Daryl Dookhoo is an Indian for your money! He is the essence of being Indian from a PNM’s perspective. Once you can hate yourself, condemn and ridicule fellow Indians, you are the darling of not only the PNM but many groups and individuals in this society.
Strangely, a few Indians within the ranks of PNM are not happy that Daryl is holding this envious spot. At one time Inshan Ismael was working desperately to dethrone Daryl. He was not only attacking Sat Maharaj, Suruj Rambachan, Kamla Persad-Bissessar but was also harpooning Rohan Sinnanan. His commitment and loyalty were definitely beyond the rank of the PNM. Nevertheless, Daryl continues to hold an envious position within the PNM! He is without a doubt the clown in the PNM!
Given the limited resources available for Indians in the PNM, the few Indians have to work hard to win the grace and blessings of the PNM hierarchy and more so the Political Leader. With a penchant to attack his enemies, the Political Leader has set a new benchmark that even Daryl with all his antics cannot aspire to.
Nevertheless, Rohan felt that he has that special talent not only to match Daryl but also to surpass Stewart Young, Faris Al Wari and even the Political Leader. No better venue but Rohan’s home town of Sangre Grande was chosen for the uphill task to keep the UNC at bay and retain the Corporation in the local government elections. More fortunately, with cash at Rohan’s disposal and contractors paving roads, hardware owners distributing water tanks, Rohan’s adrenaline was pumping and the atmosphere was ripe for him to ramajhay, to display to the PNM his testicular fortitude.
Rohan, in grandeur and style, with the supporters on the ground bellowing their loyalty to the PNM, waiving their balishier flags, and with his intelligence in low gear and emotion running high, Rohan’s consciousness was altered by the waft of marijuana pervading the atmosphere. In the state of euphoria, his emotion ran afoul of him. Like a pothound that barks at every leaf that moves to impress his master for a bone, Rohan was in full flight but soon lost control of his mind. Little did Rohan know that what he was bellowing from the PNM platform would come back to haunt him. In the end, the PNM lost Grande, and Rohan was made the scapegoat for the poor showing of the party. His reward was a bagful of obscenities!
Uncle Tom was a well-known personality in the slave community. It was a generic name for those blacks who would carry the news to the whites. Uncle Tom was a highly selfish individual who was concerned solely about his survival.
An Indian was called a Sahib because of his brownnosing relationship with the sahib or white master. Christian missionaries worked among the Indians and an entire group or the institution was created to support the exploitative policies of the planter class and the colonial establishment. This was well manifested in the work of missionaries in the San Fernando district and has now morphed into support for the PNM.
But the current sahibs within the PNM do not appear to understand history. The original sahib who described “Indians as having hookworms in their brains” had to flee the country instead of face the wrath of Dr Eric Williams. He was a doctor of psychiatry and was qualified to evaluate the mental health of Dr Eric Williams. The result was not good and he fled to Canada to maintain his sanity!
Can Rohan Sinanan, Daryl Dookhoo or Inshan Insmael need to evaluate their role in the PNM. Today Rohan is too deep in the pit and cannot lift himself out. He now has to accept with a smile all the filth that is being thrown at him in Balishier House.
I hope that Rohan Sinanan and Daryl Dookhoo can learn from the blacks within the UNC. They do not walk through the gates of the UNC with their tails between their legs. Barrington Skippy Thomas boldly speaks about the growing plight of black youths. Jerlean John did not ignore the housing needs of her blacks but ensured there was equity in its distribution. Can Rohan Sinanan or Daryl Dookhoo use their position to address the plight of poor Indian families? Has Rohan Sinanan used his office to advocate for more funding for agriculture, Divali, Eid, Tassarama and Phagwa? Not at all!
Indians like Rohan Sinanan and Daryl Dookhoo can learn from the blacks in the UNC. They trot about the UNC. They hold on steadfastly to their pride and dignity and do not compromise them for personal gains.
Indians in the PNM have much to learn from blacks in the UNC!