Anilly Retentive... (Not so Mr. Roberts, Not So)

In what can only be described as 'Old Politics' gone wild, candidate Anil Roberts has shown and shown quite clearly why the Congress of the People exists today and why he should never have any opportunity whatsoever, now or in the foreseeable future to lead it.

From the moment he stepped into public life he has out-dirtied the dirty politics, out-screamed the screamers and out-heckled the hecklers. His behavior in the House of Representatives took that institution into places it had not gone before and should not be encouraged to go to again. His candidacy for the leadership of the Congress of the People flies in the face of everything the membership stands for, and more and more as the debates and meetings progress he is starting to appear as a man out of control with a campaign falling apart all around him. His entire presentation last evening was an exercise in excess, and if it his intention to outdo himself everytime we may be in for quite a show in the coming days.

How can he justify his headache inducing rants at the microphone everytime he steps up to speak even though he is flanked by the likes of Prakash and Vernon (two gentlemen in every sense of the word) and Nalini, who despite the numerous attempts at disrespect and provocation has chosen to keep herself and her message on the high road?

In Arima he used one of his questions to the other candidates to draw Nalini into what turned out to be a joke in very poor taste and an attack on the person of the Mayor and his host no less, and last night he used two of his speaking opportunities to attack me personally for what I can only assume is my willingness to challenge him on all his evasiveness and double speak thus far.

Mr. Roberts cannot unsay the things he says and it is my opinion that he should be asked to step down from the race as he is bringing the entire procedure into odium and disrepute. His rants against our founder and political leader has left a sour taste in many of the members' mouths despite his booming attempts to drown out his own words and rewrite history, and the impact of his rent-a-crowd on the debates is startling and striking to say the least. While everyone else in the room sits still they get on like the frenzied army that they are, picking up on his cues to add their hysteria to the din and causing everyone else much discomfort.

Is that new politics Anil Roberts style?

His defamatory attacks on me at last evening's debate has caused me to seek legal advice, and while it appears Mr. Roberts may be laboring under the misconception that he speaks under Parliamentary privilege wherever he goes, I am assured that in due course he will learn to his dismay that he doesn't.

The ironic question that was was put to all the candidates last evening - what would you do to stem the exodus and encourage new members into the COP caused him to once again scream his message to a now turned off membership. To hear him say it one would think he built the Party single handedly, yet his supporters all have to be 'bussed in' and outfitted; Of all the 'names' he called that allegedly support him, not one have yet shown their face at a meeting or a debate or even come out and publicly endorsed him for that matter.

The existing leadership of this Party needs to take a long hard look at what he says and what he does and decide if this is what we mean by new  politics. I tell you without hesitation or fear of contradiction that whatever new politics means to everyone else, this style of politics that Anil Roberts wants to bring to the Party will have the complete opposite effect and I for one, should he win, would leave and never look back.