Politics for many is seen as the most noble of callings as it allows one to do for many that which is good. No other profession allows a person or group the opportunity to directly affect the lives of so many.
With that in mind it’s very difficult to understand why some individuals seem to want to occupy political space for personal gain.
In view of the overwhelming victory scored by Kamla Bissessar in the UNC internal election, the honourable course of action for her colleagues is to give her and her team every opportunity to lead the UNC and chart a way forward.
Let us examine carefully the sincerity or lack thereof of those wishing to represent the people of Trinidad & Tobago.
Kamla was elected with almost ninety per cent (90%) support from her party. In addition she has broad national appeal as almost every night in the week preceding the UNC election on CNC3 she was able to gather over eighty five percent (85%) of the votes on their call in poll.
Without doubt the evidence will indicate that at this time she has the best chance of leading parties opposed to the present government into power.
In addition she also has the best chance of uniting those who share her vision. Would it not make sense therefore that those within her party give her not only their support but the opportunity to pursue her vision without unnecessary obstacles?
In such light, honour will demand nothing less than the full support of her elected colleagues in Parliament, the endorsement of the outgoing Political Leader and resignation letters from all the senatorial appointees of the previous leader.
This will give Kamla the opportunity to retain whoever she wishes without any political pressure from anyone.
This is standard practice in politics.
People seeking political office must respect the wishes of those who elect them to office or else the entire political system becomes irrelevant.
The second factor is that of the spin off political organization from the UNC and its relevance in the present scenario.
If a political party is formed specifically because they were of the view that they needed to break away from their parent party because of the leader and the leader later changes, then the reason for the existence of such an entity ceases to exist.
In such light the party should then return to its parent party especially since numbers are a critical aspect of any political desire for power.
The more people supporting a single party increase their likelihood to assume power.
If one continues to hold on to office simply to gain access to the media or for other personal reasons, it invalidates the honour and intent of such a person.
The question for the people is are we going to continue to support politicians with personal agendas who are more interested in their own ambitions rather than that of the people?
It seems that the people are no longer intent on accepting the status quo. Those of us who wishes to serve our country and by extension the people can either learn our lessons now and act honourably or be discarded by a people who are stating very clearly that they have had enough.
Steve Alvarez | Political Leader of The Democratic Party of Trinidad & Tobago
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