Injustices: Racial or Political? - the Peter O'Connor column

Barbados and Jamaica, and indeed all the former British Colonies in the Caribbean, are spared a phenomenon peculiar to us in T&T and possibly to the Guyanese. 

When governments change following elections in those countries, there is, as there is here, a great shuffling of plum government jobs and perquisites, as the incoming victors move to place their people, their supporters, and yes, their friends, in the positions previously held by the supporters of the outgoing government—the party which lost the election.

But, because of how we are politically and ethnically, we pretend that we do not understand this reshuffling.

In Jamaica, following a change of government, heads of State Boards, Agencies and the like, if they do not resign, are dismissed. Previously favoured lawyers lose their briefs, as do advertising agencies, and previously favoured consultants and contractors become sidelined. And they all accept this as part of the political environment in which they live. Their turns will come again.

We live in an essentially similar political environment, but we have one basic difference. When a new government is elected in our country, the departures of directors, attorneys, commissioners, friends and hangers-on are not seen as the basic norm in a society where free elections bring changes of government, and changes of government bring changes in the personnel which governments appoint.

We claim that these changes are “racially motivated”, and we call them “ethnic cleansing” (can you believe that statement?), and make comments like “another black man bites the dust” and “they trying to ‘Indianize’ the country”. 

We all know that these statements are inflammatory and divisive, and indeed banned in countries which we seek to emulate. We also know that while the physical changing of the guard, down through the ranks, gives an impression of the other “race” taking over, the truth is that that the change represents a political, rather than a racial reality—a reality which occurs in all democratic countries.

I have addressed this issue in the past, and I was pleased to see that someone of the stature of Dana Seetahal wrote about it recently, as have others. Because our political parties depend largely upon specific ethnic groups for support, every action, or lack of action is now interpreted as “racial”, when it is in fact more likely to be “political”.

Listen, any committed supporter of the PNM, who may be of Indian descent, will have access to the PNM’s largesse when the PNM is in power. And of course, to special favours. 

If Sat Maharaj had ever declared support for the PNM, he would have had his radio license long ago. And maybe a TV license as well! How can we claim that the PNM was objecting to an “Indian radio station” in Sat’s case? 

We have Indian and specifically, Hindu radio stations operating with licenses and without interference, so how was Sat’s denial racist? Come on, Sat was being punished—and that is the word to use—because he speaks against the PNM.

I would never get a radio license, not from the PNM, nor from Panday’s UNC. And this has nothing to do with my being white. They would never give me a voice beyond what I write! And for what I write they go beyond me. When this country celebrated one hundred years of our Petroleum Industry, the Ministry of Energy published a list of 100 pioneers, and sought nominees. Among those submitted by the Energy Chamber was one P.E.T. O’Connor, my father.

Now, it would be difficult to name ten “pioneers” and not include “P.E.T.”. But the Minister at the time vetoed my father’s nomination! And not that the PNM had anything against him: he had served under Errol Mahabir as Chairman of the Port Authority, and as a Commissioner of T&TEC. 

But that was before I started to write. So, for my “sins”, one of T&T’s true petroleum pioneers was excised from the history of the industry! That was not racist, as some have suggested. That was straight political petulance and spite. Williams did not excise Gomes from T&T’s history because of Gomes’ race, but again, simply out of spite.

So, please everyone, get off this false racial bogeyman. We do have racial prejudices in T&T and they fly in all directions, but mostly they stem from personal ignorance and fear. The spitefulness of our politicians, again flying in all directions, is not necessarily racist.

Let us catch ourselves, T&T! We are a wonderful mix of peoples, faiths and cultures, who live among ourselves better than peoples anywhere else in the world. We are brilliant, creative and joyous. But we suffer an element of indolence and self-loathing, which our leaders exploit to keep us from fulfillment. Free yourselves from your leaders and embrace your neighbours!