The views expressed herein are those of the writer and do not represent the opinions or editorial position of I-Witness News. Opinion pieces can be submitted to [email protected].
After the horrific Holocaust of the mid 20th century, poet Martin Niemoller wrote, “First they came for the Socialists and I did not speak out – Because I was not a Socialist.
“Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
“Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
“Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
This week, the NDP came for me because I dared speak out in an opinion piece on the I-Witness News website. Instead of addressing the substance of my argument, the author attacked me personally. The NDP mouthpiece called into question my Christian faith and questioned my intelligence, all because I wrote an opinion piece supporting the Unity Labour Party.
What’s ironic about their personal attack against me is that they actually helped to make the point that I was arguing. The point of my article was that the NDP had no ideas and no solutions and has run the dirtiest and most negative campaign in the history of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. They have run a campaign rooted in personal insults, racist statements and vilification of innocent people — including Ms Rishatha Nicholls, Isis Gonsalves, and now, myself – Rodan John a young Vincentian man from Biabou who just so happens to want to speak his mind.
What I don’t understand is why the NDP isn’t talking about the issues that matter? The young people of this country want to hear about their plans and ideas for the nation. Why not use an opinion piece to talk about what you’re going to do in education, or healthcare, or public safety or economic advancement? Why not use an opinion piece to tell us what you’re going to do with the international airport? Why not use it to tell us why the NDP’s time in government was successful?
Instead of talking about the issues and the future of this country, the NDP, through their mouthpiece, stalked me on Twitter and used precious digital ink to call me “sick”, “brainwashed” and a “simpleton.” They attacked my Christianity, claiming, without a shred of evidence that I “worship” Ralph Gonsalves. That’s offensive and insulting.
But, you know, in a way, I’m actually thankful that the NDP attacked me so personally and went on to, once again, attack Isis Gonslaves personally and also defend racist statements that would be considered hate speech in other countries around the world. Why? Because the NDP proved my point. They are not about ideas. They are not about solutions. They are not about a track record of transformation. They are so obsessed with winning power at all costs that they will attack, vilify and lie about a young man from Biabou who speaks out.
The NDP is trying to silence me with these personal attacks. And, many people have asked if I am afraid of their victimization. Well, what I can say is, if they attack people who disagree with them so openly in the media, imagine what they will do if they take government! I shudder to think about the kind of victimization that will take place — the number of good people who will lose their jobs — if the NDP seizes power.
If you’re a young Vincentian who supports the ULP but is thinking about not voting on election day, I have a warning for you: this is how they are going to treat us if they get into power. They’re going to lie about us. They’re going to attack our faith. They’re going to attack us personally. And, if we don’t vote, they’re going to be in government and they will be able to come after our jobs and our families.
We must prevent this kind of victimisation. We must cast our X next to the STAR on December 9th.
Rodan John
The opinions presented in this content belong to the author and may not necessarily reflect the perspectives or editorial stance of iWitness News. Opinion pieces can be submitted to [email protected].
Rodan, when you say your critics are not addressing the “substance of your argument”;the obvious question that follows is , what substance? All of your points, are simply a regurgitation of ULP nonsensical propaganda and lies for e.g. ” …the number of good people who will
lose their jobs”…wow, and you wonder why folks are treating you like floor cloth?…cause you are a joker..LOL
Young people, DO NOT LISTEN TO RODAN, HE IS A JOKER OF THE HIGHEST ORDER. When Rodan speaks of victimization, let him explain the plight of BIGGER BIGGS under this ULP Administration…enough said.
It’s not just Bigger it may be dozens who have been victimized and their lives and business’s destroyed because unlike Rodan they do not devote their lives to regurgitating the ULP and Gonsalves lies.
Roda. tell the people about the work you have been doing for the government through your computer company, tell them about the contracts and awards.
And just to put the record straight I am not NDP, not now and have never been. I was Labour until it was hijacked by a Marxist party the MNU and conjoined with ULP.
Remember that the Labour party man that sold out the party to the MNU got the reward of a knighthood and a job for life for himself and his son. Between them they earn as much as a hundred young Vincentians if there were any jobs available for them.
I support the NDP and Arnhim Eustace because he has never been accused or charged with sex crimes against women. He is honest and decent and isn’t a serial liar. Like a real gentleman he has suffered racist remarks from Gonsalves, shamefully supported by people like you Rodan.
You know these things Rodan because you have some kind of intelligence albeit in my opinion warped and possessed. You know all these things but instead of choosing right you choose wrong, why? Only you know that but we can all guess.
As for the lies about the NDP cutting jobs, it is their policy to create jobs, to create industry, to create wealth for the country. All the things that the ULP under the rule and guidance of Gonsalves have been destroyed. And you Rodan support that.
It matters not any success that Gonsalves may claim just one unanswered allegation against him by a woman is enough to eliminate him from our politics. According to the DPP there are complaints from women going back more than 20 years. Yes the DPP told us that in a statement to the LA Times, he also said “how can you even consider allegations which are 20 years old”. Well in SVG unlike America we can and should, because there us no statute of limitation on the charge of rape or sex crimes against women in SVG.
Rodan I attacked you because you went forward and repeated a whole collection of lies and nasty comment about Eustace, not your own lies and opinions because you are still a baby, you repeated other peoples lies and opinions which I know you are able to research and disprove.
What is more Rodan you can research any content of what I write and find them to be true, if you need any help ask me, I know more about Gonsalves than he knows about himself. I have every word he has ever uttered including all his Marxist writings and what he said in newspapers going back 40 years. Even all about his involvement in the Rodney affair in Jamaica which brought shame and disgrace to Saint Vincent, when he was running around declaring himself a Marxist. That event under his leadership as the president of the students at the University caused over 20 million US dollars in damage and people died, buildings set on fire and bus’s and vehicles burnt. He has worn that like a badge over the years whilst embracing every communist revolutionary that has come his way. Fidel Castro,Walter Rodney, Maurice Bishop, Hugo Chavez, he has supported them all and tried to be like them.
So young man as they say “Crapo Smoke Your Pipe” If you choose to serve and protect evil it will follow you all your life and will blight you as a person for ever.
How dare you compare the Holocaust — the wilful murder of 6 million Jews and hundreds of thousands of other “undesirable” people — to your well deserved verbal rebuke by a few people.
Only a deranged megalomaniac would see any resemblance between the two events.
Rodan John you have just proved to us that you do not know right from wrong or that you do but choose wrong.
How dare you compare yourself in any way shape or form to a Holocaust survivor or worst to a holocaust non survivor. Man you really are sick or extremely stupid.
The NDP have not even come for you because they obviously regard you as an idiot not worth commenting on. It was I and I alone that decided to comment on all the filth and lye that you decided to tell including some belonging to your granny. I had to call your faith because for you to support worthlessness, lies and thieving in my mind makes you anti Christian. For you to support a man that quite clearly told us if I work Obeah I only work Obeah for the Lord you must be obsessed by Satan himself.
The dirty campaigning has been run by the ULP distributing stolen government goods, packing constituencies with dirty voters who do not belong there. As for racism Gonsalves is the one that has made racist remarks against Eustace, but you disregard that as sell out that you are. I would like to know which innocent person has been vilified? who? I hope you are not once more talking about yourself. Because you are far from innocent, you have repeated and embroidered lies and disgusting innuendos about decent people, who do not tell lies, have never been charged with rape or sexual assault against women.
Rodan John its not your mind that you are speaking its someone elses that has been planted there.
These issues do matter, they should be talked about, what I would ask is why do you not talk about things that matter instead of attacking people in such a cowardly way. The ULP have had 15 years to get things right and they have got everything wrong, the country is bankrupt, no drugs or dressings in the hospital schools without chairs, children leaving school illiterate. As for economic advancement the ULP came to power with EC$350 million, today it is approaching 2 Billion dollars, is that economic advancement? The NDPs time in government was not perfect, few governments rarely are. But under the NDP farmers had wealth and respect, under the ULP farmers are working as security guards for $250 dollars a week. Under the NDP industry was created and people worked, plenty of jobs, under the ULP all that has been destroyed. SVG has been turned into a State of international scroungers, borrowing and begging for its very existence and you support that?
The International airport will be finished and after checking the standards will finish in a quicker time than if the ULP were still conducting the operations. That will not alter the fact that the airport has put us in debt for the next 100 years long after the offspring of the offspring in the Diaspora even remember we exist.
Rodan I know that the truth is annoying, but its still the truth. Victimization you very silly person, you put yourself into the political arena and when someone corrects you that is victimization get real man and get yourself a life.
The only victimization during the last 15 years has come from the ULP government, hatred, malice against anyone who does not support them or openly comments about them.
You may be well aware that there has been a sum on my head for the last 7 years of $250,000 dead or alive. Because I tell the truth about them and their leader, I expose corruption and hatred and malice to whomever it is applied. So can I assume that you as a Christian support all that Rodan.
Correction:
As for economic advancement the ULP came to power with a EC$350 million deficit, today it is approaching 2 Billion dollars deficit, is that economic advancement?
Rodan John, I don’t know what you have been eating or drinking,but please go lie down and sleep it off, wake up on Dec 10th to get your just rewards.
How could you hear the plans of the NDP if all you listen to is a bunch of old worthless mouth piece on star radio? What is the ULP going to do in five years what they could not have done in the 15 wasted years that they were there? That’s the question you should ask. Can you tell me with the almost two billion dollars in death that the country is now in what do we have to show for it?