Honest Representation....

Somewhere along the road politics seems to have stopped being about representing the people and became something more like performing for them. Clearly visible during interviews and debates, candidates and public officials alike are seen to take a pause between question asked and answer given, to defer to what they were trained to say over what they believe, and this disconnect between their public positions and private selves seems to be a major contributor to their actions failing to live up to their words. You can almost see the discomfort in Congress of the People's Political Leader's Prakash Ramadhar's face during an interview as he struggles to pull something coherent out of what he knows in his heart to be true over what he is told is his position. It is sometimes so tedious to watch and for a man so intelligent and eloquent I struggle to understand why he does this. What it would take for him to say 'Screw it, this is what I believe, this is what I stand for and against so take me on my word' I don't know, but it would be such a refreshing change from the double speak that is continuously handed to the people in order to distract from the clearly visible reality by some cleverly strung together words. Take Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar for example, whose 'go to' or default position regardless of the question asked always seems to be deflect and evade. How has she not yet learned that this ALWAYS blows up in her face again beats me, and why she refuses to just be honest and speak from her heart is something that continues to befuddle the best of observers. The storm that is the use of her sister as her paid traveling assistant which has taken on a life of its own all because she was either too afraid or too badly advised to come straight with the people in the first place is an excellent example of this. Who in their right mind could begrudge the Prime Minister a personal assistant, even if it is her  sister? Which government any where in the world does not give family and friends a chance to feed at the trough? Who should she be mandated to hire, her enemies? This was badly handled and she has come away from it looking foolish again, all because she refuses to speak openly and honestly with the people and this one thing may well prove her undoing in the future. Now there are three versions of reality governing the same nothing situation in the public discussion for no good reason that I can think of, burning through her political legacy like acid. Come straight Madame Prime Minister, in every situation, and even when you're wrong allow the people to trust you because you're honest, rather than automatically distrust every word you say.

Another serial gaffer is Opposition Leader Dr. Keith Rowley, who has had to apologize to so many for so much since his elevation, his call cards should have the words 'mea culpa' printed boldly on the back. Another clearly brilliant and intelligent man, he is twisting himself to wrap his personality around someone else's version of who he should be and is coming across dim witted and a fool.

Political representation is not for the timid and the feint hearted, but it should not be for the clever and the cunning either. We must be able to take a politician at their word and my suggestion to them all is that they drop the pretense and be themselves for better or worse. I expect to hear Prakash say  that this Partnership is as tedious as sandpaper jockeyshorts but it is the best he can get right now so he's dealing with it. Kamla was supposed to say “this was my choice to make and I made it in my and what I believed to be the country's best interest. If I am wrong there will be a price to pay but for now I have a country to run.” End of sketch. And Rowley, when are you going to look over at Colm, Amery and Patos and say with that animated and boisterous passion we all know and love “Oh gosh man, all yuh ent see people tired of allyuh and all yuh stupidness? All yuh weighing me down here man. Go nah!''

What a day in the politics that would be.