Back in 2014 I wrote a piece based on “Former Head of the Public Service, Reginald Dumas, is taking issue with a claim Sat Maharaj made that generations of People’s National Movement (PNM) supporters were planted in the public service to prevent any non-PNM government from getting a second term”.
In 2014 the UNC/PP was in government. Fast forward to 2017 and the PNM is now in government and Christlyne Moore is getting government Minister’s phone bills in her mail box. The tables have turned and will keep turning.
This goes to show one thing, all parties have the same thing, the some people, and the same type of followers, after all is Trinis. Everyone (party) have their sleeper cells.
Sadly this has little or nothing to do with that which we should formally be striving for in terms of whistleblower legislation. Instead it parades as people willing to buss a mark for cheap or sometimes expensive political points.
Here are some of the things you can ask yourself or look for to see how well the mark buss as you consume your daily news. As we talking about Mark allyu remember the fella who has special arrangements for exams in UWI. Just google “Question over Mark”.
1 Look at the nature of the Act being reported– in other words what they do that allow for a mark to buss. The examples here include a tale of two women. One hired her sister to be her aid, the other a family relative to aid her in her constituency office. One continued to be the Project Manager, the other did not continue to Minister. Note, the nature of marks may be similar but responses may be different.
2 Look at the person bussing of the mark. Sometimes the person bussing the mark would make a difference in how well the mark buss. For this one let’s talk Tobago. In this case V.A.T tried to buss a mark about one Dr and it did not go down to well with anyone. Note, not all mark is mark to buss.
3 One can look at the magnitude or size of the mark. A mark could buss about 50K, 94k or 34M or Section 34. Any or all of them could be effective, how people are affected varies. It could also buss in a mall car park, a hotel room, in a voice note, by a video or a pic, or it could buss by denying all or any of the above. Note, almost anything, anywhere could be a mark.
4 The response of the person who the mark buss about when the mark buss coupled with the source of the mark. A mark buss about one Dr. who allegedly tried to take a B out of the bonnet of a lady from the media. The b was never found and the mark unfounded. A mark buss about another Dr grabbing at a lady’s B’s and well you know the rest. Note, some marks have to be well founded.
Also of importance in today’s society is which media carry the story as this could also affect how a mark buss. Some other questions that arise when a mark buss include but are not limited to: What was the price of oil and gas when the mark buss? Or how much money was in the stabilization fund when the mark buss?
Mark bussing is always in season so keep your eyes and ears open for a mark. The thing is that these sleeper cell exist primarily in the service of the two major political group of the country exposing bad behavior for political gain. I wonder when the sleeper cells busy bussing marks if they realize that neither of these groups can do without the other. They both form the parliament and neither part can win and election without the support of people from the other side.
Coming back to Sat it is clear nobody have no monopoly on mark bussing in sweet T & T, it has become an element of our democracy. I am of the opinion that the activity of the these “sleeper cells” in some instances are illegal and or break some corporate rules and regulations. As a people we need to ask ourselves, when these “marks buss” are we dealing with matters of national interest in a formal, structured, productive and planned manner, or are we emotionally responding and being pawns in some game.
On the other hand when will we see or ask for legislation that will facilitate whistle-blowing as opposed to mark bussing? Then is when we will all win.
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