One of the main factors that defined the Patrick Manning-Basdeo Panday era in politics, and even those who went before, was a healthy degree of mutual respect amid strong adversarial debates and campaigning.
Heated arguments inside the Parliament were therefore matched by light banter outside.
In fact, in the case of Mr Panday and Mr Manning, it was fascinating to see how these two political rivals would openly embrace each other when they met outside of the House, regardless of how hotly they had battled each other on the inside.
We particularly recall that late prime minister Manning’s entrance into the House was always marked by clasped hands and a courtesy bow to a reciprocating Basdeo Panday who sat across from him on the other side of the political aisle.
Their attacks though fierce, especially during political campaigns, were almost always measured by boundaries that did not venture into obscene personal pillories.
Such were the ways of T&T political adversaries of old.
Today, however, we are seeing a different side that simply does not reach the previous standards of behaviour set by the past veterans.
Take for instance the attack mounted this week on an opposition platform by UNC MP for Princes Town Barry Padarath against Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley.
Of all the ways to describe Prime Minister Rowley, Mr Padarath could find no other than to term him a "lazy son of a b----".
Not only was this unacceptable and distasteful, but it also reflects how much present-day politics have been degraded by some.
However, we feel that no amount of political rivalry can justify the use of obscene descriptions of the country's highest executive officeholder, particularly on an open public platform.
It becomes more appalling when one considers that Dr Rowley was a parliamentarian before Mr Padarath was born.
Yet, this is not the first time that we have seen him demonstrate questionable behaviour, as the MP has often sparred with the Speaker of the House during parliamentary sittings.
This is not to say that Mr Padarath should not openly challenge the Prime Minister if he must. Certainly not!
Our democratic process depends on the existence of adversarial political parties to hold each other accountable.
But surely Mr Padarath could learn a thing or two from his senior colleague Rudranath Indarsingh who mounted the same platform but levelled his criticisms against Dr Rowley without personal obscene descriptions.
Among the things Mr Indarsingh said was that Dr Rowley was a failed leader and he warned the Prime Minister that the writing was on the wall, using the famous words of late PNM Diego Martin Central MP Ken Valley, "you can run, but you can't hide."
As he too slammed the Government for what he perceived as its failures and lack of proper representation, he warned Dr Rowley that when the elections were called, his party would be voted out.
In many ways, Mr Indarsingh's criticism of the Government was even more pointed than Mr Padarath's and achieved its purpose by staying within the parameters of dignified debate.
Mr Padarath must learn that people look to politicians to set the right examples, not to destroy them and that outright disrespect for the Office of the Prime Minister is a disservice to the country, to his party and to himself.
The quicker the young MP can migrate his debates away from personal obscene attacks to more structured dismantling of his opponents and their policies, the quicker he would find that respect for him too shall grow.
