A PERSONAL STATEMENT BY FRED MITCHELL

I have read a lot of rubbish over the past few days since the election from the FNM leadership and its supporters.

My take on it is this. The FNM and its supporters should not believe their own propaganda.

The objective reality is that they simply have a mandate to govern for five years.  There is nothing revolutionary about their victory or far reaching.  They were able to manipulate a population suffering from the ill effects of the economic recession which was never overcome and the turn of clever phrases plus the money of foreign interests to accomplish what they have and the failure of the PLP to correct the problem.

Michael Manley said in Jamaica when he was at his darkest hour: we routed them before; we can rout them again.

I say that to PLPs.  Let us not get caught up in silly sentimentality, and believe the FNM’s propaganda about ourselves.  It is simply rubbish.  This is not the second coming but a simple election victory which can be reversed in five years. Emphasis on “can”. We have got to move quickly though and put this past behind us.

The problems are glaring and obvious but we will need professionals to guide us through the process.

The road will be difficult because these people in the FNM are especially vicious and vindictive. They have no moral or ethical underpinnings which will prevent them from doing anything that they can get away with.  That is the reality.  If we get into boo hoo and  woulda, shoulda, coulda then we are lost ourselves.

Politics is not a crying game.  It is a competition for power.  Power is the only fact.  They have it, we want it and need it to govern and protect the poor in this country.  The rich are now in charge.  Eileen Carron, Louis Bacon. Fred Smith, Sarkis Ismerlian. That is the fight now against rich and powerful monied interests.

The rats are guarding the cheese.

It was an honour working with all colleagues.  I thank those in Fox Hill who voted for me. I have no special analysis to offer. We lost.  We can win again.

Please don’t bore me with too much analysis and crying.

There is nothing else to say.  Let’s get to work and defeating these people.

End