- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 29/Jul 03:37

Kamla not done with winning

IT WAS a foregone conclusion that Kamla Persad-Bissessar, 73, would be returned as UNC political leader. The die was cast the moment she led the party, in a staggering political comeback, to victory in the April 28 general election. That result spoke for itself. The party membership has listened. Its termination on July 27 of the leadership poll that had been scheduled for August because of Ms Persad-Bissessar standing unopposed merely confirms the message. Her hold on the UNC is now formally complete. If that is clear, much else is uncertain. The Prime Minister is riding a wave. But her window of opportunity to govern boldly is limited. All newly elected administrations enjoy honeymoon periods. Just three months into her tenure, there is little sign Ms Persad-Bissessar’s political capital has significantly waned. Nonetheless, the usual trajectory is downwards. The challenge for the UNC leader at this stage is not to squander goodwill. If her victory speech sent any signal on Sunday, it is that she intends to make full use of the special majority enjoyed by her administration given the 26-13-2 election result. The UNC’s flagging of issues with Independents, its Cepep and Central Bank culls and the calling of a state of emergency reflect confidence in that parliamentary arithmetic, but also the fact that it rests on the fickle ground of public opinion. Overshadowed by Ms Persad-Bissessar’s victory lap this week was Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles’s flexing of muscles as it relates to Balisier House. The PNM leader’s choice of Colm Imbert as one of her three deputies will inspire grumbling, despite his experience, given his role within the Keith Rowley administration. Continuity of a different sort is suggested by the choice of Jennifer Baptiste-Primus who quit Dr Rowley’s cabinet in his first administration and played a critical role in voicing concerns about the ill-fated leadership handover, without convention vote, to Stuart Young. Defeated candidate Sanjiv Boodhu, a new face, is unlikely to ruffle party feathers. The UNC leader will be mindful PNM wounds are fresh so soon after the election; her window to act will also be determined by the extent to which the opposition party can convincingly re-engineer itself. The mixed signals sent by Ms Beckles’s appointments are likely to embolden government claims that the party is unrepentant and unchanged. “The baton will be passed when that time comes,” the PM remarked on Sunday in an implicit acknowledgement of the precedent set by her predecessor. However, especially with an alarming crime situation, challenges loom. The local government elections due in 2027 will be a key barometer, as will the pending THA elections. For the moment, Ms Persad-Bissessar has now fully assumed the mantle of her leadership. The post Kamla not done with winning appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.