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“The legitimate object of government is to do for a community of people whatever they need to have done, but cannot do at all, or cannot so well do, for themselves—in their separate, and individual capacities.” US President Abraham Lincoln, 1854.
This week saw the United National Congress (UNC) struggle through the torture of candidate selection. On what basis are candidates selected?
It has been beneficial for the country to have seen the twists and turns of such a process in open view. The process brought to mind the advice of Lloyd Best and Michael Harris about avoiding the temptation to seek a Messiah.
Rushton Paray, the sitting member of parliament for the Mayaro constituency, was rejected. The Trinidad Express led with the headline Vindictiveness.
His colleagues, who formed the slate that contested the UNC internal elections, were disappointed because of his track record in service.
Rai Ragbir said: “The question then is: why discard a competent, well-respected MP (member of Parliament)?
“The answer is as clear as it is troubling—because service, performance, and public good no longer matter in today’s UNC.
“The party has been reduced to an instrument of self-preservation for its leader, where obedience is rewarded, and independent thinking is punished.
“What is clear, as in 2020, is that the Opposition Leader is insulating herself in Parliament to continue as Opposition Leader—without regard for her supporters who are desperately voting for a change in government.”
In response to Ragbir’s criticism, UNC political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar dismissed his concerns, saying: “No one cares about his bitterness.”
On the other hand, Roger Alexander, a well-known police officer, was selected for a marginal seat—but he was never screened.
The constituency chairman, Prakash Bharath, appeared out of the loop regarding the national executive’s thinking but endorsed Alexander’s capacity to combat crime.
UNC general secretary Peter Kanhai addressed the delays in naming all candidates, saying the party’s “meticulous” vetting process would ensure the selection of the strongest possible candidates for the race.
Rudy Indarsingh, the outgoing MP for Couva South, was surprised by his non-selection:
“I would say a bit surprised, but electoral politics presents you with that tough choice of one day you’re in, the next day you’re out.”
Clearly, Indarsingh had served the people of his constituency well. Several constituents said Indarsingh pressured the PNM government to fix the dilapidated roads and water supply and get more police patrols in the area.
Members of the business community said Indarsingh was highly vocal about raising issues about safety and security, and saw no reason to change him as the prospective candidate for the area.
Anita Haynes, one of the bright stars in the local political scene, was left in the political wilderness the day before Nomination Day.
Listen to her comment: “I remain unrepentantly committed to achieving national development characterised by vigorous democracy, transparency and equity; committed to building a Trinidad and Tobago of which we can all be proud and free to raise our families in safety and with dignity.”
But Israel Khan, an earlier nominee by the UNC for president of Trinidad and Tobago, said the quiet part out loud. He predicted that the UNC would win in a tight race. Hence, there is a perceived need for the political leader to ensure that all the members of her party are loyal:
“[…] With a very slim majority of one or two seats in the House of Representatives, both the PNM and UNC know they must ensure all their members in that House must be extremely loyal to the elected prime minister of their respective party because the two Tobago MPs in that House will always be in a position to bring the government of the day (be it PNM or UNC) to its knees, if not bring about their complete downfall.
“… this was the main reason for Persad-Bissessar not trusting certain former MPs in the House of Representatives.
(Copyright Office of the Parliament 2020.)
“As an astute and sagacious politician, she cannot rely on their unreserved and unconditional loyalty to support her as prime minister with a majority of one or two seats in the House of Representatives.”
This thread of events should cause us to ask about the rationale for political representation.
Who does the MP serve? What expectations should we have about the candidates chosen, or how should we evaluate the track records of those who serve? Does the selection of a candidate for MP matter?
Photo: PNM.
Political representation has traditionally been understood as “acting in the interest of the represented, in a manner responsive to them” (Pitkin, 1967). In this way of thinking, periodic elections allow constituents to punish or reward their representatives.
Three aspects make this framework problematic. In the Trinidad context, technically, we each vote for an MP. However, the cult of personality and the power of the party are such that it does not matter who this MP is. We eye the bigger prize.
We are in a rentier economy where the ruling party has the power to allocate the spoils. Venezuela is a classic example of using oil revenues to dictate a country’s politics. We vote to maintain control of the country’s finances in the hands of a party that we believe will serve our interests best.
The selection of an MP is incidental. The party needs to get in control of the country.
The second issue is that political parties are haemorrhaging membership. Election turnout is declining in several key constituencies. There appears to be a fragmentation of traditional social-structural identities: less often are we hearing the young indicate that “they are PNM born and will die a PNM”.
We are seeing a growing sense of indifference to, and disengagement from, the political world. There is an increasing mistrust of politicians and a disenchantment with electoral politics. Consider what the young people in Couva North, Mayaro, Diego Martin West, or East think about the selection processes.
Photo: UNC.
Remember Ramona Ramdial, a two-term parliamentarian whose sin was to contest as an independent in a UNC internal election?
These types of changes will lead to a fracturing of representative politics. While the political leader may “win” in the immediate period, the behaviour will contribute to a withering of the political system.
Globalisation is the third factor that loosens the hold or the ability of an MP or even a political party to effect successful policies. For example, when we discuss crime in Trinidad, we miss the boat if we do not acknowledge the collapse of Venezuela’s national security apparatus.
(via Independent.co.uk.)
If we talk about inflation, we must recognise that it can be impacted by the Ukraine-Russia war.
The MPs and their parties must deal with an ever-increasing complexity of issues. As we are witnessing in real-time, the decisions made in the USA impact our policy success. Economic stimulus packages, for example, lack their intended effect in open markets (Hellwig, 2015). This helplessness leads the citizens to be unhappy with their representatives.
They may then seek other leaders to help them, but there is no guarantee of success. Amid this effort, we note that some leaders are manipulative and often use emotional appeal to achieve their ends. Their purpose is to become “ruler of all he surveys”.
We also know that public resources may be too limited. In this setting, governing responsibly involves setting priorities and making difficult choices. Even the most committed and well-meaning democratic leaders will not be able to please everyone.
Conversely, the voter may not understand or appreciate the process of achieving the desired outcomes. They may not understand the policies required to provide the life they want.
In this age, they are bombarded with messages from every side, but these messages are often slanted to the negative side to win more clicks.
Sensationalism wins the day. Democracy dies.
With this framework in place, we will evaluate the promises made by the various parties in our general election. Can we reasonably expect change, or will we be mamaguyed?
With so many interests, how does a party get a winning position? More anon.
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Noble Philip, a retired business executive, is trying to interpret Jesus’ relationships with the poor and rich among us. A Seeker, not a Saint.
I am not nearly knowledgeable enough to assert that we are in a unique political situation but my sense is that our electoral situation is rare.
Where else in the world will (yes, the Future not the Conditional!) a crapaud in a balisier tie be almost (remember 1986?) assured of the red vote and a ripe grosmichel (or even lakatang!) fig riping in the early morning sun be assured of the yellow vote?
So, more anon, noble Brother Noble? Write on.
By my reckoning, insightful, intelligent commentary still has a chance of affecting the outcome of the 2025 elections. Yellow Trinidad (15), Red Trinidad (3) and perhaps Tobago (2) aren’t listening. Fortunately for us all,
that leaves exactly 21, the precise number needed for a win.