The "E-mailgate scandal" should not be viewed merely as a PNM distraction, rather it is an educational opportunity.It has given us a wealth of information which we should use in deciding whether to vote a "raging bull" (Manning's description) or an esteemed lady like our Prime Minister Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
Until recently, the population was unnecessarily taken through political heartache. Was the scandal all about a whistleblower revealing true e-mail communications that revealed a plot by high officials to commit espionage and even murder? Or was it a scandal about fake e-mail messages being used to bear false witness against officials? Is the present Government unfit to hold high office?
Amidst the frenzy created by the e-mailgate, Dr Keith Rowley presented himself as our Opposition Leader, Prime Minister-in-waiting, a heroic crusader for truth and justice. A man who is prepared to stand up against corruption in the Government. But we ask, is he a fit person for high public office? Or is he a man driven by such a desire for power and no one must stand in his way.
The e-mails can't be "slightly fake," just as there is no such thing as "almost an only child" or "a little bit pregnant." Rowley would like us to believe that he is a man of principle and integrity who is committed to same. Disappointment with his own leader, Patrick Manning, led to the fall of the PNM government in 2010.
Since then, he has taken on the image of a crusader for truth and justice, seething with apparent righteous rage against the alleged corruption of the PP government, and presenting himself as the m oral alternative.
Now the truth has prevailed and the e-mails have been determined by Google as being all fake. We were all surprised by the obvious flaws like nonexistent dates of e-mails, the invalid addresses, well-known technological facts such as Gmail usernames must be at least six characters long and addresses like "anan@gmail.com, anand@gmail.com and kamla@gmail.com" are simply not permitted in Gmail, and attempts to create such addresses would not work.
Most of the population appreciated this but not Dr Rowley. He claimed that these could have been typographical errors, or due to the addresses being incorrectly copied. Only the PNM is unable to appreciate that a computer would not normally skip individual letters in "copying" a file or block of text, but a human typist, banging out a fake e-mail on a keyboard, could easily do so.
There are some who now say "De PP buy out Google!" Our entire national budget is usually in the vicinity of TT$64 billion or about US$10 billion. Google is valued at over US$400 billion, and its co-founders are worth over $20 billion each.The idea of Google being bought out by AG Ramlogan and the PP would be ridiculous but expect that defence will be raised at some time. There are those who may even say that though the e-mails are fabricated, they are still indicative of the PP's mindset.
What should we now make of our aspiring next Prime Minister? It's not an idle question given next year is an election year and the latest polls indicate a dead heat.From the E-mailgate scandal, we easily conclude that the principle is power. Could it be that present day politics is guided by Panday's principle that "politics has a morality of its own?"
The battle for the next general elections due in September 2015 has only just begun, and despite personal attacks and negative reporting, the Sunday Express of September 21, 2014, reports:
"The Prime Minister's approval rating has remained steady from the May Express exclusive poll. Currently, 49 per cent approve of the job that she is doing as Prime Minister, with just 41 per cent disapproval. Her approval rating is slightly higher than her favourability with the net approval and net favourability rating being equal."
The article further pointed out: "A significant number of people want to support a party that implements policies to help them or vulnerable sectors of the society, such as employment opportunities, pensions, healthcare, etc."
In this same edition of the Sunday Express, columnist Selwyn Ryan writes: "Mr Manning had exhausted his patience with Dr Rowley whom he regarded as a threat. He felt that the time had come for him to apply the ultimate political sanction, dismissal, as a weapon of political destruction. In his determination to destroy him, Mr Manning left a train of abuse which has stained and destroyed Rowley's political reputation."
The electorate in 2014 will have a clear leadership choice.