We not organise for constitutional reform
You tink as a country we want constitutional reform? I doh know.
Since di 18-18 tie, we eh hold no country-wide consultation. Nobody and no group eh try to mobilise di country to talk about di matter for we to get a clear sense of how people tinkin and whe dey want to go. All we have is newspaper columnist, radio and TV commentator, high-profile people, and di political party and dem givin deh different view on what we should do. Some a dem callin for constitutional reform, yes, but dat eh consultation; da is just people throwin out suggestion. We cyar know how di country feel if somehow we eh hold a massive conversation where everybody and every community and every organisation with a voice and someting to say throw in deh piece.
How else it go happen?
Di tie give we a opportunity. It give we di opportunity to change di system a govament and share power in a fairer, more evenhanded manner among wi different people and dem. (A talkin about people organise as political group, for example, Indo-Trinidadian, Afro-Trinidadian, Tobagonian, French Creole.) Right now, under di bogus constitution we have, whichever group cross di pos fus does control everyting - all di state power, all di state appointments and dem, all di contract and dem, all di allocation a state money. And dey does control mos a di social prestige as well. Di oder group and dem have to make noise and beg for consideration, most a di time cap in hand.
Ask Tobago. Tobago is di expert in begging whoever in control a di central govament for money to develop di island. It doh matter how people in Tobago vote; it doh matter how people in Trinidad vote. All dat matter is dat Trinidadian must vote and form a govament, and den Tobago must come and beg di govament for money to run di island. Election after election. Is a helluva ting.
For good, fair govament in Trinidad and Tobago, dat ha to change, not so?
So, as A was sayin, di tie give we a opportunity to reform govament, but wi doh know what to do wid it. Panday callin for he party and Mannin party to share govament under a constitution not set up for dat kind a power-sharin. Mannin sayin dat it wouldn work and it too dangerous. Panday also callin for early election when even he en sure dat dat go change di price a cocoa. Bot a dem callin for 'constitutional reform', but none a dem eh takin no action to make sure we get it. Panday studyin to marshall he troops and dem for civil disobedience for we to hold election which heself en sure go end di bacchanal of injustice and discrimination in govament. And Manning studyin to set up commission of inquiry into dis, dat, and di oder to hold di UNC and put some of deh big boys behind bars.
None a dem fellas eh focus on di bigges need in di country: constitutional reform and di framework a national conversation to bring it about. Panday busy defendin hi administration against countless allegation of di most unbelievable corruption (the Biche!), as well as lookin to see how he could create public disorder. And Mannin busy lookin to jail him. But why dey en busy mobilisin di nation for a unprecedented, communal conversation on reform?
Because di tie is not only a impasse for govament under di present constitution, but a impasse for political will as well. If dem fellas coulda have deh wey, deh woulda fix matters so dey could keep di fus-pass-di-pos system. And dat is how we know dey en ready! Di tings deh focusin on. Di tings deh focusin on. And what deh en focusin on!
Ent we tired a Afro-Trinidad in power but Indo-Trinidad outside? Ent we fed up a Indo-Trinidad in power but Afro-Trinidad outside. And it eh a shame and a disgrace and a vexation a di spirit for Trinidad to be in power, with Tobago outside?
And what about dat fella we mislabel 'prime minister', who really could be king, governor, czar, fuehrer, and dictator, if he want to be? Dat fella who one constituency elect, but who could run tings as if nobody else get elect?
But if we badly want to change tings and Mannin and Panday eh able, what di rest of us should do? We should take up di very huge slack, not so? But how we go do dat when we not organise - when dat kind a affirmative social not part a we culture yet?
Deconstructing Panday
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