Letter: Wipe the smut from your eyes..

It seems as though this THA elections would not just come to an end or slip silently away into obscurity. 

What really catches a nerve when I open the newspapers or tune in to talk shows on the radio is the constant banter of the illiteracy and racialism that is embedded in the people of Tobago. 

While I greatly disagreed with these statements at first something caught my attention in Thursday’s news. A grand headline splashed the front of most newspapers stating that “Mr Calcutta” was relieved of his duties as Deputy Chief Secretary of the THA and that the party was expected to take action against Mr Sandy for his controversial statements. 

After reading all the stories what stood out to me was the understated fact that Dr Rowley and Mr London, after strongly condemning the statements, only took measurable action after the election was over! Does this seem questionable and conniving to anybody else?

Allow me to state some points I gathered for consideration:

1. At the time Sandy’s statement was made both Dr Rowley and Mr London were present at the political meeting yet when they took to the podium, neither of them immediately called out Sandy
2. It never occurred to either that they should have immediately disassociated themselves from the statement. In fact, Dr Rowley went on to praise the integrity and shining example for youths that Mr Sandy was
3. It took the PNM days to finally retract the statement after much public outcry and media attention
4. Even though the leaders disassociated themselves from the statement, claiming it was not the vision or principle that the PNM laid their foundation on, they took no action against a representative of their party as far as we know
5. Post a twelve seat sweep they then decided to take the required action that should have been done in the first place in accordance to political ethics, individual and collective ministerial responsibility. The same ethics that Mr London is now indicating that Tobagonians voted for

When these points are taken into deep and insightful consideration, it leaves one to wonder if Mr Jack Warner was absolutely accurate in his statement of tribalism and fearful politics, the age-old tactic of the PNM...a course that was endorsed by Tobagonians.

My question is, why wait until elections were over to dismiss him? Was it because of the public support from Tobago of Mr Sandy’s statement? Why wasn’t Mr Sandy referred to the EOC like Dr Rampersad for his controversial statement?

It just doesn’t add up and it seems as though Mr Warner, Mr Ramlogan and Dr Rampersad were indeed correct in their views but because of the super sensitive nature of the race topic in a multi-racial society such as ours it is obvious that these few who are willing to throw themselves under the bus for the sake of equal opportunities would come under strong disparagement. 

It goes to show that this race topic is one sided, in the sense that if it involves an African it is immediately racial but if it involves an Indian it is perfectly fine. What a hypocritical society we live in!

Tamara Bernard | Maloney Gardens
1-868-755-7932 - tammy_b95@live.com