Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 13/Dec 09:57

Elections: The certainty of uncertainty

WILL HE or won’t he (the PM) contest the next election? When is that election likely to be anyway? What will be the fate of UNC rebels who dared challenge the hegemonic headlock of "the Kamla?" Will some smaller political parties ever find the time between cussing each other out on social media and trying to tickle the UNC’s chin to actually concentrate on the weighty task of changing our political culture? Is Mickela Panday the one to bring balance to the force? There’s no easy path to answers. Fortunately, there are the purgatives of the festive Christmas season rolling right into Carnival to flush these vexing concerns from our systems. Recently, I saw a video of PNM celebrants in unrestrained revelry as they cheered on the successful screening of Kareem Marcelle for the Laventille West constituency. Marcelle was chosen to replace Fitzgerald Hinds who will probably be rewarded for going quietly with an even more lucrative and prestigious posting abroad, a la Darryl Smith. As I puzzled over the ecstasy on the contorted faces of PNM supporters, I felt a brief pang of envy; oh how it must be to have weightless heads, vacant of knowledge and reason. The PNM is gearing up for a third consecutive term in office. Even though the red-shirt brigade isn’t short on enthusiasm, commentary about the ruling party across social media platforms offers a less-than-rosy view of public sentiment. Many citizens are using digital platforms to offer caustic assessments of what will be ten straight years of PNM "excellence." There’s a fair bit of PN-enmity in the air. With speculation rife about Rowley’s plans, Amery Browne slapped down reports that he is replacing him as candidate for Diego Martin West. The political leader has, on more than one occasion, hinted that his time in electoral politics is over. In a television interview perhaps two or three years into his first term as PM, Rowley mused wistfully about life before the smothering restrictions of public office. Even then, this was a man whose words conveyed genuine discomfort with the demands of the job. But then, Keith Rowley always seemed more about the fight and less about the unromantic, arduous intellectual rigours of leadership. His memoir, From Mason Hall to Whitehall, was launched in 2016, less than a year after he became Prime Minister. The unavoidable inference here is that for this career politician, the objective has always been the attainment of office rather than being accomplished in it. Still, not setting the record straight on his political future must be somewhat problematic for the PNM, given that the party thrives on continuity, even if it's the continuation of the suboptimal. Perhaps it’s best the PM mothballs his Savile Row suits and fully commits to the semi-bucolic life of golfing and goating. Now might also be the right time to write the much-anticipated follow-up to his 2016 bestseller – a potential title might be this: From Mason Hall to Whitehall to See Y'all. I’m not married to that, mind you. We can tweak it once the contract for my ghostwriting services is signed. Again, in the vacuum of non-confirmation, rumour and inside zeppos dominate national political discourse. There’s talk Stuart Young, the PM’s most favoured surrogate, is the heir apparent to the PNM dynasty. He’s certainly acted enough in the position that he can by now appreciate it’s all acting. Another name filling the void of confirmed information is party loyalist Robert Le Hunte. Punters will be kept guessing until the last minute. A change of leadership in the ruling party could be a nightmare for the UNC, whose leader has doggedly resisted calls to step aside. If the PNM chooses a "fresh horse" for the race the party could look more attractive to undecided voters, notwithstanding this government’s stellar record of failure. Kamla Persad-Bissessar fended off challengers desperate to improve the opposition’s chances of getting into government with a change in leadership. During the bruising campaign, the insurrectionists were derided within the party as being terrible MPs; an odd tactic given that this raised questions about the judgement of the party having chosen them to contest the seats in the first and second places. The only true certainty is that nothing in this country will ever change if ordinary citizens do not hold politicians accountable regardless of who the victor is beyond the perfunctory, largely meaningless vote meant to make you feel you actually have some say. The post Elections: The certainty of uncertainty appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.