Patrick Manning's untimely election call and his subsequent fall at the hands of Kamla Persad-Bissesssar and the People's Partnershp was our second choice.
The battle for the UNC in January was one of the most exciting stories of the year not only for its political and human merits but also because it marked a turning point in Trinidad and Tobago's history. Persad-Bissessar was challenging a hero and political icon whom she herself described as her guru and mentor.
No one had dared challenge Basdeo Panday before. And although Ramesh L. Maharaj also put his name on the ballot as a leadership candidate, he was never in the race and more of a Panday ally than a serious leadership contender.
What might have been an insignificant internal party election turned out to be the story of the year - perhaps of the century so far, pushing Carnival off the front pages and generating as much national interest as a general election.
On January 24 Panday suffered the most humiliating defeat of his long political career and Persad-Bissessar emerged as a leader of the people, committed to uniting the opposition and the country. It was the start of Kamlamania that propelled the new UNC leader into government as she became the country's first female prime minister on May 24.
The other key player in the drama was Jack Warner whose Movement for Change (MFC) had forced Panday to call the election. Warner picked Persad-Bissessar as his leader instead of Maharaj who had worked closely with him in the MFC.
It was a simple choice: she was the best among the three.
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