Historians and scientists place great store on understanding what has happened in the past as a means of moving forward to the future. Those who are dedicated to these professions try to unlock the mysteries and secrets of the past to reveal truths that can help mankind and make the world a better place. But there's a downside to all this and focusing on the past as much as this Government is doing, has given rise to what I believe can aptly be described as "the douen syndrome"-a debilitating state of being.
In our folklore the douen is the character depicted as having no face and its feet are turned backwards. Without eyes to see what is ahead, one can imagine that douens have great capability for remembering what has happened and has passed. Anyone suffering from this syndrome remembers with clarity every perceived slight, every imagined wrong, every missed opportunity.
So eight months after its overwhelming victory, this Government still feels the need to recall, discover and uncover, and benchmark itself against the actions of the previous PNM government and, more particularly, the pre- vious Prime Minister. Without a face with the usual features and access to some of the basic senses, anyone with this affliction easily becomes locked in the past. How then does this Government propose to lead this country into its future? Even worse, with feet facing backwards, very little movement occurs and when it does it is with unco-ordinated, bumbling, stumbling missteps.
All is not lost however. After all, the douen is just a character in our folklore, a figment of our ancestors' imaginings that has long been banished along with the jumbies and Madame La Diablesse to books and folk songs. In very much the same way that science has been able to conquer some of the disabilities and afflictions that have dogged mankind, so too must the PP Government find a way to ignite its senses and face its feet forward instead of backwards. I am sure that there are enough neurologists, chiropractors and other medical experts within its fold to begin this serious realignment process. If not, some divine entity will have to step in to help us as the next story that will be told is about how successful we have used our hands and not our feet to effectively kick ourselves in the behind.
Helen May
Via e-mail