The propagandists of Denzil Douglas are peddling the tale that if PAM was to win the election, it would victimize Labour supporters.
Of course, PAM is unlikely to win the next elections on its own. And likewise for Labour. But I’ll get to that later.
Meanwhile, the objective of the Douglas propagandists is to throw fear into supporters’ hearts.
And not for the benefit and protection of the supporters, but for the benefit and protection of Denzil Douglas, who is mortally afraid of losing power.
Fear is one of the oldest tricks in the books of politicians who have little or nothing good to offer, and who themselves fear an enlightened electorate.
They try everything possible to put fear in your hearts. And having succeeded in doing so, they have an easier job persuading you that they’re your protection.
But this isn’t just one of the oldest tricks in the book. It’s also one of the worst forms of victimization, because it abuses your trust, and it takes advantage of what may be your willingness to be less than thorough and clinical in your assessment of them. By using ‘the fear trick’, they’re looking to make fools of you.
And that’s wrong.
Now the Labour Party’s Constitution lays out its aims and objectives, which, inter alia, are:
(i) to promote the political, social and economic welfare of all people of the Federation;
(ii) to maintain a vigorous and conscious vanguard for removing all forms of oppression and for the maintenance of democratic government; and
(iii) to secure and maintain complete unity among the people of the Federation in their struggle for political, social and economic advancement.
As leader, Denzil Douglas has failed miserably to carry out these aims and objectives. And not because he has tried.
The people of the Federation are worse off politically, socially and economically as a result of his leadership; oppression has, if anything, worsened, and democracy is under severe threat. And disunity is his mantra; he cannot survive and thrive without it. He hates unity.
The truth is, he cares diddly-squat about the Party, its leaders or its supporters, and he never had an interest in carrying out its aims and objectives.
His singular aim and objective was always to become, and to remain, the Prime Minister, and to ride on the back of the Party (having considered PAM) to achieve that aim and objective.
In the process, he has violated the philosophy, the traditions, the values, and the very fabric of the Party, victimizing, not just the Party as an institution but, perhaps even more tragically, those diehard Labour supporters who have not yet opened their minds to see the havoc that he has so cruelly and disdainfully wrought upon their Party.
Denzil Douglas has victimized the Labour Party, its supporters and all that it stands for. Perhaps more than they could ever have been victimized by anyone else. And the sooner Party supporters wake up to this, the better it’ll be for the Party and for them. And before they say that regardless of how bad he is, they’ll still vote for him or his candidates, they ought to recognize the fact that supporting him is supporting the person who has brought shame and embarrassment to the Party and to the memory of stalwarts past.
They ought to recognize that they’re like lambs voicing their support for the butcher who, sharp knife in hand, is waiting to slaughter them.
Secondly, by his crude and vulgar behaviour and his utter disrespect for the Constitution, for the rule of law, and for democracy, he has abused the institutions of Government, and the good name of the high office which he occupies.
Another example of his victimization of the people of this nation.
Thirdly, by his utter incompetence, he has placed the nation in great economic, financial and fiscal jeopardy, rendering every man, woman and child a victim. And instead of being apologetic, he says that he would do it all over again.
Fourthly, the level of corruption that exists in the public sector today is as extreme an act of victimization against the people, and the good name of this nation, as any other. Corruption is costly-economically, financially, fiscally, socially, politically and diplomatically. It destroys the souls of people and the soul of a nation.
A glimpse of the scope and scale of this corruption could soon start to emerge. And if that happens, it’d be Denzil Douglas, Prime Minister for the last 18 years nearly, and under whose watch it would’ve taken place, who’d be asked some hard questions, as, for example, to how and why were people allowed to get away with certain things.
And it is for these reasons, and others, that before anyone can begin to concern himself or herself about PAM victimizing Labour supporters, he or she needs to recognize, and be justifiably the outraged by, the extreme victimization that has been perpetrated against Labour supporters, PAM supporters and everybody else in the Federation.
Now let’s go forward.
No party in St. Kitts will win enough seats in the next elections to get a majority on its own, and there will have to be a coalition Government. And it will not, and cannot, abuse and victimize anybody and get away with it, because there will not only be inside scrutiny but the people of this country will no longer tolerate the bad leadership that they’ve tolerated for the last nearly 18 years.
Badness, in that sense, is now truly going out of style. And it’s the young people who will make sure of this.
There are so many of them who have not known anything but life under Douglas. And they’re sick and tired of him, of his obnoxious and disrespectful ways, and of the mess that he has created in this nation. They want something different, something better.
And while they’re somewhat skeptical, some even sick and tired, of political parties and politicians, worst of all of Denzil Douglas, they’re willing, and eager, to give a Unity Government a try. Indeed, they see it as their only hope. They want a new political culture. They want a better society.
And they’re ready to go to the polls to elect a candidate who they feel comfortable with, regardless of which banner that candidate is running under. And however the party numbers tally up at the end of the night, so be it. Just as long as the young people see the good guys holding hands and forming the new Government.
They’re telling their parents that it’s now their (the young people’s) time and that they will not be tied down to voting a certain way just because their parents have voted that way.
The less brave among them will even appear to be going along with their parents, but once safely behind the curtain in the polling booth, they will vote their consciences and for their future.
The more outspoken ones are telling their parents that it is they (the young people) who are now in the driver’s seat, that they will now have to reverse roles and take care of their parents and of the affairs of the nation, and that they’re not putting up with this Denzil Douglas nonsense any more.
They’re the real unstoppable force in this land and no amount of election-season Wyclef Jeans, T-shirts, pocket change, 3-6 month PEP jobs, land papers, and other inducements and hype will work with them. They won’t be fooled again. Maybe a few, but not the vast majority of them.
They have, and want to show that they have, minds of their own, and that nobody thinks for them or tells them how to vote, who to vote for, and all of that insulting and disrespectful stuff.
So it comes as no surprise that so many of them are outraged by the ill-advised comment of a Douglas minister a few days ago to the effect that persons who want a Unity Government are motivated by hatred towards Denzil Douglas.
The minister’s intent was to exploit and victimize unsuspecting minds.
Which, incidentally, has been a key component of Douglas’ callous, self-serving modus operandi over the years: who don’t support and obey me grudge and hate me and are power hungry traitors.
And if that isn’t victimization of simple, unsuspecting minds, then I don’t know what is.
A young lady told me today, in reaction to the minister’s comment: “That’s so 1990’s! I neither hate nor like Denzil Douglas. I just want a Unity Government, including all parties who’re willing to join in, minus Douglas and any of his leaches. I want a Unity Government because we need healing, and we need to work together to try to clean up the mess and begin to live as a true democracy and a loving community. What’s wrong with that?”
Her companion, a young gentleman, chimed in: “We want, and we will get, an end to tyranny, corruption, inefficiency, intolerance and victimization. That’s what we, the young people, want and that’s what we’ll get. And nobody can stop us!”
“We’ve had enough!”
(Remember Operation Rescue’s Public meetings at: 4:30 p.m. on Friday 15 February at Bank Street; and 8:00 p.m. Wednesday 20 February at Boyds Village)
