History repeats, and sometimes rhymes

THE EDITOR: It was German philosopher and political theorist Karl Marx who once noted that “history repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce.” Thereafter, in a 1948 speech to the British House of Commons, then prime minister Winston Churchill suggested that “those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

And then, of course, there was Mark Twain who is sometimes credited with having proposed that “history doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.”

Seemingly, then, the world’s "politic" in leading to something historic may reverberate as poetic.

Only a few months ago, in the US, one presidential hopeful faced an unprecedented political loss at the polls. That election result was not beyond the realm of predictability, simply because the very announcement of her candidacy was shrouded in mystery and cloaked in controversy. Many perceived it as more of a political anointing and appointment, bypassing the scrutiny and inspection of the US primary system.

That decision ran against the tone and texture of the US electoral process and was an ill-advised circumvention of the spirit and intendment of the core universal principles of democracy and political egalitarianism.

But as is often the case, when the voices of the people are caged and suppressed at one place, it suddenly finds vocal flight and expression at another. And so, as it evolved, the outcome of that US election not only bruised the aspirations of the Democrat candidate, but it also severely injured the ambitions of her party as a political entity.

The other consideration is that sometimes in politics the "anointing" of one leader by another may be to the disappointment of others and it carries the inherent risk that the intended successor would eternally remain beholden, bound, obligated and perhaps indebted to his predecessor, even to the point of defending that which may be indefensible. And such a thing can be significantly injurious to the health of a civilised democracy.

In the US, one presidential hopeful was seemingly unable to untether herself from an unpopular incumbent president and his political agenda. And perhaps blinded by loyalty, her campaign and her message ran off course and ended with bumbling, stumbling and fumbling, in the very same manner as it began.

More importantly for TT, the question may be two-fold. In the first instance, can the electorate accept a candidate for the office of prime minister to govern the country as a whole, who himself reportedly may not have met such overwhelming and unequivocal support from his own party structure.

And the second question for TT is: can the named successor to the Prime Minister unchain, untie an disconnect himself from his role in governance of this nation after a decade? A nation that now sits within widespread public discontent, dissatisfaction and a general sense of unhappiness.

So does history repeat itself?

Well in the US last November, one leader resurrected and experienced a political renaissance after holding office for one term. His opponent was accused of “not fighting the internal fight” before the external one. In TT, another leader who sits “legally” having fought and won her own internal battles will now this year seemingly face an opponent who hasn’t.

And, perhaps, without the need of invoking professional political clairvoyance, her resurrection and renaissance, after serving one term, is now more of foreseeable reality.

ASHVANI MAHABIR

Cunupia