The politics of negative politics

THE EDITOR: We all know once a negative thought takes root in our minds, it is hard to remove.

It is the reason why we have negative politics...it simply works, especially in TT.

Such politics can destroy the reputation of other political parties or create distrust among the electorate against the elected leadership. Picong, bacchanal and comess are the norm in our country from schools to the workplace to the rum shop.

We love to see a good jostle and hear juicy gossip, but it is usually in a jovial, good natured spirit. However, have we reached the end? Have we allowed too much negativity to spread through the fabric of our society which can threaten our unity? The answer I believe is, "yes."

Recently I heard a respectable, long-serving member of parliament compare our country to another as being under a dictatorship. Really! Is our country under a dictatorship?

This is just one example of the many levels of negative politics occupying our psyche recently. To me, these negative attacks are deliberate and malicious to create doubt in the minds of the populace.

Thank God we are not under a dictatorship. We are free to carry the government to court, we are free to post comments on Facebook, we are free to vote, and we have freedom of speech. We are simply under lockdown as all other countries of the world because of covid.

What is alarming though, is the responses on social media. Anything positive by government or the medical profession is met with sarcasm and negativity. Even, at times, to the point of sounding hateful and dare I say, racist.

Is this what we want for our country? To use the hate and then promise to build back? Common sense will tell you that if we are stuck in that cycle every five years, we will just be going backward.

When I was born, my birth paper stated that I am a Trinidadian, not a PNM or a UNC.

As such, I am a citizen and as one I prescribe to our motto, Together We Aspire, Together We Achieve. It is something our leaders need to remember. Strong leadership on both sides is what is needed to move forward as a nation.

EPHRAIM BROWN

Via e-mail