Tears of a Clown... (Show Me Your Motion IV)

On the second day of the debate into the motion of no confidence in the Government brought by the Leader of the Opposition and Member of Parliament for Diego Martin West, Dr. Keith Rowley, Prakash Ramadhar, the Member of Parliament for St. Augustine, the Minister of Legal Affairs and, most importantly for these purposes, the Political Leader of the Congress of the People told us two very important things. First, he told us that we must pay attention to what is being said, to understand what the words are saying and to also listen carefully to what is NOT being said, and, secondly, he told us that after the contribution by the Opposition Leader he left the Chamber, called his wife and wept.

He went on to say much more, but after those two things were said they kept going around and around in my head while he was speaking and I could not for the life of me figure out why. Usually when that happens to me it is because my mind thinks that there is something that connects the two thoughts, something that joins them either by its presence or by its absence, but what could it be? What could link those two seemingly disconnected thoughts?

Clearly what was missing was a question, something that he said or did not say which I was supposed to pay attention to as instructed, but what was it? What was the question I was supposed to ask? And then it hit me. Like a flood of illumination on a pitch black night I was suddenly standing in the bright glare of knowing.

Prakash wept.

And in that moment of clarity I understood what was missing, what he did not say.

Here was a man who has laid his bucket down for better or worse, tied the fortunes of all the members of his party and buried his navel string deep within the bosom of the Kamla Persad Bissessar led United National Congress, who had stood with her and them through the thick of good times, largesse and plenty, and through the thin times of some very questionable actions, decisions, judgements and behaviors on her part and on that of some senior members of her government, and here he was, weeping like a child, over allegations printed on some uncorroborated, flimsy sheets of paper.

Why?

The question screamed to be asked - why did you weep Prakash? Is it that, for the first time the reality of what you uphold dawned upon you? Were you humiliated by this revelation, this vision of what you were a part of and a party to? Was it that things to which you were privy, things that were done in the dark and in hushed tones had just been made public and the shame was simply too much to bear? Or is it none of that, just a simple gut feeling, a knowing that the inevitability had arrived, of what you knew these people were collectively capable of all along?

Growing up my father used to tell me, listen to a man when he is speaking too much, let him speak, at some point he will speak himself into trouble. Is that what happened here Prakash? Did you, in a rush to demonstrate to all and sundry that you were still somehow unblemished by all that goes on within that Partnership, that your hands were still clean that you forgot to cover your tracks?

I put to you Prakash Ramadhar that your tears were crocodile tears, self serving tears that you hoped the admission of would wash you clean in the eyes of the public and save you, as you were sure (as were the rest of us), based on what you had just heard, that the whole damned thing was about to come down.

Ask yourself in the stillness of your heart, how many of those tears were for the young men of scant means corralled like animals and jailed without evidence during the still unanswered state of emergency that you gave your name and the support of your party to?

Ask yourself also, how many of those tears were for the elderly, those that you knew you and your partners conspired to deceive, promised one thing in exchange for their vote and then reneged?

On behalf of the people of this beleaguered nation I say hold your tears, do not weep for us. Save them for those who have carelessly sown the wind to achieve power and riches, who will surely reap a whirlwind of tears in this life or the next. William Shakespeare said “To weep is to make less the depth of grief,” but men like you should get no such quarter. I have reminded you before and I tell you again of the maxim that the upholder is worse than the thief. Use this as a wake up call and make things right where you know them to be wrong. Either that, or play a mas, but stand like a man and face the music when it comes.