After some internal upheaval, the United National Congress (UNC) has a new political leader and the country a new Opposition Leader.The election of the first woman, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, to head the party has not gone unnoticed by those inside and outside of the party.
For many the hope is that Persad-Bissessar’s election will influence, for the better, how politics is conducted and that her leadership will impact the lives of citizens in a positive manner.
There are two options open to Persad-Bissessar as she attempts to take the UNC forward and keep the possibility of becoming the first woman Prime Minister in her sights.
One is to bide her time while looking for every opportunity to entertain her supporters, as the PNM Government sinks into a quagmire occasioned by its missteps.
Another is to seek fresh engagement with the Government on matters which affect the daily lives of citizens, demanding straight answers but also working together with Government when there is need to do so, as in the case of crime which the Ministry of National Security has failed to bring under any kind of control.
The Opposition cannot sit on the sidelines while the killing fields grow. The second path may not be the one that most politicians in Persad-Bissessar’s position will readily take but it is the one we encourage her to take.
The present state of our nation demands political leaders who will step beyond the partisanship that often prevents them from listening to one another and the tribalism that entrenches divisiveness among the people.
No one will suggest that this task is easy or simple but it is the kind of transformation that is necessary for the progress and development of the nation. It will require patience.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the barren fig tree. The owner proposes to cut it down because of its unfruitfulness. The gardener, however, pleads “leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year” (Luke 13:8, 9).
The unyielding, infertile soil may well represent the hearts of all God’s people, the gardener a symbol of Jesus who comes into our world and lives to save and to help us bear worthwhile fruit.
As improbable as it may seem, God calls human beings today to lead on his behalf, even to be gardeners of souls after his heart. The desire of the Lord is always to redeem his people.
Members of Parliament must work resolutely and with the necessary patience to bring new life to Trinidad and Tobago.
All citizens have a responsibility too to pray for our leaders.
In all this, let us also be grateful for the democratic process which can and must enable the improved standard of living that all desire.
The editorial, A Woman leads, had been reprodued from the CATHOLIC NEWS
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