The Valley of Decision
I‘m sorry for my absence, but I want you to know that I had a tabanca for you - as much as Ramesh had one for the UNC.
Well Ken Valley has dropped a bomb over the Prime Minister and it seems that all is not well in the State of Denmark. Prior to reading the story in the Guardian this morning, I watched Shelly Dass’ interview with the embattled MP last night.
I have to say that even though I’m a fan of Shelly’s anchoring, I’m not a huge fan of her interviewing style. Her excessive use of finger quotes is only partly to blame. Sometimes I wish she’d learn how to blend into the background more rather than be in the spotlight.
That having been said, Valley has stated that he was not angry, hurt or disappointed. But he did manage to look very much like the cat that swallowed the canary. Most of the time it was difficult listening to him because he seemed so excited and breathless that sometimes he became unintelligible.
Ken Valley’s aim in coming out now was to save the country from the creeping dictatorship that he sees coming down the road. Now Mr. Valley has not abandoned his party - quite the contrary. He says that he loves his party, but he loves his country more. He states though, that this executive presidency we end up with comes without the checks and balances that you would normally have in the presidency. A little scary isn’t it?
Of course there are many asking why didn’t he come out and say this before, but he did say that he tried and no one paid attention and so this is his last resort.
I thought I saw something that is going wrong, I first of all tested it within the party, it’s out in the public domain. I have done what I can, tonight I bring closure on this issue.
It had me wondering how he expects to change the “PNM till ah dead” mentality after nurturing it for so long. Surely he doesn’t expect that at the insistence of a rejected MP, all die hards will do a 180 degree turn. But if you listen carefully, it seems as if he’s trying to appeal to the UNC and COP supporters along with the undecideds.
All forces of good must come together, especially those marginals. The number of persons who will stay home and not vote those are the people who will make a difference. The PNM people will vote PNM, the UNC people will vote UNC, the COP people will vote COP. The people who will make a difference are those people who will stay home and not vote. And they have to come out in this election and make a difference. - Ken Valley
I have not read the draft constitution and therefore I’m not familiar with what Super Manning’s new powers will be. But after months of hearing the Opposition talking about a creeping dictatorship, it seems much truer now and I dare say we should all be worried.
14 Responses to “The Valley of Decision”
By Observer on Oct 12, 2007 | Reply
http://barbadosfreepress.wordpress.com/2007/10/04/blp-government-agents-post-reasoned-comments-for-a-time-but-then-threaten-to-murder-our-children/
Follow the money.
Who is funding the Citizen Security Programme
Who is manufacturing the guns.
No despot in the Americas ever became a despot by themselves.
By Jill on Oct 12, 2007 | Reply
i was on facebook, and my cousin posted up a letter from Michael Williams that outlines the executive president situation.
It will really turn him into a superpower, and he will be able replace anyone he pleases willy nilly, and make the position of Max Richards null and void.
It was a good letter, haha even with my biases for MJW. I will try and repost it, but it is long!
By Jill on Oct 12, 2007 | Reply
To my Fellow Citizens of Trinidad &Tobago
I am addressing this message to all persons who cherish T&Ts democracy, of all political parties, or of none, and of all ages. I appeal to you to put country first.
The forthcoming election is like none before. This is not merely a contest to choose a government to govern our beloved country under our present constitution.
Political leader Patrick Manning has declared his intention should he win, to change the constitution of T&T, to become Executive President. This threat cannot be taken lightly, because many of Manning’s actions betray a frightening dictatorial streak which citizens must reject, by registering to vote, and more importantly, by voting on election day.
I submit the following for your consideration:
1. I came to know Mr Kenneth Valley in 1987 when we both served in the senate. He was appointed a PNM senator by Manning in his party’s darkest hour, following the NAR 33-3 victory at the polls. Valley has since been a loyal PNM front man, a deputy political leader, Chief Whip and leader of government business in parliament, and a cabinet minister highly respected by the business community which he serves. That all constituency groups have nominated him and no one else, to contest the next elections, is proof enough that the people of Diego Martin Central want him as their representative. Yet Manning rejected Valley, based on a flimsy poll of 240 persons in a constituency exceeding 25,000 and seeks to replace the peoples’ candidate with a candidate of his own. Not only is Manning subverting the PNM constitution by his secret poll, he overrides the wishes of the people, and disregards Valley’s performance as a minister.
2. Almost half the elected PNM representatives chosen by the people are being removed to make way for Manning’s nominees. The peoples’ representatives must choose their leader, but the roles are reversed, and the leader is choosing the representatives for the people. This surely is democracy turned on its head.
3. Manning rejected the offer of Mr Anthony Garcia, Fatima College principal and a former TUTTA president, as a candidate for the elections. The far-fetched reason given – Garcia’s son is married to Christine Kangaloo, a minister in his cabinet. While thus indicating his distaste for family connections in his administration, he nevertheless appointed his wife a cabinet minister. These events amongst others, demonstrate his preference for pliable individuals around him. He feels threatened by persons of substance, who can think independently.
4. Manning has built himself a $148 million palace but abandoned President House to rot and ruin. President Max Richards meanwhile has been made to make do in the “maid’s quarters” behind the crumbling President House.
5. When Uganda’s head of state President Musevini visited recently, protocol required that T&Ts head of state President Richards should have welcomed him. But Manning jumped ahead of President Richards’ and pushed Richards aside.
6. Without any scruples, Manning subverts the constitution of T&T and the PNM, and to pamper his ever burgeoning ego, he willy-nilly disregards accepted protocol.
7. The Red House is revered by many as T&Ts historical seat of government. All the debates of our colonial past, the voices of Cipriani, Butler, Albert Gomes, the Sinanans and Capildeos, Raymond Quevedo, Eric Williams - all echoed in its hallowed chamber. Our independence was ushered in at the Red House in 1962; it witnessed the lowering of the Union Jack, and the raising of T&Ts flag. It withstood and survived the violent onslaught on our democracy in 1990, and so much history dwells within those walls. When unveiling the plaque in the parliamentary chamber recently to honour her late father, Erica Williams urged that the Red House remain the seat of our parliament. Yet without any consultation with the people, or even the parliament staff, Manning seeks to eject parliament from the Red House to make it his office, and even to squat cheek and jowl on the steps of the Red House, encroaching on the sanctity of parliament, and compromising the separation of legislature and executive.
8. Under Manning’s draft constitution, a constitution with little input from the people, the people, you and I, will have no voice in electing the Executive President as in the United States. Instead, the PNM executive controlled by Manning will choose the Executive President. If he becomes Executive President, Manning will simply extend his powers to include those now vested in President Max Richards, and Richards will disappear. With his handpicked MPs he will have total control of parliament. He will influence or control the appointment of every state officer, including members of the judiciary. Many of Manning’s decisions have demonstrated bias, either political, cultural or racial, and citizens like Marlene Coudray, Fareeza Mohommed and Devant Maharaj have had to resort to our courts to redress injustices. The Maha Sabha got their radio licence 5 years late, on the orders of the Privy Council.
Guyana had Forbes Burnham. Zimbabwe has Robert Mugabe. Will Trinidad and Tobago vote to preserve its democracy? I urge you all to put country before party, put country before politics, put Trinidad & Tobago first.
Michael J Williams
Maracas Valley
By Maarten on Oct 12, 2007 | Reply
Dear Mani,
I wanted to contact you but could not find an e-mail address so I just posted this comment.
My name is Maarten Bels, I am 29 years old and originally from The Netherlands. I currently live in the US with my wife and two daughters and I work for a newspaper as page designer and editorial cartoonist.
I have been following the upcoming elections in Trinidad and Tobago because I am working on a database of political parties.
Your blog is an invaluable source for information and opinion and I thank you for it. I really enjoy reading it. It’s always a pleasure to read the words of someone with insight and intellect who talks about stuff one finds interesting.
But I would like to ask you something as well.
For the database on which I am working I am trying to find the symbols and colors used by two small parties:
1) NAR, led by Dr. Carlson Charles, and
2) NDP, led by Mike Simms.
I have tried to find these parties’ logos/colors everywhere and contacted everybody from newspapers to the UNC (they’re both in the UNC Alliance) but to no avail. I know we are probably both slightly cynical when it comes to political parties
but if you see any way you might be able to help me find the symbols and colors used by these two parties (even just a description in words) I would be ever so thankful.
I wish you a very good weekend, all the best in your studies and I hope to hear from you when you get a chance.
Sincerely,
Maarten Bels
de_rebbe@hotmail.com
maartenbels@gmail.com
By boysieringo on Oct 12, 2007 | Reply
Mani the above entries show how important your blog has become in the political arena. You know my views on Valley, but for the first time i think there is truth in what he says.
By Mani on Oct 13, 2007 | Reply
Observer, thanks for the link.
Jill, thanks for posting that, that was a good read. I agree with everything he said. I’m glad he’s with the COP.
Hi Maarten, actually my e-mail address is in the siedbar to the right (the red envelope icon). Thanks for your compliments. “Insight and intellect” - allyuh res ah people read dat? lol, just kidding.
You asked me a tough question there. I do not know what the NDP symbol looks like. I can’t even remember ever seeing it. To the best of my memory the NAR symbol was of a steel beam in black and white that was in the shape of an “A” against a red background. From what I could remember, the “A” was tilted backwards. I could be wrong about this, though. It’s strange that we can’t find this anywhere online. Anyway, I will ask my mom and here what she has to say. I have your e-mail so I’ll email you back.
Boysieringo, my boy, “important” I don’t know, but it’s interesting being here. But I agree with you on Valley. I think there’s a lot of truth to what he’s saying. It’s just sad that not many PNM stalwarts are going to pay much attention to him now.
By Maarten on Oct 13, 2007 | Reply
Thank you, Mani. I appreciate you trying to help me out.
I feel a little stupid I overlooked your e-mail addres there….:-) I’ll use it when I have some time tomorrow. Today’s busy. Again, I truly appreciate you helping me out and I’d like to correspond every now and then, if that would be OK with you, about Trini politics. Have a great weekend and keep up the great work.
By JohnBoy on Oct 13, 2007 | Reply
Yea Mani, ya know I is a man following your blog here for de longest. I use it to get a pulse of TnT. After I just make a trod down to de rock, I have to say you typify what is wrong wid Trini. My ppl have no sense of basic understanding of economics or from a macro view or human social view. You complaining bout this and that and by no means is Trinidad a perfect place. My view however is that most of the problems lie with the population of Trinidad. Is Trinidadians who committing crime right? That is the first thing ppl does say how crime so bad. It bad! But who committing crime? And I never get a chance to respond to the idiot who say Panday was de best Prime Minister Trinidad ever had. Doh mean to call him an idiot but wha really get mih is that you agreed. Of course u entitled to your own opinion. Hell is your blog! But when as a supposedly educated fella make statements that support stupidity I will choose to voice my disdain in your blog if you would allow me. Basdeo Panday was de best allya say? Now I know for sure that there is pandemic of amnesia down on de rock! Basdeo Panday ya say? Mani, I cant say I expect better from u cuz I doh know ya personally, but Basdeo Panday was de best?
By JohnBoy on Oct 13, 2007 | Reply
De talk is about creeping dictatorship. So when a leader decide he party need new blood and he decide to make changes he is a dictator right? Because he have to make decisions not everybody like. Ya mean like when Panday get rid of Ramesh who was telln him but de corruption going on in de UNC. Ya mean like dat? Thanks to tha best Prime Minister in TnT we had a splintering of the NAR, to form tha UNC and then de UNC splinter again to form COP and one name keep reappering in de middle. Well yes! De best Prime Minister. I was reading all these months but didnt feel qualified to say nutten until ah touch down on de rock and after havn done so ah seeing how one set a ppl here talkn a set assness! Ah have 1 question: Ah want anybody here tell me how many nations among the G10 offers their citizens free tertiary education? G10 is “considered” to be 10 of the world’s richest nations for anybody not in de know.
By Shivonne on Oct 14, 2007 | Reply
As scary as the Draft Constitution is, one of its components I hope doesn’t go unnoticed is Article 5.2, which defines life as starting at conception - a blatantly religious inspiration that will serve to stymie any attempt at abortion law reform. Since when is national policy decided by the pronouncements of the Pope and random religious figures? Oh wait…I just remembered who the PM is. If you thought the prophetess and the supposed shutting down of the gambling industry were bad, wait for the 2/3 majority. Laws enforcing modest dress even at Carnival time perhaps?
By Shivonne on Oct 14, 2007 | Reply
Get the best Trini news here:
http://trinifakenews.wordpress.com/
By ed on Oct 15, 2007 | Reply
Shivonne, I noticed that too, and I agree that it’s not getting nearly enough attention. The status of the right to choose in Trinidad is grim as it is; this will just serve to set the current situation in stone. And as you say, it’s symptomatic of a larger church-state intermingling… why else do you need to put that into the consitution, when abortion is already banned, and there’s very little chance of that changing for the forseeable future?
By boysieringo on Oct 15, 2007 | Reply
To help out poor Johnboy because ah tired hearin Mani clear this up. Basdeo Panday was the best prime minister of T&T during 1995-2001 because he was the “onliest” prime minsiter of T&T during those years. So now I think you typify what’s wrong with those viewing de rock from afar so quick to voice their disdain.
By boysieringo on Oct 16, 2007 | Reply
Mani boy i really wanted to ask yuh what yuh think about Devant Maharaj for Couva South? It was bad enough he spoke on a COP platform but to be nominated that is the COP’s biggest blunder thus far.