Can the conscientious citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, not swayed by party loyalty, influenced by racial sensibilities and considerations, imagine the likes of Gary Griffith and Phillip Alexander together in a coalition government?
On the inside of such a government, there would be Jack Warner—self-proclaimed “Queen Maker” of the disastrous 2010 People’s Partnership coalition; he who made piercing allegations against his political leader and then-prime minister.
In such a government, the political renegades will be carrying on their guerilla warfare while ignoring the business of the country, so caught up will they be in one-upmanship as they seek to fulfil lifelong ambitions of being minister; even hoping to make it to the prime minister’s chair.
One day, it was the political leader of the only substantial party in the gathering, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, sending a warning to Griffith, demanding that he and others respect the UNC and its members who command some 300,000 members.
The following morning, Griffith swore-off an association with the UNC. This time, it was the indomitable Warner, who was once shoved out of the UNC government by Persad-Bissessar, who took on the responsibility to bring his former political leader together again with Griffith.
Next, it was the turn of Phillip Alexander, only recently returned to political activity from self-imposed exile after being found by the court to have defamed a political opponent and given a hefty fine, to become embroiled in the “tang-ka-lang”. Alexander was boldface enough to send an ultimatum to Opposition Leader Persad-Bissessar, “It’s me or Griffith,” from his position as the leader of a party which has made no impression on the electorate.
The difficulty for the nation, while all this in and out of politics in government and opposition is taking place amongst the long-lived UNC and minor opposition parties with no track record of achievement, is that there remains the intractable problem that is “stealing the soul of the nation”—unstoppable crime—that neither long-standing PNM Government and occasional UNC in government and opposition have proven capable of positively impacting.
Sure, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and his Government must be credited for taking the country successfully through the COVID-19 threat. At his recent town hall-type meeting in San Fernando, the Government utilising a panyard to identify with the man in the street, Prime Minister Rowley boasted about the success his Government had with re-negotiating multi-billion dollar returns for the national Treasury from the multinational energy corporations.
That must surely have been appreciated by citizens who have benefited from assured and, in many instances, increased income, additional jobs, and with the recovery dollars meeting social, educational and infrastructure needs.
The average citizen, though, would surely have wished that success at driving the criminal culture into submission would have been accomplished alongside securing larger quantities of revenue.
What is quite distressing and threatening for citizens is that on yet another occasion, a criminal has gone into the heart of the capital city to shoot and kill an opponent in crowded spaces, most likely using an illegally obtained weapon, without the slightest worry of being apprehended.
The nation is in peril and the political parties in and out of office are displaying hopelessness.