Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation (Tuco) president Eric "Pink Panther" Taylor has slammed The Original De Fosto Himself for bringing the late Lord Kitchener's legacy into disrepute and genuflecting at the altar of the almighty dollar. Both De Fosto, real name Winston Scarborough and Edwin "Crazy" Ayoung will experience fallout from their controversial political calypsoes, he predicts. Taylor, already on the campaign trail for the ruling PNM seeking to keep the Toco-Sangre Grande seat for the party in the upcoming May 24 polls, says he was shocked at the anti-PNM tone of De Fosto's latest hit Ah Not Voting For Dat. It was a composition that would have Kitchener, who was instrumental in honing De Fosto's calypso skills, turning in his grave, Pink Panther slammed.
He said he gave both De Fosto, and Crazy, who also has an anti-PNM calypso, full marks for being quick on the draw with their compositions to have them on the road well in time to be capitalised on during the course of the snap election campaign. But he hoped they could live with the fallout when the polls are over. "There definitely will be fallout. When you take a position you have to abide with the consequences. "They will have fans who are PNM, UNC, COP... "Some of the fans will take what they are singing personally. "People in T&T are serious about their politics and their religions. So they can expect some measure of fallout," Taylor predicted.
"De Fosto always claimed to be a fan of Kitchener; he was always up under Kitch, but his stance now says that was never true.... "He surprise me. He is true to Jack Warner and them and their money.
"Some people's religion is money. You have to respect that too..." Taylor added. De Fosto in TV and radio interviews this week explains he felt moved to create the calypso because while he was a Manning and PNM supporter at heart, he felt the party was straying from its moorings and needed a jolt to get back on track. People might love the PNM, but they needed change, De Fosto argued. Food, water, hospital beds and improved old age pensions are what the people need, and what they should get, De Fosto argues in defending his effort.