Two weeks ago my commentary “Losing the way” focused on the unraveling of the Peoples’ Partnership. That commentary prompted a lengthy response from Suruj Rambachan, Minister of External Affairs and Information, published in Newsday last Sunday.
But today’s commentary is not a reaction to what he wrote, I already having done that, very briefly, via a third party who had earlier forwarded Suruj’s comments to me.
I am still not sure what it was in my commentary that moved Suruj to his lengthy response. My criticisms, such as they were, centered on the national culture of corruption and cronyism (which cannot be refuted), and on COP’s continuing petulance regarding a genuine but now dead grievance.
I am still not sure what it was in my commentary that moved Suruj to his lengthy response. My criticisms, such as they were, centered on the national culture of corruption and cronyism (which cannot be refuted), and on COP’s continuing petulance regarding a genuine but now dead grievance.
My advice to the COP was “to either get on with the job of governance or get out”, and to the UNC “to start behaving like the major party in a coalition, and stop jockeying for position for 2015”. I concluded that commentary: “If they cannot accept this, all will be in Opposition in 2015”.
However, the events of this past week (and my deadline for submission precedes the “We Stand Strong” second anniversary celebrations of the Partnership on Thursday evening), prove that the Partnership is losing the way. I am among those who believe that a quiet commemoration of May 24th 2010 was far more in order than fete and fireworks.
However, the events of this past week (and my deadline for submission precedes the “We Stand Strong” second anniversary celebrations of the Partnership on Thursday evening), prove that the Partnership is losing the way. I am among those who believe that a quiet commemoration of May 24th 2010 was far more in order than fete and fireworks.
What is required now is a meaningful re-commitment to the hastily pulled-together fabric of the Partnership. But instead we are seeing the public tearing apart of that fabric, bringing, sadly, my fears to fruition. This is exemplified by the MSJ’s “partial” withdrawal from the Partnership. Suddenly toeing the OWTU line of “Bring down the government”, members of that government are telling MSJ appointees to resign, but those making the call are holding on to their Senate appointments.
I digress to point out that this is not a breach of ethics or honour in sweet T&T! Please recall that MP’s Lasse and Griffith left the PNM in 1996 to join the UNC government, and proclaimed that there was no need to resign from parliament. Then in 2006, first MP Gillian Lucky, then Winston Dookeran and others also resigned from the opposition UNC, but none saw the need to resign their seats and fight a bye-election. So accept the precedent here folks, this is how we politrick!
But what is becoming clear to me—and I hope to most of you—is that there is a tremendous wave of denial sweeping both the UNC and COP, but mostly the UNC.
First we should acknowledge that in T&T politics it does not matter what anyone does, or promises; certain constituencies (Laventille, Morvant, POS South, etc) will always vote PNM. Conversely, certain constituencies (Oropouche, Couva, Naparima, Siparia etc) will always vote UNC. To win an election—and that is all that matters, governance after victory is irrelevant—a political party has to win some seats in the remainder of constituencies.
And we need to remember that there is another “constituency”, and that is the growing number of people spread throughout the country, but admittedly not in great numbers in those permanently committed areas. That was clear in the 2007 election, before the immensity of PNM corruption had been truly revealed, when 148,000 people voted other than PNM or UNC.
I digress to point out that this is not a breach of ethics or honour in sweet T&T! Please recall that MP’s Lasse and Griffith left the PNM in 1996 to join the UNC government, and proclaimed that there was no need to resign from parliament. Then in 2006, first MP Gillian Lucky, then Winston Dookeran and others also resigned from the opposition UNC, but none saw the need to resign their seats and fight a bye-election. So accept the precedent here folks, this is how we politrick!
But what is becoming clear to me—and I hope to most of you—is that there is a tremendous wave of denial sweeping both the UNC and COP, but mostly the UNC.
First we should acknowledge that in T&T politics it does not matter what anyone does, or promises; certain constituencies (Laventille, Morvant, POS South, etc) will always vote PNM. Conversely, certain constituencies (Oropouche, Couva, Naparima, Siparia etc) will always vote UNC. To win an election—and that is all that matters, governance after victory is irrelevant—a political party has to win some seats in the remainder of constituencies.
And we need to remember that there is another “constituency”, and that is the growing number of people spread throughout the country, but admittedly not in great numbers in those permanently committed areas. That was clear in the 2007 election, before the immensity of PNM corruption had been truly revealed, when 148,000 people voted other than PNM or UNC.
And I have no doubt that the 148,000 who will not vote PNM or UNC has grown considerably, up to the 2010 election, and has probably increased significantly since then. Whether these people will try to revive COP as a separate force, or seek other avenues to bring governance to T&T remains to be seen.
In my view, Manning’s calling the 2010 election was a serious blow to COP’s development. Indeed, it is possible that Manning (or Pena?) foresaw the need to stall COP by calling that election.
In my view, Manning’s calling the 2010 election was a serious blow to COP’s development. Indeed, it is possible that Manning (or Pena?) foresaw the need to stall COP by calling that election.
What is clear is that UNC seriously misread the election results, and assumed that thousands “returned” to vote for them. In fact thousands of people voted for the Partnership (outside Siparia, Penal etc), because of COP, not the UNC.
Unfortunately, the hard core of the UNC is pretending that they do not believe this, thinking that COP’s own leadership disunity is proof of the UNC “strength”. Clearly they are not listening to the thunder on the horizon, dismissing it as PNM noise. But too many of us, who are clearly not PNM, are deeply concerned about the current state of governance.
So this illusion of some sense of invincibility, in which the tailors are mistakenly trying to cloak the Empress, is seriously misplaced. And we must hope, for her sake, and the nation’s wellbeing, that she does not have to be embarrassed by some child pointing out that there are no robes at all.
Unfortunately, the hard core of the UNC is pretending that they do not believe this, thinking that COP’s own leadership disunity is proof of the UNC “strength”. Clearly they are not listening to the thunder on the horizon, dismissing it as PNM noise. But too many of us, who are clearly not PNM, are deeply concerned about the current state of governance.
So this illusion of some sense of invincibility, in which the tailors are mistakenly trying to cloak the Empress, is seriously misplaced. And we must hope, for her sake, and the nation’s wellbeing, that she does not have to be embarrassed by some child pointing out that there are no robes at all.
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