Regrettably, the election campaign season 2014��2015 may have got off on the wrong footing with a focus on the shade of black a candidate for prime ministership should or should not be.
Prominent member of the opposition People's National Movement, Fitzgerald Hinds, a former senator and government minister, ensured that would be the case when at a meeting of the party last week in Belmont, he articulated what he said were the views of some people within (including former PNM government ministers) and outside the party. They felt, he said, while Dr Rowley had done a good job over the last three years, "the only issue that came up for objection was that we had never had such a dark-skinned prime minister."
Given the potential that race and skin colour issues have for conflict, it could be predicted that the comment would go viral and trigger conflicting statements, denials and agreements and pose the potential for inflaming passions, as on the radio and television talk shows.
http://www.guardian.co.tt/digital/new-members