Racism in the election race

TERRENCE HONORE

THE TALK of election is in the air; it’s a tough topic to contemplate. But in our republic the issue of race maintains its serpentine ways as an insidious part of our culture. And this begs the question: Is there a problem of racism lurking in the election race?

The truth is, I dare say, that diversity is the breathing ground of contempt for others of a different ilk. And you don’t need to be wearing legal silk to comprehend or reason out this phenomenon. Elections in TT bring racism to the front burner.

The political spectrum is coloured by the prejudices of our people. Rainbow country indeed, but variations of every creed and race continue to mark the matrix that makes us one, yet different. It tests the tolerance of one race towards another, and all the in-betweens.

What an amazing paradox is this concept. It weaves its way into the daily talk, the essaying of our academics and the mauvais langue of our politics. Some of our leaders subtly seek to sway the masses and different classes to vote one way or the other. An overt call of racial persuasion is sometimes deliberate but often denied. Utterances couched in crafty tones, with political correctness having sway all the way to election day.

We cannot deny, especially in such places where the varying ethnicities are most evident, that some votes are counted by colour, and elections, to some degree, are determined by race. It seems that texture of hair or shade of skin colour continues to influence the voting patterns. The issue of race and the black vote in the US elections history attest to that.

Even the wisdom of our first Olympic gold medallist, our celebrated winner, must be regarded, as he once stated that he professes no preference of one race or the other. This declaration, if truthfully applied, is how any election race should be run and won – without racial bias.

In a conversation with a bold old legend of our culture, he sought to make a point and looked at my hair texture and, with a simple glance, pronounced on my race and status. But with African, Carib, Chinese and Caucasian in me, I was a simple reflection of the ethnic mix of our nation. To define me by race is out of place, in the context of our culture.

I surmised, but was not surprised by his expression, a reflection of old-time habits that showed how much people cared for wavy, coarse or straight hair as an indicator of race and place in our society.

"Shave yuh head," one man said, "and they cyah tell the difference. What is wrong with these people and race?…We all going to the same place."

But truth be told, if I am so bold, despite all the mixes among the races there remains a preference for a prejudice that is now louder than ever. The talk of racism in our society is echoing in my ear. It is a serious thing for some people who seek to embrace and find their identity in racial and ethnic diversity.

I recently spoke to a doting father about the success of his son as a young promising doctor, but his eye showed a glint of sadness when he revealed that his son was betrothed to a girl of another race. Are we not fighting for a racial purity that does not really exist? It’s a moot argument to pursue racial purity, whether on the streets or the corridors of our Parliament.

No election race is really won in a pluralistic society solely on the issue of our skin colour. No civilisation ever remained which sought to divide and conquer, putting one race above another. We are all brothers and sisters at heart.

The Mighty Dougla in his great calypso reflected a "lostness" in his lyrics when he sang the well-known lines, "I’m neither one race nor the other, six of one, half a dozen of the other./Will somebody please just tell me where they sending for me." What a wonderful mixture we present to the world.

The election race is like the hair texture talk. Nothing fundamentally changes, even if its colourised, texturised, if weaves and braids are added to be divided…at the root its all the same. Some people love to hate others who are of a different kind. That is poison to the soul and to the mind.

If the primary effort is to use race to win the election race at any cost, then we all are lost in this backward endeavour. It makes no difference if an election is won by stirring up hatred by race, or by the barrel of a gun…there is always a dreadful price to be paid.

If the ultimate destination is to create a nation of one race, history has shown that the effort will fail. The Aryan race is an "also ran." So, if we choose to abuse others because of their race, colour of their skin or texture of their hair, we are really going nowhere with that.

Let the election race be won without racial overtones, it must be run in line with the rules and regulations, in accordance with good values. Let us not use our words to create wounds of hate that will fester long after we are gone. This race thing is wounding our national pride and stirring up strife that would lead not to harmony in diversity, but to bloodshed instead.

We have to kill this "race thing" dead and preach and practise true love instead.