By G.A.Dwyer Astaphan
I held a press conference on January 28, 2009.
In it, I said that Denzil Douglas was dictatorial and opportunistic, that he had hijacked the Labour Party and damaged its soul, and that he had turned it into the Denzil Douglas Party.
I said that his modus operandi was to gather sycophants around him to buttress him up with numbers so that he could dominate and even marginalize ministers elected by the voters of this land, especially the more popular ministers.
I said that he had messed up every ministry that he held and that he undermined other ministers and intermeddled in their ministries.
And I said that he was influenced by certain foreigners who had no particular love for St. Kitts & Nevis. For them he was as meek and compliant as a lamb, but when it came to the people of this country, he was a bully.
And I said a number of other things.
As soon as the press conference ended, I received a text message from one of Denzil’s very angry and outraged water boys and bosom buddies telling me that everything I said in the press conference was a lie.
I did not take him on. When people are singing to get their supper and to maintain status and recognition, they will say and do just about anything.
And if there is one thing that Denzil is a master at, it is consolidating himself and his own power base by making people sing for their supper. It is a tactic which has been used with great success through the ages by slave masters selfishly committed to their own sustainability rather than to the dignity and empowerment of people around them.
He is an ace at making people eat out of his hand at the expense of their own integrity and independence, and having them see him not as their oppressor, suppressor and user, but instead as their only hope and salvation, and celebrate him as the greatest leader of all time.
After that first salvo by his water boy on January 28, 2009, other inhabitants of Denzil‘s coat-tails got into the act, calling me an ungrateful, disrespectful, greedy, grudging, treacherous, white, red, Syrian, Arab, bastard and a host of other colourful names.
And the cussing passed down the line to rank and file diehards, even some persons in Central Basseterre for whom I had made the greatest of sacrifices and who allowed themselves to be persuaded, inter alia, that I was the bad guy in all of this.
Such is life.
At the time, mine was like a lone voice from Labour being heard by the public. A ‘choir’ of one! Yet while some Labour people stood up and paid attention to what I was saying, they did so quietly, while the rest dismissed me.
However, there were other persons at high levels who were uncomfortable and unhappy with Denzil’s way of doing things; but they were not as openly expressive as I was.
So now we are approaching two years since that press conference and a year since Labour’s most recent election victory.
And more, far more, people are paying attention now to what I have been saying, both inside and outside Labour. This is because Denzil’s behaviour and motives have become increasingly apparent and disturbing.
For example, people became outraged by the personal attacks launched by Denzil’s water boys and girls against Timothy Harris, the Labour Party Chairman and designated Senior Minister in the Government.
Tim has been expressing some concerns from time to time, and that, not to mention his great popularity and charisma, has been grounds enough for Denzil’s cabal to try to crush him. More so because Denzil has ordained that Tim must never be Prime Minister.
And now further concern is being raised as a result of some issues brewing between Denzil and Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Labour Party Leader Sam Condor.
The issues revolve around Denzil’s notorious interfering and undermining ways with other ministers and their ministries. In this case, with Sam and his Ministry.
Sam is as devout and dedicated a Labour man as you can find. His entire life has been steeped in the philosophy, principles and traditions of the Labour Movement. Along with God and family, Labour is Sam’s love and passion.
Are Denzil’s water boys and girls going to turn on Sam the way they did on me and are doing on Tim? Of course! Some have already started; for example, the same one who had sent me the text message. He is involved in one of those issues and he is saying nasty things about Sam.
I am not going to go into the issues in this article, but I have been assured that the details will come out very soon. Suffice it to say that the issues could help to force Sam into further marginalization, and even to cause members of his family to turn against him and against each other.
The tension has reached the point where letters have been exchanged.
Denzil had persuaded Sam that his (Sam’s) style and personality, as well as his patient and forbearing nature, were necessary to give National Security et al the impetus that they needed. And Sam accepted the portfolios with some reluctance.
But Sam has found out that certain things discussed between himself and Denzil have been either unheeded or twisted. Surprised...Sam?
In his letter to Denzil, Sam used the terms “disrespectful”, “dishonest”, “preposterous”, “manipulation”, “contemptuous” and “Gang of Four”. He accused Denzil of being dictatorial and of having an appetite for petty talk which could destroy Denzil and the Labour Party. He also spoke of leaks by Denzil’s confidants.
In the letter, Sam also gave Denzil a lecture on the principles of Cabinet government and reminded him that as much as a Prime Minister has the power to appoint Ministers, so too do other elected individuals have the power to seat and unseat a Prime Minister. (I hope that by now Sam knows that Denzil is not impressed by that kind of talk and that the time for talk has passed).
Sam told him that what he (Denzil) was doing was in poor taste and was a misunderstanding by Denzil of his own authority as Prime Minister. He went on to say that he would not support what Denzil was trying to do in the specific issue before them and that was “a hill” on which he (Sam) would be willing to die, as he cautioned Denzil that he should use the opportunity to quell the storm that had been created by Denzil’s interference and disrespect.
There is more to come.
Meanwhile, it seems that the choir is growing in size.
Stand, Choir, and Sing!
Stand tall, and sing loudly and lustily. Sing to save our country from this Mugabe-like leadership by Denzil.
