The Manicou Report

I take my header from Winston Dookeran’s TV and radio “Win with Winston” ad at the end of which an elderly Indian woman with hands clasped pleads into the camera for “Winston beta” to take her “fawad”. I’m sorry, I just find that funny and I spent the entire weekend repeating it to my family who somehow don’t find funny every single thing that I do.

Winston Dookeran

And even though that elderly woman and I may be perceived to be on completely different ends of the political spectrum, I have to say that I’m on Winston’s side and therefore her own.

To those who don’t know, at the Center of Excellence on Sunday Mr. Dookeran officially resigned as political leader of the United National Congress and has begun his own part called the Congress of the People.

I have never voted before in my entire life. It’s not for lack of opportunity that I haven’t. I have just never had a reason to. The old people will tell you it’s your civic duty, blah, blah, blah. You should vote because there are so many people who wish they could, blah, blah, blah. Let your voice be heard, blah, blah, blah. Let me tell you something, I’ve heard every slogan in the book. And by all accounts, I am now the worst citizen in the world. My reason for not voting has been that I have never had anyone to vote for. While others wined with their balisiers and their rising suns, I sat back and perceived what I thought of as a sideshow.

Even though I was determined not to vote for the lesser of two evils, my dad was trying to convince me that voting for anyone was better than not voting at all.

Right.

I tried to reason with him by saying that not voting was just as much a statement as voting. He steupsed, looked at me disappointedly (which was the only way he looked at me anyway) and walked away. I guess I won that one.

I refused to play the voting game because it would have turned me either into a blind follower or a race traitor. And having no one of substance to vote for, I decided not to vote. I can’t say that I’ve regretted it either.

Could M. Dookeran be the bara I’ve been waiting for? Even if he were, I can’t help feeling in a way that I am choosing Mr. Dookeran because I’m so tired. I am tired of a Government that is so aloof, the concerns of its citizens don’t matter. I’m tired of the spending, the crime and high food prices. I’m tired that they just don’t seem to care anymore (if ever).

And coupled with this aloof and uncaring Government, we’ve had an inept Opposition comprised of the Divided National Congress who’ve opposed nothing but each other. I had hopes for them too. I was holding on to this hope that they could at least look like a credible threat to get the Government shaking in their boots (not that I would have voted for either), but I guess we see how that all turned out. They gave us nothing but infighting, criminal convictions, race allegations, and some of the vilest persons ever to grace T&T politics in the persons of Warner, Panday and Kamla (every time I hear her say the words “good governance” I feel like vomiting).

But most of all I’m tired of feeling like I just don’t have a say or a choice. I’m tired of feeling like Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. I’m tired of feeling that only the winers have someone to vote for. So maybe Mr. Dookeran is the bara people have been waiting for. Of course only time will tell if this is true, but it’s a good start to ensuring that the winers do not inherit the earth. And no Hottie Hottie, I don’t mean you. And despite what the vile ones may say, you know they’re paying attention.