Party leader or Prime Minister?

However, last Tuesday night whilst wanting to watch something entertaining before The Rachel Maddow Show began on MSNBC, WWE Smackdown caught my attention on the TV guide and I switched over, only to see an event being broadcast on all local channels.

For the 15 seconds or so that I tuned-in, I saw Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley speaking about former prime minister Kamla Persad- Bissessar and her objection to the property tax for allegedly personal reasons. Apparently, the event was being held at the Diego Martin Community Centre and was designed to explain the intricacies of the newly proposed land tax to a somewhat defiant public, instigated by an obstructionist opposition party.

I personally have no issues with the implementation of a land tax, but in such a highly corrupt country, I am not sure that the money will actually find its way back into society to benefit us. But that’s not my issue here; my problem was the fact that the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago was on a platform adorned with the insignia from the People’s National Movement.

How exactly does the prime minister of a country fail to realise that he is no longer only speaking to his political party’s blind loyalists when he becomes the leader, especially when it is a public address to the nation on a pressing issue. I find it distasteful. It baffles me because if the Prime Minister and his minions really wanted to educate the entire populace with their plan, why have this meeting in the Prime Minister’s personal territory on a party platform? Does the property tax only affect PNM sheep in Diego Martin? Because I am quite certain that independents like myself aren’t entertained by partisan nonsense and UNC supporters surely aren’t going to tunein to a PNM televised broadcast.

Silly me; I thought the Prime Minister, in his position, was here to represent all citizens of Trinidad and Tobago and not to continuously campaign for the next election. I was completely taken aback because, in my view, when a prime minister takes office, the political cloak must be removed and replaced with one that’s non-partisan and patriotic. In other countries, when a political leader speaks to the nation, s/he speaks on a platform only used by those holding the respective office regardless of their party affiliation, and it should be no different in TT . Every word leaving the Prime Minister’s mouth should be impartial, just like his views on moving the country forward; every Trinbagonian becomes the ruling party’s constituent regardless of where their party loyalty lies.

Instead, almost two years into another failed government, I wake up every morning to read Kamla- bashing and UNC -blaming (without a single person being prosecuted for corruption) – all excuses for the PNM’s abject failure as an administration. These ministers always forget the oath they took at swearing in to “bear true faith and allegiance to Trinidad and Tobago... uphold the Constitution and the law... conscientiously, impartially and to the best of [their] ability discharge [their] duties... and do right to all manner of people without fear or favour, affection or ill-will.” This is the problem with our politics; these politicians are unable to separate themselves from politics to become non-partisan leaders, which is the only way we can fix this country. So they sit on both sides of the aisle in our parliament, getting paid with our money and yet instead of doing what’s best for us, the only thing they are interested in is themselves.

Just imagine how it makes non- PNM supporters feel when the Prime Minister - in the midst of the worst period of government we have ever seen - is prancing around on a political platform in his backyard instead of talking to the entire population directly in a non-partisan way.

Every day it becomes clearer that this is not one country. Politicians in both parties are only seeking to score political points and looking ahead to winning the 2020 general election – placating the citizenry long enough to get there is their only modus operandi.

Whilst I thought we had a Trinidad and Tobago government, I realise now that we just have a PNM government, led by a PNM Prime Minister for PNM supporters.

The rest of us are just spectators until the next election when we get an opportunity to vote them out.

j a - mille85@ msn.com