Dear Editor,
I was at the headquarters of the United National Congress (UNC) in Couva, Trinidad and Tobago (TT) on election night as vote-counts arrived, making its leader, Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar, the new prime minister. The People’s National Movement (PNM) led by Mr Patrick Manning was defeated. Despite concerns of violence, the voters demonstrated a political maturity that does not exist in Guyana. The republic itself has witnessed a remarkable rise to high office by a politician, in this case an East Indian female, from a tumultuous playing field to lead the People’s Partnership coalition into government. This is how elections are done, and results received, with voters’ will accepted. There were no complaints of the Westminster model and no disturbances to undermine the electorate.
Perhaps this election will begin a new philosophy of governance – a cleansing of old, corrupt, and failed styles of leadership common in this region. There is much to learn here by Guyana, whose political culture is too untenable (as reflected by the unacceptable attack on government critic, Mr Frederick Kissoon) and lacking in basic practices of democracy, for such an election process to ensue.
Guyanese (Indians especially) ought to know that Mrs Persad-Bissessar was not handpicked by scheming members of any executive or central committee. No; she became party leader by defeating Mr Basdeo Panday, as well as Mr Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, a contender, in a transparent party election.
Because a political party is not a family business, the candidacy of Ms Mickela Panday (Mr Panday’s daughter) was also rejected. Indians who cling to the idea of ‘Jagan’s party’ must reject it; it is only used today to mislead supporters, while the party functions as a commercial enterprise by certain leaders. As with the UNC, there must be a transparent election for delegates to elect the next PPP presidential candidate. Any attempt to put this vote or re-vote in the hands of a committee bent on ignoring the will of the delegates, in order to curry favour with a potential president, will be illegal and therefore opposed.
Democratic reform is necessary to rid a party, in office or opposition, plagued with corrupt politicians. In TT, the new leader of the PNM, Dr Keith Rowley, who exposed Mr Manning, stressed that in order to compete, its members must “reform the party and the basis of reform is increased democracy.” Dr Rowley best symbolized popular discontent with Mr Manning’s governance from the “project manager”/Calder Hart episode, to a $2 million- flag, to meeting with gang leaders allegedly responsible for kidnappings, to a $300 million prime-ministerial residence some call the “emperor’s palace.”
Corruption under Mr Manning is exceeded only by corruption under Mr Jagdeo. To survive, Mr Manning turned to old election tricks: abuse and racial talk. Like Mr Jagdeo, he refused to debate his opponent. Media figure, Mr Ken Gordon, wants him investigated for having “commandeered” free air time on state TV “to conduct and orchestrate” a promotion of his election manifesto.
He suggested that if Mrs Persad-Bissessar could reject Ms Mickela Panday, an Indian, non-Indians would be treated worse. The race ploy failed because Mrs Persad-Bissessar imported the Obama method of electioneering, employing his strategists. The campaign was short but by the time the final rally was held at Aranjuez Savannah two days before the election, at least 70, 000 people turned up. Backstage, as I listened to two young speakers rehearsing their speeches before going onstage, words like “hope” and “change” became indications that the strategists had been instrumental. In fact, I saw an aerial advertisement carried by an airplane at that Aranjuez rally, which I had seen at Obama’s rallies in Michigan: “Vote for Change.” “Yes we can” became “We shall rise.”
While Mr Manning publicly mocked the “We shall rise” theme as an ad for Viagra, privately he was disturbed by what his opponent represented – a very educated, articulate, attractive woman who united a coalition that included Black leaders, embracing an estranged Tobago in the process, and who lacked a ‘Trini’ accent. Above all else, she demonstrated that politically, she was extremely talented. Thus, it was not surprising that Mr Manning was packed and ready to leave the office the day after the elections. Indeed, there never was a race; the pollsters blundered because, like the political scientists, old-fashioned assessments were being made.
Here is newness. Mrs Persad-Bissessar, who had majored in Education, refusing a Fulbright Scholarship to attend Columbia University, was keen with her words, saying that it made no sense for Mr Manning to build a road to Mayaro if one would be “raped and murdered” while using it. Hard words for a hard reality. Progress and crime; she equated development with its human element. These small indicators are critical to understanding ‘change’ electioneering and new expectations amongst voters. The strategists simply reverse old or incompetent ways of describing our politics: Change v same; corrupt v competent.
Politicians tend to speak of development but ignore its human-cost factor. During the crime blitz in Guyana, for example, when scores of people fled their homes, President Jagdeo said he wanted to put a computer in every home.
He was silent on the fleeing. How could he put a computer in a home when he could not keep a family in that home? And if he did, who would have used it? Gunmen?
Time will tell how much Mrs Persad-Bissessar has done. Coalition politics is difficult; mass appeal has limits. TT has problems: hospitals and hospital beds are needed; despite Pitch Lake, village roads need fixing; elaborate houses compete with plenty ‘bush.’ Irrigation is poor. One night of heavy rainfall burst the Caroni River and a highway was flooded. The new Prime Minister took her oath, holding a Bhagvad Gita made popular by the Hare Krishna movement, skipped the usual reception, and left for flood areas. Hopefully, not a bad start.
Yours faithfully,
Rakesh Rampertab
