Politics is a dirty game

Jesus told his disciples that they should be as cunning as serpents but as harmless as doves. Politicians here find it useful for survival to be as cunning as serpents and as deadly as vipers! Panday says “Politics has a morality of its own!”

But it seems that this time the fox has outfoxed himself. Every normal person was convinced that Panday had had enough and, as publicly promised, he was going to retire from politics. He was going to hand over the leadership to Winston Dookeran as if it were his ancestral property to bequeath to anyone he chose.

But the UNC is not Panday’s private party with which he can deal in his sole discretion. He did not create that party, though that is the impression he has implanted in the minds of the gullible masses, some few of whom deify him. The UNC is merely a new label stuck on the same party founded by Bhadase Sagan Maraj initially named the PDP, then the DLP, the ULF and now the UNC.

Everyone thought that Winston Dookeran was going to lead the UNC into the Promised Land to govern our beloved country. But they had not learnt from experience that when Panday saw the weakened and tottering PNM he would pull out the second meaning of giving up from his sleeve like the trick of a magician. He said he had intended to give the leadership of the party to Dookeran and keep the chairmanship of the party for himself. Then he pulled the rabbit from his hat and said he never said he intended to give Dookeran the leadership of the Opposition in the House. Then he fires Montano, one of the most loyal and devoted senators, without any consultation with Dookeran, the leader of the party.

But the fox has outfoxed himself. He says he is going to fire the Chief Whip Ganga Singh! As a preliminary to that, to show his invincibility, he fills the vacant post of Roy Augustus, who retires in utter disgust from the post of UNC Senator, with the famous runner Ato Bolton!

Ato Bolton makes it clear that he is neutral in his politics. He is not pro-UNC or anti-PNM.

In fact, he is the kind of person one would perhaps expect to be appointed to the Senate as an Independent Senator. Does Bas think he is already performing the role of President, with Ramesh as Prime Minister and himself as President? Again, he does not consult the leader of the party, Winston Dookeran! The party is not his private property. But he is over reaching himself when he says he is going to throw Ganga Singh to the wolves, out of the post of Chief Whip! His loyal cronies may say he can, but can he, really? This time his cleverness has impaled him on the horns of a dilemma. He has hoisted himself on his own petard! Is he going to ignore his Party’s Constitution?

He may rudely act without consultation with the Leader of the Party, Winston Dookeran, and fire a senator without giving him a chance to speak in his defence. He may even ignore all the masses of the UNC and appoint Bolton as a UNC Senator without consultation with the leader Winston Dookeran. Winston Dookeran was used to bring respectability to the UNC. He will. It is time for Panday to fold up his tent and steal away into the sunset. Go, man in the name of God, go!

There was a time when Panday did appoint a cane cutter to the Senate. Those were the days when he used the cutlass to cut cane alongside the worker. There is no need for another cane cutter in the Senate. In fact, cane cutters are no more! What did Panday do for them when he sat in Whitehall? Today, he no longer cuts cane, he plays golf! The people have got the government they deserve, and that means that they are also saddled with the Opposition they deserve. The remedy for the ills of this country lies in the hands of the people! Winston Dookeran will add dignity and respectability to the party.

Will Panday expel Warner for washing his mouth on Dookeran, the leader of the party? Since when Warner became a jefe civile in politics?