Probably the greatest indictment on the Opposition to date is their obvious inability to capitalise on a moral victory in the courts following the outcome of their preliminary trial against the EBC. It becomes even more embarrassing, however, when you consider that the Opposition Leader was also heading the legal team that challenged the decision to extend the voting time in the last general election.
Even if the legally rusty senior counsel could not muster a legal victory after the judge acknowledged the illegality of the action taken by the EBC, one would expect that she would at least attempt to rally her supporters to demonstrate their anguish against the EBC and the executives who were incriminated in the illegal activity.
Instead, those closest to her seem to be adopting a different approach, by defending the commissioners and other executives who were complicit in the very act that the UNC claims cost them the election, for reasons that may baffle anyone who bears witness to the kangaroo case that they've turned it into.
But this is only one instance in a string of missed opportunities for the Opposition since the last election, which has sparked curiosity from supporters and detractors alike. This is a stark contrast to the approach of the PNM only one term prior, which many may agree, allowed them to reclaim government in only five years, following the utter collapse of their prior administration.
While Dr Rowley and his team have stumbled out of the blocks, and hobbled along ever since, they have maintained a level of comfort that only the weakest Opposition force would allow.
Whether this is the fault of the UNC and its administrators alone is debatable, however, as the entire nation has turned oddly docile in the face of fundamental socio-economic changes, and an increase in criminal activity.
One could argue that for the past 15 years our nation has been politically charged until it finally reached critical mass in the last general election. While many PNM supporters were fairly optimistic of the reformed party that would assume government, they became sobered during Dr Rowley's victory speech, and were thenceforth accommodating to any policy changes that were almost immediately instituted from the first budget presentation.
It is no secret that for decades there has been a large percentage of our population that were wholly dependent upon government assistance for their everyday expenses and lives, so when the PNM immediately began revoking these grants while simultaneously increasing the cost of living, it was obvious that people's lives would be affected in a very negative way.
But yet, no matter how displeased many people became, there has been no action taken by the Opposition, trade union, or civil society to challenge these decisions. When one considers that during the People's Partnership term in government, a popular taunt of their detractors to their supporters was to refer to their "eat ah food" style, it's interesting that now that the situation has reversed, the taunt has not done the same.
I expect that this time of solace will not last very long, but it will be interesting to note who will be the person to end it. It is clear that whatever the UNC is forcing themselves to believe about the election results is inimical as they clearly do not command even a fraction of the support they did prior to their defeat in the polls. What is truly disappointing to me and many other supporters, however, isn't what they have lost, but rather their failure to avail themselves of the boundless opportunities they allow to evade their grasp.
Ravi Maharaj