IF THERE IS one thing which politicians in any part of the world have in common, it is their propensity to make promises to the electorate which they know that they will not, cannot and have no intention of ever trying to keep.
As is often said, “A promise is a comfort to a fool.”
It is a phenomenon in First World, developed, underdeveloped and Third World countries for which the electorate falls every time without fail, and this is probably one of the main reasons why the new president of the United States has received such opposition to his victory.
When “The Donald” expressed his desire to contest the presidency, most Americans, and most observers the world over, never gave him a chance of winning and probably considered him what we in Barbados call a “nuisance candidate”.
Against all the predictions by the pollsters and the odds touted by the bookmakers, Donald Trump upset all the apple carts and emerged victorious.
The primary difference between Trump and the conventional politician is that he did not follow the traditional rules of engagement. He was apparently unaware that it is one thing to make a promise when in election mode and another to try and fulfill that promise when the hustings are over.
Trump is a businessman and one of the cardinal rules of business is that you should keep your promises, otherwise you lose your credibility as well as the respect of your peers.
On the other hand, to the politician a promise is simply one of the main tools of his trade which is used to gain the greatest possible advantage.
Unlike the true politician, Trump has tried to keep his campaign promises and, since no one expected him to win, very scant attention was taken of them when they were made and they were generally ignored.
Now that the proverbial chickens have come home to roost, all hell is breaking out in the good old US of A simply because this unconventional politician has the temerity to ignore all the rules of the game and try to keep the promises he made on the campaign trail.
Trump’s career as a politician will most likely be short-lived because (whether we want to believe it or not) he tried to keep his word.
– ROLLINS HOWARD
