Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Three terms for Labour
Dr Ralph Gonsalves and his United Labour Party have been returned to office. The 2010election was billed as the mother of all elections and it sure lived up to its billing as the ULP squeezed home by the slimmest of margins. When the dust had settled the ULP had won eight of the fifteen seats at stake with the Government's website showing the difference in popular votes between both parties to be a mere 1417 votes.
Politics is not my thing but I could not see the ULP keeping the four marginal seats they won in the 2005 elections. So the result does not surprise me in the least because it was also quite clear that the ULP had lost substantial support in the 2005elections despite winning twelve seats. There are some issues on which I will most likely talk about in subsequent posts but I must give some props to the beleaguered Ralph Gonsalves. During the campaign everything but the proverbial kitchen sink was thrown at him. From the alleged rape, sexual assault charge, the communist bogey to the devil incarnate it was an anti Ralph campaign. When you consider hat little over a year his party had suffered a crushing defeat in the referendum it is remarkable that he was still able to stand.
so the people have spoken, not in a loud voice but spoken nonetheless. If nothing the next few weeks, months could be quite the ride. Congrats to all the winners, we have a country to build.
Politics is not my thing but I could not see the ULP keeping the four marginal seats they won in the 2005 elections. So the result does not surprise me in the least because it was also quite clear that the ULP had lost substantial support in the 2005elections despite winning twelve seats. There are some issues on which I will most likely talk about in subsequent posts but I must give some props to the beleaguered Ralph Gonsalves. During the campaign everything but the proverbial kitchen sink was thrown at him. From the alleged rape, sexual assault charge, the communist bogey to the devil incarnate it was an anti Ralph campaign. When you consider hat little over a year his party had suffered a crushing defeat in the referendum it is remarkable that he was still able to stand.
so the people have spoken, not in a loud voice but spoken nonetheless. If nothing the next few weeks, months could be quite the ride. Congrats to all the winners, we have a country to build.
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
WORLD AIDS DAY
One evening as I made my way home I saw a wizened looking figure sitting at the roadside waiting for public transport. His entire skin was as black as if it had been painted contrasted by a blood red mouth. Something about him looked familiar and as I watched closely I realised he was from my old village. I later learnt he was the unsanitized face of AIDS.
The truth is given the access to antiretroviral drugs and the strides made in stalling the disease it was a shock coming face to face with that picture of AIDS. I think of him with sadness, not because he is part of the village in which I grew up but that he probably didn't know his status until it was too late. It is possible to live productive lives even if you have contracted the disease. Get tested people! It could be the difference between the unsanitized face of AIDS and your healthy looking one.
I know my status.Do you?
The truth is given the access to antiretroviral drugs and the strides made in stalling the disease it was a shock coming face to face with that picture of AIDS. I think of him with sadness, not because he is part of the village in which I grew up but that he probably didn't know his status until it was too late. It is possible to live productive lives even if you have contracted the disease. Get tested people! It could be the difference between the unsanitized face of AIDS and your healthy looking one.
I know my status.Do you?
