Minutes to Midnight... (Is Jack about to Seize Power?)

This is an email I received today, and the SIA can verify not only did I receive it, but the veracity of its contents.

I have not adjusted, or edited it in any way, it is in 'as received' condition, or as the old people used to say "How ah buy it, ah sell it."

[Begin]

"Those with eyes to see, ears to hear and a mind to ponder cannot come to no other conclusion that the Jack Warner for Prime Minister train has left the station and is heading to the final destination: Office of the Prime Minister. 

The FIFA jefe is far more clever and ruthless than glamour-girl Kamla who still does not understand and accept that a leader must lead with firmness and decisiveness and must put down attempts to undermine and negate her authority. 

Citizens will prefer a leader like Jack who can command and require respect and obedience instead of a soft uninspiring leader like Kamla who is well-liked but is rapidly losing respect and her aura of authority as every jep or scorpion is challenging and even defying her.

Jack has his faults but his experience in FIFA will help in leading T&T at this time. Kamla is more suited for a Foreign Minister role with Chandresh Sharma as deputy Foreign Minister since they both seem to be bitten by the travel bug. Kamla's sister could also be hired as the adviser to the Foreign Minister, paid or unpaid.

 Kamla can still save the day but Jack is now almost in an impregnable position with his support growing daily and his efforts to buy/threaten/coerce others bearing much success. He already has several MPs from the E/W corridor in his side and has adroitly increased his following in the Central and South region. Word on the ground is that he can also muster a PNM MP or two if necessary in his quest to garner the required majority of elected Members of Parliament to convince the President he should be Prime Minister.

I have reservations about Jack but will support him as Prime Minister because the country needs a leader who is fearless and will take hard decisions. We will hold our noses and support Jack for the rest of this term and hope that a more solid and disciplined coalition can be presented by the next election. 

COP is in a similiar position as Kamla except they may prolong the death throes for a year or two. COP has to decide whether it will dissolve and merge into the UNC - some say this has already happened, or COP can become more bold and assertive, presenting itself as a genuine party with aims and objectives that may be different from the UNC and it will work aggressively and fearlessly to pursue those objectives and thus become a realistic alternative that will contest the next election as a separate party or be a more powerful component in any coalition. 

Most likely Jack will lead the next coalition and lead the country for the next 3 to 8 years. Kamla can still avoid the premature demise of her reign but on the evidence so far one cannot envisage a sudden turnaround from her and her bunch of advisers who are hopelessly outmatched. These are the same people who allowed Kamla to buy lottery tickets for the New York hotel guests and take pictures of her being greeted by the London Hotel manager rather than by government or business officials, and who cannot plan a proper work schedule and agenda for the Prime Minister."

[End]

It is my belief that the author of the piece is in a position to speak on matters of which he speaks, operating on a higher pay scale than mine.

The document was meant for certain eyes only, and my releasing it for public consumption may upset a few people.

I will not divulge names, and if the author wants to publicly claim his authorship I will support that if and when it happens.

This is serious business.

While the author claims no problem with Jack as (God forbid) Prime Minister, many people do.

My first concern is that the Congress of the People and all its MP's need to make a lie of this rumored consorting by pledging their unwavering loyalty to the Party.

While this in no way signifies a binding contract, what it does is expose them as frauds to the electorate should they turn around and do otherwise.

Secondly, it is again way past time for the COP to divorce itself from this ruse of a Partnership and establish itself as an independent Party so that the electorate (especially those from Central and South) can have somewhere to go if they choose to leave the UNC.

They should also have some say in what happens to their vote in my opinion and I believe Messrs Dookeran, Ramadhar, Toney and De Lima have the necessary aplomb to this without causing too much damage.

Thirdly, Mr. Dookeran has to remove his support from Kamla and the UNC. While this is not enough to bring down the Government, it removes the overwhelming majority it enjoys in the House and stymies (if for now) any delusions Jack may have of further grandeur.

The UNC itself has work to do, and in the final analysis if Kamla wants to prevent this from happening she can.

She needs to fire Jack now.

There is no escaping this reality as no amount of dealing with the devil ever ends in your favor, and she needs  to take steps to shore up her waning popularity by reshuffling her Cabinet to bring in new, capable and experienced people to run the important Ministries and inspire the people to rally around her.

She should also read the Parliamentary Code of ethics into law.

It has been my position from the start that she was badly stage managed and poorly advised and this has to change; regardless of how she finds herself where she is, SHE is the Prime Minister and she needs to begin the process of serving the people, and for real this time.