By Jamil Matar
Regardless of your political preference, you must admit that these days we are being deluged with “scholarly” exposés from synthetic academics on FB and on our local, PUP-blandished media houses. I recently heard a woman – who once referred to herself on “LOVE FM” as “us intellectuals” – offer an opinion that the UDP Government should be sued for mass murder for calling the general elections during a pandemic. This same woman once informed participants at a multi-organizational seminar I attended that she was sure she needed no introduction. Really, I thought, was she actually the Virgin Mary? I will not call her name, but I think that her relative owns a funeral parlor. A highly profitable business to own these days, true?
I digressed. The ensuing two weeks should be saturated with pure political opinions. However, to paraphrase Rachel Maddow, these opinions should not be soporific, but rather entertaining and edifying. From recent experience, I want to advise UDP sympathizers not to participate in any malleable, biased, on-line electronic poll; in particular, any scheme on FB being concocted by PUP surrogate and Amandala castoff, G. Tillett, who is seeking to sneakily influence public opinion in the direction of the Opposition PUP. No holds barred with this desperate man. None at all. No shame either! Time mek he eat, he says. Twelve biblically lean years since he last gorged at the trough.
The same narcissistic character I speak about above is openly prophesying a 70/30 PUP sweep. Personally, I prefer analytical prediction rather than nitwitted oracles. That is how I came upon an informed prognostication of the November 11 General Elections. A close former BSI colleague, whom I have deep respect for, but whose identity I am not at liberty to reveal, shared it with me and it has a great degree of rationality. He puts both the PUP and the UDP at twelve sure seats each and seven divisions as “battleground” constituencies. These seven hotspots are CZL Southwest (Campos/ Ramirez), OW East (Aragon/Bernard), Belize Rural South (Heredia/ Perez), CBN/Shores (Musa/Chang), Pickstock (Martinez/ Mahler), Cayo North (Figueroa/Chebat), and Cayo Northeast (August/Habet). My friend suggests that whichever party captures four or more of these seats will form the new Cabinet. For what it’s worth, I tend to agree with this forecast.
Before signing off, let me update you on my elderly friend whom I spoke of last week who contracted the dreaded Covid-19 virus combined with malaria, but conquered them both. He told me that he harbors no hard feelings that his daughter asked him to leave since he knows that she is “sickly”. He is also not disappointed with his best friend who told him he could not bunk with him; the poor man has an underlying heart problem. Nevertheless, my friend found an old acquaintance in an old house, two miles out of town, which comprises of two separate flats. My friend is ok now, and my younger brother gave me $40 to help the man, with which he promptly bought his pigtail, red beans, corncakes, and coffee for him and his new best friend.
