk and sugar out of coffee and make you believe you ordered it black in the first place.

Were it not for Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj and a political horn the PNM may never had seen power again, but thanks to Panday's hubris his Government collapsed, paving the way for our Lord, Saviour and Father of the Nation, Pastor Patrick Manning.

NAPA, private jets, million dollar scholarships, the Summit of the Americas, Waterfront fiascos, PM"s Palace, the soucouyant church, two million dollar flags later all beg the question of those supporters who are so vociferous now, where were you then?

Were you complaining about yellow laptops when the laptop supplier to CHOGM and the Summit made himself millions in four days?

Were you riding State Boards and running CEPEP Gangs, supplying thirty thousand dollar screws to T&TEC?

Where were you when the Project Manager Prime Minister was syphoning State funds for his church in the bush?

Both sides are equally disgusting when in power and someone needs to tell ALL their supporters to shut the hell up; They are part of if not the root of the problem and their piety and newly re-discovered love of country sounds hollow now.

Where the rubber meets the road is this; until the electorate, the people of this country develop something like self respect and love of country and stand against this base tribal voting we will never end this cycle of corruption and abuse.

This mad Party fervor is breaking our democracy a little more with each successive election, and I fear this continuous exchange of bandit politics will not only be our legacy, it will also be our death sentence and our final epitaph.

Something to think about...