To the forward thinking, age is just a number. Not so with referenda. We in T&T are not ready for voting as freethinking individuals as transpired with the Remain/Leave referendum in Britain that now has the European Union and world economies reeling. Our political experience is still too tightly aligned to voting race and family above privately held political beliefs.
Here in T&T there has been marked improvement in numbers of citizens who no longer vote exclusively on race, religion or social standing. We say that no political party can ever again win an election without significant input from all races. But have we gone far enough not to turn back to our old ways? The cultural experience is that all people who live in one house will vote the same. We do not have the family separation that is the norm in the First World where the young adults leave home at age 18 and form their own political beliefs free from home influences.
Why are we not ready for true political referenda? Just because we can agree on the issue of child marriage does not a miracle make in T&T. All races and religions love their girl children. It was easy to review traditionally held beliefs to alignment with modern-day laws. But using referenda for deciding political issues is an entirely different matter. We are the sum total of our experiences. For those citizens who are accustomed to believing and obeying their traditional icons regarding race and religion, the choice to disobey is not easily made. For many of us, university education is just a cosmetic experience. The doctor, dentist, lawyer, architect, scientist, engineer and business entrepreneur will still in the main, follow the beliefs of parents and grandparents. This is the T&T culture.
Are we in T&T ready for the permanent far-reaching effects of true referenda on issues that will take us beyond a political agenda that stubbornly hears the siren call of race? Tick the box–Yes, No, or Unsure.
Lynette Joseph
Via email