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The Young perspective

Who is Stuart Young, the prime minister-designate? For most of the last ten years, he seemed to be the go-to guy in Cabinet, Dr Rowley’s man-of-business for difficult situations and problem positions, and one of the few choices to act in the role during his absence. He’s never missed an opportunity to present himself as a man of the people, dressed sharply at parties with fitted clothing taut on his well-exercised frame. He appeared to spend the week of Carnival 2025 popping up at event after event, pressing the flesh, smiling broadly, and endorsing the public’s right to “pardy.” This was a man who boldly appeared on a local stage with Faris Al-Rawi to sing Bollywood songs at a PNM Divali show. It did not go well. At his first appearance at the national stickfighting finals in February, he promised to “focus on the local artforms and culture.” Stuart Young turned 50 in February. The arc of his political career has been a rocky road that he has largely weathered with good humour. In 2021, he faced a no-confidence motion in Parliament over his performance in the consistently thankless role of Minister of National Security. That fact has been largely buried by the staggeringly abysmal performance of his successor in the job. If there had been one instance of unseemly exuberance that seemed to chasten the unflappable Mr Young, it was his notorious gaffe in insulting the Opposition Leader in Parliament in October 2024, only to discover that his microphone was live. It’s notable, then, that Mr Young paid tribute to his mother at a celebratory event at the Diplomatic Centre on March 7 to honour women in advance of International Women’s Day, on March 8. After noting that he had the benefit of “a strong woman in a household who put her children and her husband first,” he committed the government to continuing to address issues of gender equality, and a greater effort to address domestic violence. These are promising sentiments, and despite his unfortunate comments in Parliament, it’s a start in the right direction. The uncertain circumstances of his anointing might have been within the boundaries of the PNM’s constitution and the letter of the law, but even some of the party faithful questioned his ascension to the role to be formalised within a week. From there, it seems clear that Mr Young’s next assignment will be to take the PNM safely through the next election, and the election date must be announced. Both the PNM and UNC are working against a hard mandatory deadline. General elections must be held on or before November 28, 2025. Over the next few months, Mr Young will have an opportunity to demonstrate exactly who he is, both to his party and to the electorate. He must use that time to show us, not just tell us. The post The Young perspective appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.