Elections are in the air and our politicians on both sides have been throwing out promises in usual style. But how do we tell when our politicians are trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the population?
Kamla Persad-Bissessar has been calling for young persons to get into politics and has promised that she will be taking a team of young persons with her into government. Sounds good from the onset. Persad-Bissessar may want to boast that most of her candidates that she has announced thus far are young persons but does that say much? The answer is no.
Many of the seats announced are ones that the UNC would not traditionally win or marginal seats where there is also a great possibility that they would win.
What then is the point of putting these young people in these seats for window dressing when in reality, the majority of the “safe” UNC seats would be contested by the same old, recycled, failed politicians? This is a cheap-shot and an obvious political gimmick that the population is seeing right through.
It is the same strategy used by the PNM in the past and it is also what they are doing again. Where are the young people of the party? Has the UNC no young talent to be entrusted with a sure seat?
Why are we not seeing or hearing more young people on the platforms and talkshows to speak about the UNC’s ideas and plans for our country?
What will the UNC do differently that would set it apart from the PNM? I had hoped for this change from the UNC to give them a fighting chance to unseat the PNM but it seems unlikely to happen.
Dr Keith Rowley, on the other hand, has already failed in my book. He has been making some serious blunders with his selection of candidates and he too has been selecting young people in areas that the PNM would not win. Window dressing and using youth conveniently.
What we are also seeing from the PNM is a set of washed up politicians with a few “celebrities” sprinkled in the mix to give the appearance of an attractive team. But it is not. This looks like it is shaping up to be an uninspiring election where I may likely not even bother to vote.
The last time I voted was in 2010 and it looks like following this election, that may still be the case.
Rochard Douglas Road
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