Leper messiah politics

Paolo Kernahan

THE RICH own political parties. The poor own their grievances, and political parties weaponise those grievances. Our desperation for salvation from the oppressive conditions in TT forces us to repose all our faith and hope in politicians – often the source of those conditions.

They are, however, mere mortals, so we must elevate them to something more, something less ordinary than ourselves. We make messiahs out of clay because so many of us believe the political process is the only means through which our ambitions and aspirations can be achieved. These suitors claim to have all the answers and know what must be done to improve TT.

Politics, though, is an even more perverse iteration of religion. We cleave to the false gods we created and decant our last, desperate hopes into those empty vessels. Consequently, we suspend all judgment and deny naked truths in their defence.

Many years ago, during a particularly embattled period for former PM Patrick Manning, reporters trawled the streets of Port of Spain for public opinion. In a tear-filled rage, one woman vented for the camera – “Leave him alone! Leave him alone! Daiz my prime minister!” This was a woman in a plaid dress on Fredrick Street on a wooden bench selling hemp cigarettes, gum and mints. Her reality and the besuited, perk-filled world of politics bear no similarities and can’t explain her passion.

This past week, I caught a video clip of insta-PM Stuart Young on a walkabout somewhere. The heady atmosphere stoked the strongest of devotions. "I love you!" blurted a voice in the crowd. Love? Really? I wonder how many times that ardent supporter used those tender words in their own home.

The PNM has been working feverishly at rebranding Young as something new – the campaign even "conjured" two adolescent boys standing proudly beside a man who is apparently their father. That’s right. Young is not just your dear leader, he is a parent just like you.

I’m being facetious, of course. I was completely unaware that Young had children, but then, should I have known? No. We don’t know these people. They aren’t like us. Their common man/woman mimicry is a feature of the political pantomime. Once they have been given the office, they aspire to be more like the well-heeled in society who own the political party and, thus, own the person you thought represented you!

The fervour is so strong it can make people forget that Young has been in office for ten years. Saying "give him a chance" is a function of factory brain reset triggered by emotions so potent they erase not just the past decade, but the today we’re living in.

In opposition, Kamla Persad-Bissessar has her flock – hopelessly devout supporters out on a limb with her. Their iron loyalty to her leadership blinds them to some of her more outrageous public utterances, like populist anti-immigrant sentiment and a bizarre, sycophantic ode to Trumpism.

UNC supporters can’t see that criticising or questioning their leadership isn’t tantamount to undermining that leadership. Consequently, people endorse positions taken by the party which are misguided or abhorrent. This they do because they fear holding the executive to account would weaken the party against the ruling regime.

While the UNC has a far healthier culture of dissent than the PNM – ruled by the code of omerta – voices of reason or contestation are often exiled as treasonous curs bent on seizing leadership for themselves. The problem, however, springs from the people and attaches itself to any political party that strikes a chord with the saviour-seeking.

Mickela Panday is, to my mind, a tremendously compelling politician. She expresses thoughts and ideas on vexing topics in ways few others can manage. Whether she has a chance in this election isn’t the point.

The young Panday inherited her father’s articulation and has an uncommon sharpness of thought. There’s a future for her in governance should she have the determination to stick with it. Panday, though, is attracting a similar cultish adoration among some young desperadoes online – citizens who see her as the only person who can lead us out of the mess we’re in. Oddly enough, this is the same language used to describe Young, who was front and centre getting us into said mess.

Regardless of who you support in this season, it’s important to understand that our flawed political system and society make false gods of weak flesh. When our supplication to politicians silences us, the ensuing vacuum of accountability drives the decay that surrounds us.