And as is usually the case when Faris is on his feet, the President appeared to almost hunch over, as if making sure to not miss one of the idiosyncratic asides, the jaunty jousts and the jubilant jabs thrown in as a generous sprinkling of joviality among the more serious accoutrements, and Faris being Faris and not unaware of the theatrical spectacle that is him, seemed almost luminescent and basking in his own glow.
Not one to be parsimonious with his phraseology, the aerobic listening that is his trademark (if not anticipated) contribution was this time focused and picking up speed in a definite direction, leading at least this writer to believe that this week there was going to be more than just odor, this time around there was going to be substance to his offering too, and boy was I right.
With a turn and a twist and almost excogitating through the notes he so ardently committed to memory he hugged the corners, coming dangerously close but never touching the rails and, as the smoke and dust rose up in his wake I heard a word that pricked both my attention and my hearing, causing all as one who were looking and on and listening, grabbed on to something we could recognize, what a rush! With nary a flinch fabulous Faris approached an issue dear to our hearts and one the we could touch, and when he linked the words scandal and corruption he had us all at his mercy.
Wow. By now I was sitting bolt upright, daring to hope that finally Faris was going to deliver on the promise that all five foot how much ever of his standing height could deliver, and having got out pen and paper poised to take notes, lent him, no, gave him my full and undivided attention.
Why?
His proficuous use of prose notwithstanding, when Faris touched the issue of scandal and corruption i hoped with every thing within me that he was about to go where no People’s National Movement politician had ever gone before, and that is to come clean. Clean on ALL of the scandals that are still languishing between he rumour and prosecution stage, like the thousand million dollars in cost overruns on the world famous hole in the ground at Tarouba, or the eight hundred extra million spent, agin in cost overruns on the Scarborough Hospital project, or the five hundred million in, yep, cost overruns on the combined NAPA and SAPA projects, but Faris skirted so wide we the followers almost lost traction.
Why Faris, Why?
Why waste the opportunity to add clean hands and pure heart to your resume? Why, despite all of the advantages of the language lie by omission and focus on creating allegations of sin for others without looking at your own sin? You Faris who ended your contribution on a misquote of beams and moats did so karmically, because even your tongue disagreed with you, your mouth realized the farce it was being conscripted into and wanted out. No Faris, before you treat with the speck in your neighbour's eye, make sure to remove the beam, the two by four, the lamppost from your own.
That's what you were grasping for Faris, and funny how despite the fumbling misquote it falls so perfectly back on you?
Why?
Because the Senate is not a place for fancy footwork, for floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee but to contribute meaningfully to national development and you had a real chance Faris, not to be the ebullient mannequin that Dr. Keith Rowley hides from the nation behind but to be true to the issue of scandal and yes of corruption and to come clean.
To cry cleansing tears and say to the nation in meaningful sobs that the two million dollars spent on the flag was NOT an error as a previous Prime Minister said, but a theft, and that all who conspired in that theft should be brought to justice, tried before the courts and convicted and sent to jail.
You could have distanced yourself from your leader in simple language, a leader who told the nation that he was a part of a Cabinet involved in massive bid rigging and corruption ten times worse than Piarco (his words in the House) and yet he saw it fit to sit in that same Cabinet for five long years and contribute to all he accused it of. You could have called him out in this election season instead of uphold his bad behavior, because we all know what the Bible says of the upholder's role and blame, but no, fancy footwork, spins, cartwheels galore, no honesty, no coming clean on the issue of scandal and corruption, the CHOGM of issues, the Caroni Racing Complex of Issues, the Lockjoint and Sam P Wallace of issues, but you left them, and went in search of a water treatment plant that that was being built to give poor people water.
I put my pen away Faris, tore up my paper and switched my television off, because I saw through your song and dance routine, its purpose meant to distract and misdirect from the litany of your party's past sins, but judging by the real population's response, you're not fooling anyone at all.
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