Calling out racism not racism

THE EDITOR: The vast majority of what Lloyd Best called the “validating elites,” except one or two more perceptive ones, have quite erroneously criticised Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar for calling out the decades-long, foundational PNM strategy of racial and religious demonisation and “otherisation” of the UNC to get votes.

The situation is very similar to those Afro-Americans, particularly in the civil rights era, who were called “racist” for calling out racism in the US. The mainstream preferred to live under the illusion that racism did not exist or was not as big a problem as it was being made out to be. They demonised people who exposed the ugly racism of the society.

In TT, the mainstream media, for whatever reason, has always given a pass to the PNM’s racial and religious “otherisation” strategies, which are clear and open. If we go back to the lead-up to the last general election in 2020, we find glaring examples of the PNM’s racial and religious demonisation strategy, which somehow never received condemnation.

For instance, Rohan Sinanan on November 28, 2019 in Sangre Grande, openly claimed that “not all East Indians in politics are thieves,” and that most of the honest ones "would be found in the PNM." The crowd roared and laughed with delight. It remains on the PNM YouTube channel.
(Incidentally, Sinanan was responding to questions about the lease of his land to the state for work which his own ministry was doing.)

Camille Robinson-Regis, on the other hand, also in November 2019, urged PNM supporters to drive out UNC "evil spirits," as reported in the TT Express:

“'What I am asking you to do from tomorrow is get out your PNM cocoyea broom. Sweep in front of your house. Burn your incense, if necessary, sprinkle some salt, wash down the place with holy water, drive them evil spirits from in front of your house, and for those of you who know it, recite the St Michael the Archangel prayer,” she said at the People’s National Movement (PNM) meeting in La Horquetta on Thursday."

She proceeded to say the St Michael prayer: “Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil; May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls.”

Robinson-Regis in a serious face said this was no joking manner as some members of the audience laughed.

“I am asking you cover yourself. Cover your house. Cover Maxie and Hermia and most importantly cover Trinidad and Tobago from the evil and wicked spirits that wander through this constituency and wander through the east-west corridor...,” she said, adding that “you know and we know what they are capable of.”

But these kinds of remarks have been allowed to pass for decades. These are only two examples of too many to count.

In the current election season, Keith Rowley has gone to great lengths to spin a civil counterclaim by the PNM-appointed EMBD Board into something it is not. There are no charges, no arrests, no police investigations, no convictions, no criminal case. It is a dispute about money owed.

The EMBD was sued for not paying contractors, so the EMBD filed a counterclaim, making unproven allegations and bringing in Dr Moonilal. The Newsday reminded us that the Privy Council ruled that the EMBD's claim of fraud was "fanciful and speculative." Then, this year, the EMBD came up with new allegations.

This is clearly an eight-year witch-hunt, being renewed before the general election.

Rowley has been trying to tie this civil case together with other unproven allegations of corruption made by the PNM against the UNC over the last 30 years, which they bring up over and over and over again, and spend billions of dollars on, with no arrests or convictions, while making vile, ethnically demonising comments on political platforms.

Persad-Bissessar was simply calling the PNM strategy out. Here is the quote from her: “The PNM's ground campaign for decades has always been to paint Indians as UNC-voting thieves, idol worshippers, lagoon dwellers, rum drinkers and cane cutters who have no moral and spiritual values...The only people who are ridiculed more than Indians who support the UNC are Afro-Trinis who oppose the PNM; they get the worst treatment.”

An editorial correctly referred to my 2008 academic article published in the Journal of Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, “Ethnic mobilisation vs ethnic politics: Understanding ethnicity in Trinidad and Tobago politics.”

However, it incorrectly attaches my analysis to Persad-Bissessar. As I have demonstrated above, it is the PNM which has blatantly used ethnicity for mobilisation. The UNC has a clear and consistent political ideology and philosophy, including:

- the struggle for national unity

- fighting discrimination and alienation

- anti-elitism

- fighting for the dignity of the working class, the marginalised and forgotten people and regions of TT

- fighting for the equality of all, against the alienation of marginal groups

- fighting for the participation of small and medium businesses in the economy

- against the parasitic oligarchy

- for individual freedom and civil rights against the State

- reducing the size and reach of the State, and the dependency syndrome by which it enslaves the citizens

Calling out racism is not racism. Persad-Bissessar is exposing the PNM’s racial and religious demonisation, because the media and the “validating elites” have consistently given the PNM a free pass on it.

She should not be condemned for that, but commended.

DR KIRK MEIGHOO
UNC PRO