16.APR.10

Editor: Dr Richard Cox’s articles, whenever they appear in the Searchlight newspaper, are powerful, funny, enlightening, masterful and political poetry in motion, among others. The brother has truly mastered the art of writing, reasoning and at the same time, instilling a sense of fear in the reader who dares to challenge his writings if one feels inadequate intellectually.{{more}}

Some time back, I wrote a piece suggesting that Jomo Thomas and Dr Cox will make a formidable political combination if only they can subsume their huge egos. Jomo has since aligned himself with the Peoples Movement for Change (PMC) and has become more frontal in his attacks on both the ULP government and the opposition party, the New Democratic Party (NDP).

Whatever one may think of Jomo’s political views, since his rejection for membership of the ULP and his subsequent dismissal from his job as CEO of Poverty Alleviation Group, he has put his shoulder to the grind, battled in the political trenches, and has established a firm presence in SVG by dint of hard work, hard verbal knocks and steady literary blows.

I read with some degree of amusement the attempted debilitating ego-sapping body shots exchanged between Dr Cox and Jomo Thomas in their recent intellectual back and forth over Jomo’s call for the head of PM Gonsalves.

Least I be accused of ‘crawfishism’, Dr Cox appears to want to have his cake and eat it, too. To be critical of PM Gonsalves seems to be the exclusive preserve of the good doctor (Cox), while he defends Dr Ralph Gonsaves relentlessly where legitimate criticism is leveled at Gonsalves by Jomo Thomas, whom he adroitly attempts to put in the same boat as the opposition that he claims suffer with crawfish mentality.

If Dr Cox and Jomo Thomas are political twins, I firmly believe both can contribute substantially to the development of SVG in whatever capacity they choose. For the moment, however, Dr Cox is quite content to sit on his lofty perch launching verbal and literary attacks at his twin brother who is battling in the trenches supposedly on behalf of the masses.

Would Dr Cox join his so-called brother and come up with policy prescriptions that can be implemented and can ultimately aid in the development of SVG? To criticize his brother is quite legitimate. But to be frank, the debate gets stale and hum-drum and descends into political old-talk after several back and forths and nothing else is forthcoming.

It would be great to see Dr Cox take a position; go back home and get into competitive politics. Be a leader in SVG; he has all the makings of a first rate politician, in my view. He should not just pontificate, but put his vast ideas to the test. I am sure no one will accuse him of intellectual midgetism. While Dr Cox undoubtedly informs the debate, so does Jomo. There is room for both; there should not be any rank display of one-up-manship; both can coexist.

Dr Cox exudes a feeling of superiority in his writings; I get the distinct impression that he is aligning himself skillfully in the camp of another good doctor: Dr Ralph Gonsalves. Not a bad man to emulate at all; but one hopes that he is independent enough not to be used as an intellectual hired gun to neutralize his political twin brother Jomo Thomas.

Mulraine Richards