By Sojourner
I am flabbergasted. I just cannot imagine how people voted for ALP. I cannot imagine how some decent people run behind ALP and Bird. And the thing that confuses me is that some of these people are my friends… and I consider them to be decent. So I am flabbergasted.
To me the ALP is one corrupt organization, devoid of morals… The leaders are vagabonds and crooks. So I am really flabbergasted when people I know who I consider decent follow behind them.
The discussions I’ve had with at least one of them, a really seasoned comrade, had me thinking. She holds the view that UPP is “worst than ALP”; that “they have not done anything”; Now my friend is a professional, so I cannot say that she is dumb or daft. There has to be some other explanation.
So I got to thinking about the ALP and how it seems to control the mind of its followers... and the word “CULT” came to me. Yes, as I think about it more and more, the ALP seems to have a cultish hold on its supporters… and those people seem to be in a trance-like stupor!
So how is the ALP like a cult?
For one thing, in cults, the leader is accorded God-like status. In the ALP Papa Bird is revered, even though he is dead, and they constantly try to summon his spirit. Lester constantly remind the followers that he is the “continuum” .
Additionally, as in cults, the leaders can do no wrong, they are above the law. So in the ALP, minister after minister, have been associated with criminal acts - from child abuse, to pornography, to fraud, to “tiefing” from the public purse.
And, as in cults, the followers rally around them even more… because… they can do no wrong! Papa Bird can do no wrong (never mind that he defiled a minor), Lester Bird can do no wrong (his rap sheet should be long long). Asot can do no wrong, Molwin can do no wrong, … and the list goes on….. And the followers say Amen to whatever these people do and say!
Secondly, cults systematically create a sense of powerlessness in the followers. The ALP is master of this tactic. The ALP prides itself on its ability to provide ‘labour.’ So let us look at how they use ‘labour’ to keep the people powerless and needy. Successive ALP ‘Labour’ Governments are known for providing jabs (Jobs)… Lots of persons are given jobs at below minimum wage. These very people, would have to again go to the ministers, in person to solicit favours… help with school fees, help with utilities, help with whatever they want help with… and then again when Christmas comes, they line up for their turkey and ham. And so as the followers’ sense of powerlessness increases, their good judgment and understanding of the world are diminished.
Closely tied to this is the fact that ALP through ‘labour’ demoralized the Antiguan labour force. What pride is there in working in poor working conditions, working without a clear sense as how your effort links into a greater good. What pride is there in being a square peg in a round hole? What pride is there in being one of four persons who operate one telephone?
So what we have now is a whole civil service, a whole bunch of Antiguans who think work is showing up at the office… A whole bunch of people who don’t understand the concept of ‘labour’, ..a whole bunch of beggie beggie people.
Thirdly, Cults keep the person unaware of what is going on. This sounds just like the ALP. I Know that most of their followers are locked into ZDK. Now I do not listen to ZDK… I consider that soul abuse, but I hear of their programmes from others, especially my ALP friends. When I hear of the things being spouted on that radio station, I have to wonder. The spin their input on things… everything. So you hear everyday folks talking about how things bad, how taxes killing them, how they go to the supermarket and things expensive. They talk about how the UPP politicians corrupt… And the ALP followers gobble it up.
The ALP like all cults shape the reality of its followers… Now I understand why my ALP friend can look me in the eye and say that the UPP has not done anything… Now I can understand why the people in St Johns Rural East and City South see solid infrastructure and still say they see nothing… Like the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes, just in reverse. Now this is serious mind control!
Fourthly, Cults are preoccupied with making money and using money to control the behaviour of followers. In a political cult, this would include excessive fund raising, especially by illegal means such as electoral campaign-finance fraud and bribery. What do we know of the ALP? We know that for the past election there was a lot of activity around money. Lots of money. That translated into a feeding frenzy of its followers. Nationals and non-nationals backed up their trucks… literally. We know of the dollar bills that tumble out of T-shirts, we know of laptops, single checks written for thousands of dollars. MONEY. Money everywhere. And the people said Amen!
Fifth, Cults have an us-versus-them mentality that causes hostility towards, and/or conflict with, political opponents and the wider society to an irrational degree. Although non-cults, including mainstream political parties, also frequently encourage us-versus-them thinking, in the political cult it is carried to an extreme in which the entire world outside the cult is regarded either as the enemy or as pawns to be manipulated in the fight against the enemy. In turn, critics of the cult and other opponents are demonized in a manner that brooks no questioning from the loyal followers. Does not this remind us of the ALP? Because of this we can now understand the venom of some non nationals. (This is fueled by misinformation, and a lot of emotionality - Asot’s outburst that “Blood will flow” for example.)
Sixth, cults cultivate a “the end justifies the means” mentality. This may result in members participating in behaviors or activities they would have considered reprehensible or unethical before joining the group. In the political context, this could include criminal activities, including unprovoked violence against opponents. How does the ALP measure up here? Can we put the shenanigans at the electoral office, and Immigration Department under this one? Certainly we can put the total collusion with evil acts such a bribery here.
So, yes, the more I think about it, the more I see the parallels… Cult: ALP.
It is the only thing that explains the blind allegiance, the circular thinking and closed logic, the deification of the leaders, intolerance to descent, the collusion with corruption, the silence, the beggie, beggie mentality, and the hate mongering.
Now we know what we are up against. We have to reprogramme these people. And the PEOPLE say Amen!
