29 October 1999, 855 words
I don't know why so many people are surprised that Prime Minister Basdeo Panday has made Mr. Lindsay Gillette a super-Minister. Although he is officially a Hindu, it is quite obvious that Mr. Panday really favours Chinese beliefs. Why else would he have given Brian Kuei Tung, whose only qualification for governance is bags of hard cash, such a high profile in Government?
Mr. Panday is clearly a disciple of the Tao te ching, one of China's two main philosophical treatises. Within its pages, you will find the tenets that guide every aspect of Mr. Panday's political philosophy, including his latest Cabinet reshuffle.
For example, the Tao says: "If we stop looking for persons of superior morality to put in power, there will be no more jealousies among the people." Not only does this explain why Mr. Kuei Tung was appointed in the first place, it even explains why every UNC hack was made a Minister or got appointed to State boards.
The Tao also says: "The Sage is ruthless; to him people are but as straw dogs". Panday's treatment of long-time sidekick Trevor Sudama (now duly sidekicked into Agriculture) amply demonstrates our Prime Minister's commitment to sagacity.
This is not to say Mr. Panday does not hold a high opinion of Mr. Sudama. But the Sage adheres to the following tenet: "Of the good man I approve, but of the bad I also approve." True, Mr. Panday often seems to approve more of bad men than good, but the Tao explains that, "To remain whole, be twisted. To become straight, let yourself be bent." No wonder, then, that Panday's other right-hand man is Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj Spencer Morgan.
If all this seems rather confusing and contradictory, fear not. Mr. Panday thrives on contradiction, as recommended by the Tao. "The truthful man I believe, but the liar I also believe." Of course, our Prime Minister has many more of the latter than the former around him. But even this is rooted in his adherence to the principles of the Tao. Truthful people tend also to be knowledgeable people, and the Tao says. "The more knowledge people have, the harder they are to rule."
Since the UNC came into power, one of Mr. Panday's chief goals has been to reduce knowledge, especially about airport contracts, NFM Indian rice deals, INNCogen contracts, desalination plants and so on. This is not because he has dictatorial tendencies, as some accuse, but because the Tao holds that "Those who rule without giving knowledge bring a stock of good fortune to the land." (Of course, it still remains to be seen how much good fortune the Gillettes will acquire. The multi-million dollar computer contract is, presumably, just the beginning.)
Now you might wonder how the general population can possibly benefit when so many millions of dollars seem to be going into the pockets of a few already filthy rich people. The answer, like all answers, is again to be found in the Tao: "Banish skill, discard profit, and thieves and robbers will disappear." Once, therefore, State companies like NBN, NFM, Nipdec, the Airports Authority, WASA and so on lose all their most competent employees plus profits, you can bet certain party financiers will vanish as soon as there's nothing left to tief.
And how is this good? Well, says the Tao, "If the people never see such things as excite desire, their hearts will remain placid and undisturbed. Therefore the Sage rules, 'Empty their hearts, fill their bellies, ensure they have no ideas of their own...'"
Ensuring people can't think for themselves, of course, has been Mr. Panday's chief concern since coming into office. That is why he attacked the Guardian, whose Board duly capitulated, why the Green Paper on Media Reform and the Equal Opportunities Bill were introduced, and why he continually threatens to remove State funding for Dimanche Gras. "Banish wisdom, discard knowledge, and the people will benefit a hundredfold," advises the Tao. This one tenet also explains the long-standing mystery of why Adesh Nanan was made Education Minister. Judging from recent opinion polls, it seems to have worked with the Indo-Trinidadian population, which is the only group where the majority don't think the UNC is corrupt and that Nanan was a competent Minister.
This clearly shows that Mr. Panday's adherence to the Tao in his personal conduct has been very effective. "The Sage, in order to be above the people, must speak as though he were lower than the people," the Tao says. That's insulting, but we must do them first. "The best user of men acts as though he were their inferior," the Tao instructs. So when we read reports of Mr. Panday cussing up people, being raucous in restaurants and peeing on the side of the road, he is only demonstrating what a sagacious politician he is. And as long as he continues to follow these ancient tenets, he can rest assured that he will remain Prime Minister, because the Tao says, "The hard and mighty are cast down, the soft and weak set on high."
Copyright ©1999 Kevin Baldeosingh