When Russia’s Khrushchev installed nuclear missiles in Cuba, obviously it was not for peaceful purposes: Khrushchev was looking for a fight with the younger Kennedy of America, believing he would walk over the young president and make him grovel. He was clean bowled when Kennedy stood up to him and had him remove the missiles or be the cause for World War111. Khrushchev backed down and Sparrow sang his epic calypso, Kennedy is the man for them
When Rowley picked Kangaloo for President, ignoring the fact that she’s a generic PNM and that while that would go down well with PNMites, it was going to provoke a fight with the opposition, he did it nonetheless, as he seems willing to go thrash it out on the pavement with anybody who has a problem with him or his choice.
One sees actual fights in several parliaments across the world, with members too incensed to wait to settle their differences on the pavement. When Rowley issued his mano a mano challenge it was obviously not taken up back then although Moonilal – fidgeted out of need to do something – look willing.
It was the only time I regretted not being an MP as a challenge like that I would have welcomed in an instant. I remember when my family operated the cinemas in PT and I was there, a youth, and when the weekend rowdies called me out for fight how I never refused those challenges and how I never lost – scattering and ransacking bullies twice my weight and size for I lived by the motto, the only thing I like more than a good fight is more fight (ask my friends (and enemies). That was a century ago, but Rowley’s challenge that day fired up my high octane pugilistic juices and all his badjohn talk and behaviour would have long been over had I been there that day. But no longer a Jedi, I’m a quasi-monk now.
Over the years, we got used to hearing of Parliaments and governments in Africa, Asia and Latin America being stormed by rebellious citizens and being toppled from power. Who would have thought that one day it would have happened at the US congress just two years ago and right now in Brazil? But the world has changed and if Mark has been switched on and his war wagon is ready, he is only being au courant in the midst of global political dynamics.
L. Siddhartha Orie
