Today, amidst the COVID-19 restrictions, the country goes to the polls to elect Members of Parliament and a government. More than one million people in a population of 1.4 million are eligible to cast their ballots.
To vote is your democratic right and one which should be used wisely. Every citizen 18 years and over is entitled to vote once they are not declared mentally ill or incarcerated.
There are nineteen (19) political parties involved in today’s General Election and a total of 150 candidates vying for seats in the 41 constituencies across both Trinidad and Tobago.
Recent polls published by newspapers indicate that in 2020, as has happened since the first election in this country, voters still cast their ballots on the basis of race. Fifty-eight years after attaining independence, Trinidad and Tobago remains polarised by race.
Real issues seemingly disappear from the radar of the electorate when they go out to cast their ballots. In exercising the democratic right to choose a government, citizens need to weigh everything that affects them. Race should be thrown aside and instead, parties should be weighed on what they have to offer, in terms of development plans, creating jobs, growing the economy and creating a sustainable future not just for themselves but for future generations.
Writing in the Catholic News this weekend, Archbishop of Port-of-Spain Jason Gordon urged citizens to understand the “power, responsibility and purpose” of their vote. It was “not given to us,” he stated, but “our forefathers had to struggle for every adult citizen to have a right to one vote.”
That is truly an awesome responsibility. Think about it, your vote helps shape the future of the country! That is something everyone who can cast a ballot should think about. That is something to cherish and use wisely. Your finger becomes your voice when you vote.
The two main political contenders, the PNM and the UNC, have over the past few weeks held campaigns on issues which they feel matter to citizens the most. The campaign has been bitter and racial slurs have been cast at times, but at the end of the day, citizens have choices. What should not be a choice is a cop-out, where some citizens decide for one reason or another to withhold their vote to send a message. That kind of thinking is not good for our democracy.
Ultimately, the government we get cannot represent one ethnic group. Good governance is about all of the people, all of the time. Dividing the population does not make you stronger but weakens the resources available to help grow and develop the country.
After today there are many issues that will hit us frontally, not least of which is the growing trend with the spread of COVID-19. The numbers daily keep increasing. Who knows how long it will take for a government coming into power to decide if they will lock down the country a second time. What will this mean for the economy, for jobs, for families?
Whoever wins the election has to determine the future of our children in this COVID new normal. Will schools reopen as planned in September, or are things now so bad that reopening schools will have to be put on hold?
Will the SEA come off as planned on August 20 or will it be postponed?
These are just some of the stark realities we face past today. As citizens, each and every one of us has a role to play.
In this time of COVID-19 as you go out to vote, WEAR YOUR MASK, sanitise and social distance. Do the right thing. But whatever you do, cast your vote. It is your democratic right and that is a responsibility you should not shirk or leave up to someone else.