Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 18/Dec 06:45

A farce in the making: Kamla’s coalition

DR DEVANT MAHARAJ THE PROPOSED coalition under Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s leadership is nothing more than a blood-lust for political power, a politically charged chimera, a desperate ploy to fool a weary and disillusioned electorate into believing that a fractured and hostile alliance can lead the country to salvation. Persad-Bissessar’s brand of leadership, riddled with contradictions, has failed to unite her own party, so how then can she possibly hope to unite an unstable coalition of smaller parties and trade unions, all of which have little more in common than a shared hatred for the ruling PNM? Persad-Bissessar’s refusal to acknowledge the growing fractures within her own party speaks volumes. She has dismissed concerns from within the UNC’s ranks – MPs like Rai Ragbir, Rushton Paray, Anita Haynes-Alleyne, and Dinesh Rambally – who have publicly questioned her leadership and her ability to lead the UNC to victory in the upcoming election. What has happened to Vasant Bharath, Ganga Singh, Kevin Ramnarine, etc who were all rejected by Persad-Bissessar post 2015/20. Yet, in the same breath, she is forging alliances with the very unions and political factions that are no more than an uncomfortable alliance of convenience, united only in their opposition to the PNM and not by any shared belief, ideology, or policy. The fact that Persad-Bissessar cannot even unify her own party, which she claims is the beacon of hope for Trinidad and Tobago, while entertaining alliances with labour leaders, speaks to her utter inability to lead a cohesive political force. Under her tenure the UNC’s coalitions have always ended in failure, marked by infighting, betrayal, and bitter divisions. The 2010 People’s Partnership, though it briefly captured the public’s imagination, collapsed under the weight of infighting and personal ambitions. The Congress of the People (COP), abused and refused by Persad-Bissessar, is now once again grovelling to return to power by prostituting itself. Persad-Bissessar now again seeks to revive the same doomed formula by welcoming the likes of Ancel Roget and his union-led gang into her fold. What exactly does she offer in return for their support? Will it be more of the same empty promises, or are we to expect an even more chaotic political environment, with conflicting interests and priorities competing for dominance? How will Roget saddle with the likes of Ravi Ratiram, Khadijah Ameen, Arnold Ram, Damian Lyder, Vanadana Mohit, etc. The simple truth is that the present Persad-Bissessar alliance is not built on any substantive vision for the country's future. It is based purely on opportunism and the desire to defeat the PNM at any cost. In the end, this coalition will fall apart in the same way every coalition has in the past. Without a unified ideology or coherent policy agenda, it is only a matter of time before the factions start to cannibalise one another. In fact, we might as well call it what it is: a political turkey farm – an assembly of factions with no clear direction, just waiting to be served up as a sad, empty feast come election time. Persad-Bissessar’s attempts to unite with her party's existing members like Ragbir, Rambally and Paray have proven disastrous. The party is divided, and the very people she has alienated – her own MPs, her own candidates – are now speaking out in frustration. Yet, somehow, she believes she can forge meaningful alliances with trade unions led by men like Roget, who are as far removed from the values of the UNC as possible. This is a leader so desperate for power that she is willing to cozy up to anyone who will help her. This coalition is not a path to progress; it is a facade designed to deceive a population tired of the status quo. This so-called coalition is, like chickens in a KFC bucket, all lined up with no real purpose other than to be served as the next political meal, picked apart and discarded once the election is over. Persad-Bissessar’s coalition, like the chickens, has no unity, no purpose, and no lasting value. It’s an opportunistic grab for power that will inevitably come apart at the seams once the public sees through the smoke and mirrors. The coalition is not only a failure waiting to happen, but a cynical attempt to deceive the people of TT into believing that a divided and self-interested group of political players can bring about the change that is so desperately needed. There is no shared vision, no unified ideology – just an alliance of political expediency bound to collapse under the weight of its own contradictions. The UNC’s future, and by extension the future of this proposed coalition, remains as uncertain and chaotic as Persad-Bissessar's leadership. This is a farce – nothing more, nothing less. The post A farce in the making: Kamla’s coalition appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.