Political Noise...

Once again I find myself having to return to this issue despite much more pressing issues requiring our collective attention.

Instead of turning its own attention and energies to the much needed work within itself, the grand old lady of our politics the PNM has decided that its role is going to be that of trouble maker and chief 'fire chooker' and they appear to be damned if they're going to let anyone deny them their right to ramajay.

Fair enough.

But in baiting the tiger don't cry foul when the tiger bites back. This Government has an overwhelming majority in the Parliament and I am amazed at the restraint the Prime Minister has shown thus far. One wonders what would truly be the case if she were to become as heavy handed as her political detractors and distractors would have us believe that she is.

I am guessing that she has sensed the method in the PNM's madness, that they are trying to make then country as ungovernable as possible and then blame the government for failing and she is resisting playing along in a PNM game. I am sure this is why there are moves underfoot to remove Watson Duke from leading the PSA, to send a clear message and any other leader of a PNM dominated union better get it straight, your job is not to settle, your job is to demonstrate and destabilize.

Again fair enough, but this government has the strength and the seats to break unions, and someone should be telling the people that.

Someone should also be telling the people that beating the bush for race talk and race fight is fun until the bush beats back, and the same leaders goading and pushing that agenda now now will most likely be the first ones on a plane if the place erupts. The Government needs to use this opportunity to put a race relations council in place, and bring legislation to the Parliament making it illegal to use race and hate to attack each other or for political expediency.

Look I have no interest in the PNM and the growing irrelevance that caused them to rent a crowd to welcome their formerly despised leader, but I would like to warn Dr. Rowley again as to the snakes in his midst.

Unless he is tired and uninterested in being the Leader of the Opposition and Prime Minister in waiting I suggest he demonstrate his political strength and acumen to the entire country by purging the Party of those who have his worst interests at heart.

Dr. Amery Browne, Colm Imbert and Gary Hunt needs to be distanced from the Party and reined in from using the Party's name and symbols for their own agenda. Dr. Rowley needs to come straight with the public (who has always supported him) with the facts of the split within the Party and his intentions to weed them out. That way we can all get involved once again, and finish the job of sending Patrick Manning on his way; After that the little fish can be replaced.

For the PNM to be a political force and option again it is going to need to make itself attractive to the center, to the middle of the road voters and to the non aligned. Calling everyon who may not support you now a racist does nothing to bring them back to you in the future. Having Cro Cro and other PNM sponsored calypsonians denigrating black people who may have dissenting opinions or views of their own and calling them lick bottom africans closes doors that should have instead been oiled on their hinges and opened wide.

From the behavior of members of the Party I am concerned for my country as these elements operating out of San Fernando East seem only concerned with fanning the flames of war between the people, and I am calling on Dr. Keith Rowley as Political Leader of the PNM to get his Party in line and put an end to this foolishness now.

There are many of us in the political center, nomads with enough votes to make political paupers into kings who remain uninterested in the politics of confrontation and spite. The PNM may be making a big noise where the few remaining balisier waving die hards are concerned, but to the rest of us it is just making noise and it's getting damn annoying too.