There is an element of gamesmanship in politics. Let’s say, (speaking hypothetically of course) that a particular section of the local authority wanted to deliver something positive to a key group of voters. Say that target group was the southwest Tobago fisherfolk. Say the prime solution in the eye of the ‘provider’ was a boat handling facility somewhere down south. And let’s say the only locality they could identify was the marshland at the back of the Buccoo Reef. Nothing bad there so far. After all it is the historical approach to the local quadrennial election game. And the site is a logical option based on light initial investigation.
But then (let’s say) that same authority decides to misuse its mandate and arbitrarily proceed with plans to build a boat handing facility without the participation of other interest groups for the area. Now, they wouldn’t be really wrong, legally speaking. They may suspect however that an ethical barrier is in danger of being infringed, and to ease the pain of breaking such, they may opt for a surgical op, the quick cut, a speedy fix. Call it gamesmanship. For politicians this may be defined as OK, since no one accuses our political practitioners of carrying the ethical burden.
But. Enter the NGO. These are not your players in the politics. These represent the other group of users for that part of South Tobago. And truly they are a motley crew. The thing is, some of them do not even realize they are part of a non-governmental movement; bearing in mind that the governmental movement in this situation is trying to speedily execute a quick fix, a surgical cut, a silver bullet even. No, this second, disorganized bunch is not even going to be part of the discussions to implement that rapid solution for the primary group of users. Even if it is a ‘fix’ that disenfranchises, literally steals from, other users of the reef environment, and interferes with nature’s service even.
Let’s say, and again this all in the realm of hypothesis, our civicus element approaches other political players who reside, blissfully unaware and otherwise employed, in an Out of Office position. That minority would be sympathetic naturally. When has The Opposition not been without empathy? No, if they were informed, a brouhaha could ensue, but it wouldn’t amount to much in a situation where most of the jobs in the island are appended to unwritten and silent contracts of party compliance. So it’s good gamesmanship again for the entrenched authorities to usurp the good governance process.
Let’s not even talk about institutions; that other group who has an interest in the mangrove enriched environment down at Buccoo. What could the IMA, or the EMA tell the THA about a ‘fix’ that fits so much into the local domain, especially after its completed? Imagine the conversations.
IMA: “Boss, you didn’t tell me you going to do that”
THA: “Oh, I intended. The letter is on the Chief Secretary’s desk”.
IMA: “Thank you. ooking forward to it”.
Or taking it further, since we are still fabricating a scenario, a hypothetical situation down at the imaginary Buccoo Marine Park:
EMA: “Our local representative in the Tobago office seems unaware that you were going to build such (an admittedly beautiful) a structure inside the mangrove barrier behind the ecologically important Buccoo Reef”.
THA: “Oh, I believe they were informed. Could be the letter is on the Secretary’s desk.”
EMA: “Oh! Please ensure it gets sent, so we could deploy some resource to monitoring the impact that (beautiful) edifice makes on the local community and its environs”.
……………….
Historically, the way things play out in Tobago, our hypothetical situation could become a reality, and the gamesmanship of the present leaders would have won out over bleats of concern from the wider population. The only voices which did not get a chance to be heard in this (hypothetical) scenario are those who are yet unborn. We could imagine their conversations two decades or so from now:
…………….
Akeesha: “Tonia gyul, wey you doing dong heeere so early in de day?”
Tonia: “ Ah waiting on the relief boat from Berbice, since de reef dead local fishuhman nah bringing home anyting yu gyul could cook”
Akeesha: “How time change. I remember talk about how Tobago was a breadbasket for the naaayshun”
Tonia: “Well you know, izz de price of development.”
Akeesha: “Development yuh say? I cyar get fish to put in meh own bake, much less to sell to the people down by the marina in Buccoo. I hear dey eating Big Mac dey fly in from ‘merica and customers cross de board happy wid it to”.
Tonia: “I now what you saying. Meh daughter wukkin for de International Fast Food Company dong dey and she saying Pigeon Point and Crown Point is Big Mac and pizza country now. ”
………..
And naturally no mention is made in those conversations of the future about the political coup made by the now generation down at Buccoo. There are instances when bravado and bull are sufficient unto the need. Maybe we live in those times. Hypothetically speaking.