Sometimes in politics one has to bob and weave, do a little dip and dance, a swirl and a twist and a little sashaying on the issues. The undisputed master in his class of the bob and weave, the dip and dive was the silver-tongued Silver Fox, who could just as easily charm as offend. He would give you a big toothy grin for both, as he side-stepped, side-wined, wined to the side and out manoeuvred his questioners in the cut and thrust, block an parry of the impromptu interview process. Clearly, this is a skill Gary Griffith hasn't learned, even with a prepared speech. So comfortable and competent was the Old Bas with these off the cuff remarks, that one got the distinct impression that he looked forward to this intellectual by-play and seized any opportunity to stick in a sharp jab or a roasting on any and all political opponents, so that none escaped unscathed. Of course, the downside to treating with all issues in this manner is that your responses gradually begin to take the form of nothing more than a one man stand up comedy show in the grand theatre of life here in Trinidad and Tobago.
The nation has looked on with wonder, amazement and sometimes bemusement, at the way in which some members of the current Government have shown their discomfiture, lack of adroitness and inability to think quickly or clearly in front of a microphone or a camera. They end up muddying the waters more and more with each passing day on simple things, which by a clear, forthright and cleverly crafted explanation could smooth things over, and pour oil on troubled waters reducing them to non-issues. Instead, it seems however, that there is a growing tendency among Government Ministers and politicians of using gasoline to try to put out fires and they end up in a conflagration which then consumes the energy of the entire Government in trying to play fire-fighters. Readers will recall when I wrote the article entitled "People's Partnership Pyromaniacs" and I spoke on this point. I would respectfully suggest that maybe at her next Government retreat, the Prime Minister cut out that article and read it out to her Ministers for them to study, because clearly they are not learning their lessons.
While former prime minister Panday could give you a sweet rhythmic dance around the issues, albeit with no substance but certainly it was pleasant entertainment, it has been almost painful to watch the clumsy, heavy handed, bull in a China shop, neophyte approach of some of our current politicians as they attempt a sashaying on the issues. If there is no evidence, there is no evidence, then I should not even be concerned to look at your contract. I would have no business looking at it at all in that case, but then on the other hand, if you are really and truly my friend, you would take the advice of Ashworth Jack and voluntarily step down. You would do a Reshmi and resign to the side, resign to the side, resign to the side. You would spare us all the embarrassment of having to make clumsy and awkward defences of you in public, especially as it now puts you and your lawyers against the Police Service, in stark divide on the issue of "did she or didn't she". The lawyers, as is their right, have come out swinging with staunch denials on your behalf but of course the flip side to all of this is that they have now put the police in an awkward position, where basically they would be forced to come forth with all their evidence and justify their actions by going the distance with full charges if they have the evidence.
The alternative is they will probably have to apologise and pay damages if there really was never any substance to the allegations. Should you, as my friend, sit and wait for the possibility of one of these potentially embarrassing scenarios to unfold around me, or should you do the honourable thing and fall upon your own sword with a nicely worded Reshmi-type resignation? How far do you expect me to go in my efforts to shield and protect you, and at which point must I decide that enough is enough and that I must stop sashaying around the issue and cut you loose? It has been one PR disaster after another, from the Reshmi issue, to the Honourable Minister Sandy's discomfiture on the topic, to the Caribbean Airlines fiasco where the tail has wagged off the dog and shown Uncle Jack who is the boss of all bosses, so all Jack can do now is go to work but he gets no transport.
Now with no one around to bell the CAL, it has already shaken off two of its directors with an explanation that they needed to make room for one-you go figure. There has just been too much unnecessary hubris, detritus and confusion attendant upon the affairs and business of Government. And there just seems to be no comprehensive, coherent policy, adviser or guide in this regard who can steer the ship of Government out of these murky waters of the daily drama and bacchanal so that we can get on with the business of running the country. The COP's views on the Cabinet re-shuffle, re-alignment, re-adjustment, whatever you want to call it, the MTS issue, the T&TEC matter, these are things which all need to be faced squarely and handled properly. We are in a nation where these concerns will not easily go away, no matter how much dancing, twirling, and twisting we do, and no matter how much we try a sashaying on the issues.