Pelau and Curry Politics...

So we've fired Nizam and pushed the stopper back into the race talk bottle and are going to go along pretending that race and racism does not affect us here in Trinidad every single Trinidadian day of our lives.

As neither of the two 'main' Political Parties effectively reflects the ethnic make up of our society, by their existence they do more harm than good socially and create division instead of encouraging unity. Almost identical ideologically, the people of this country would be hard pressed to tell them apart were it not for this racist imbalance and neither side can say otherwise truthfully.

How is it that for every Cudjoe there is a Maharaj and for every National Association for the Empowerment of African People (NAEAP) there is a Global Organization for People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), both widening the divide and hardening opposing positions, yet we pretend hypocritically that we are not living in a racially divided society?

Look, we cannot continue sweeping this issue under the rug regardless of how many wanna be intellectuals rubber stamp it as preferred policy, and at some point we are either going to have to grow up and deal with it in a mature and in a rational and centrist manner or we are going to  trip over that same bump in the rug and make a right mess of things.

Depending on who wins the general election, the losing side and all their appointees gets booted out of Office, usually reflected in a disproportionate number of people of one race being fired while a similar number of their racial opposite lines up for their turn at the national trough, and how in God's name has this not erupted in a race war as yet is a testimony to the laid back loving nature of the people of this country. As to how long we may be able to rely on that is another story entirely, and I cannot be the only one who has noticed the venomous race talk coming from all quarters and from the mouths of some people who really ought to know better.

Despite which Party is in power, the other (almost) half of the country ends up feeling disenfranchised, un-empowered and under-represented and they express this in racist terms on the ground. Regardless of token gestures to quell the madding crowd, these are the sad chickens that have come home to roost courtesy of our divisive politics and despite the questionable firing of the former Chairman of the Police Service Commission (who, to my mind should have never been appointed anyway, and not because of his perceived or alleged racism or his politics, but because he is an arrogant, insufferable jackass that should never have been foisted on the people for a second time around), nothing of substance has as yet occurred.

For whatever historical reasons for their existence, there are real racial imbalances everywhere in this country and while some have to be accepted as the preferential choices of a people culturally or otherwise pre-disposed to such choices, others are the results of glaring advantage and abuse of power taken by one side over the other, and these have to be recognized for what they are and dealt with from a national perspective. 

We have to address this issue with some urgency, and not through 'chutneyising' and 'douglarising' everything and everybody, but in frank and earnest discussions aimed at diffusing this ticking time bomb.

 We need to convene a National Council on Race relations, and I believe that this is ideally where representatives of the other minority races could play a role, as arbiters and conduits to open dialogue and the negotiation of positions.

This Council and all of its deliberations should be done in the public eye so as to caution and to guide and to educate and to inform, and from this we can either grow and mature as a people or retreat to childish positions fueled by tantrums having less to do with real racism and more to do with the sulking tantrums of the losing political side.

 If as everyone seems to think, our racism is political racism and our people have no real issue, then we're safe. There is a Plan 'B' already built into this plan, and if these who would call themselves leaders cannot find a way to agree for the good of the country and to move away from the potentially destructive policy of race, we could always fire them all and start over.

Some say that this should be our starting position in the first place.

Something to think about...