Elections 2007 - Post Mortem

To many people, the results of the recent general elections came as no surprise. They knew that the PNM would win because the rest of the votes were split between the UNC and the COP. What blows one’s mind away however was how the COP supporters and the leaders really seemed to have believed that they could win. For a while I believed that many of them knew that they could not win but they were voting on what they called the ‘issues’ and based on their ‘consciences’, only to realize just before the elections that most of them really believed that the COP could win. Needless to say, there were no ‘surprises’ as these people predicted; I believe that the only ‘surprise’ was the one received by them- not a damn seat and PNM back in office.
Of course, for there is always Panday to be blamed, like many of them said before and after, “He is the cause!” Let’s now attempt to examine the COP supporters and try to see what their attitudes and beliefs tell about them.

First of all, they seemed to be really in their own world and totally isolated from the masses. These COP’S seem to be people who believed that they could save Trinidad, save the masses and yet they seemed to be clueless about the feelings of the majority of people whose votes they expected to receive in order to win the elections. One is tempted to ask, how were they going to represent people of whose feelings and interests they seemed to have known very little and which they misread and miscalculated? One is further tempted to ask, if the COP did win, how were they going to address the needs of people about which they obviously are clueless?

It seemed the COP attracted a certain type of individual and a certain group. These supporters seem to be people who choose to be ‘exclusive’. They live a certain kind of life. They seem to be the people who work, work and work and have very little time for general social activities or other people other than their considered few. They seem to be the type who generally show up after the pooja or prayers to which they are invited. They, with their children all of whom come well dressed, dine and then soon after leave.

They don’t come to help and/or be part of the entire activity; no, they are too ‘busy’. When they have their own prayers, it is ‘catered’ and they invite only a few people; again, they are too busy. They also generally don’t go to the temples and if they do one can always spot them, they are ‘exclusive’. These people shop at the malls where they have time to go and also go on holidays. They cater for themselves and their nuclear family. Many of them, mind you, would arrive on time for a function hosted by ‘one of them’ or someone socially ‘higher’.

They listen to 97.1FM and attend exclusive fetes, may socialize with ethnically mixed people but only of their own ‘class’. They have exclusive birthday parties and would boast about the fact that they have never been to a chutney show although they may attend functions which are considered to be ‘politically correct’. Chutney shows are considered by them to be denigrating.

At work they go about their own business and mix only with a selected few and quite often they are the ones who perform their jobs because they have a ‘conscience’. Mind you, there are people like these who may have supported either the PNM or UNC but they know why they associate themselves with these parties and they don’t comprise the majority. There are many others who would have voted COP or UNC just to remove the PNM.

The general COP voter is disgusted with the ‘immorality’ and ‘corruption’ present in the country and especially of the Panday family. One wonders how good many of them would come out looking if their lives were placed under microscopic lenses; at least Oma Panday has raised successful and professional girl children.

Tell me, from where do they get their information, the unbiased media. Are they fair to all individuals and parties? Really! who are being blindly led and by whom? These people talk about how stupid the UNC and PNM supporters are and claim that they deserve what they get for their blind loyalty. The COP supporters’ loyalty seemed to be only to them. They are angry with the sector of the population who did not support their cause. In their view, it seems, Trinidad should be able to facilitate their selfish existence- it must be crime free and corruption- free so that they could continue to lead their selfish existence.

They should be allowed freely to continue to commit their white-collar crimes as doctors, lawyers, Brahmins, business people and others or live honestly but in their own private world not bothered by the ‘low-class’ people and their behaviour and problems. These people, mind you, can pick up and leave at anytime or can afford to live quite comfortably in this country with their salaries.. so many of them could have sacrificed the country for their ‘issues’ and their ‘consciences’.

One wonders how many of them knew Anil Roberts or listened to him when he was on Power 102; the way he bashed Dooks, on the other hand most UNC and PNM people knew him on that radio station. Why, one may question? Also, how many of them listened to Radio Jagriti and Sat Maharaj with whom they would not otherwise associate, for the first time? Was it because it was convenient and catered to their selfish needs?

Another thing about the COP people is their arrogance. Who the hell did they think they were? They were fighting ‘alone’ and would ‘win’. They did not want or need ‘accommodation’. They boasted that they would win all of the 41 seats. Did they think that Courts had a raffle for 41 seats to be won? That’s not surprising, now that we have analysed this group. They think of themselves and do not ‘mix’ too much; they live in their own worlds and are too self-righteous to follow ‘corrupt’ and ‘immoral people’.

Also, one is struck by the aggression, hate and anger of most of these people. One wonders how many of them are aware of the fact that by the end of the day Panday did influence their votes after all; he was their issue! Many of them were quite willing to cut out their noses to spite their faces. They just wanted Panday out; it was personal, and to hell with country and future.

Needless to say, the UNC knew they could not win without the COP voters unlike the Cop voters who arrogantly believed that they could win over decades of UNC support in a few months or better yet, in a few weeks. By the end of the day, it seemed that everyone was listening to his/her people and if they listened to each other at all they did not take heed.

Now we are all faced with another five years of PNM rule but might that be so bad after all? One may question, how could these UNC and COP leaders have done much when they could not even agree to win the war and share in the spoils? At the top the COP must have known like the UNC that they could not win alone but that did not matter to either side.

Throughout the election campaign, the UNC had to concentrate in fighting for survival in holding on to its base rather than going after the PNM in the way they should have. The COP was a threat to them. The COP couldn’t care less whether the country stand or sink. All they were interested in was to ensure that if they can’t win, the UNC must not either.

There are certain so-called professionals and false leaders who went on the COP platform and boasted of how innocent and trustworthy their leader is, one who you can trust and who can put his hand on the state’s money, but if their lives are examined and scrutinized 100%, they would be found condoning many unjust actions committed by their friends and family. One just has to read the newspapers of the past and see all the facts are there printed in black and white.

Remember, there is a God.

Re-examine all those Brahmins and Pundits, they may not be the kind of persons you think they are. For eg. You can shove it up. The COP voted with hate, anger, malice and aggression. All against the BAS.

But you know what, the BAS turned out to be the man who is still very much attractive.

A Winner.