Something old, something new

IT IS HARD to say what the country will look like even mere months from now.

One thing is clear, however. The political landscape is changing.

There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the general election. There is speculation as to the date. It is unclear whether new legislative proposals will be implemented in time, and how exactly covid19 may affect poll arrangements.

But don’t tell that to the political parties. They have been screening candidates at full throttle.

And there are big changes in each slate.

Pennelope Beckles-Robinson was chosen by the PNM to contest the Arima seat, while the UNC has picked David Nakhid for Tunapuna.

Ms Beckles-Robinson replaces Anthony Garcia, the current MP, who, as Minister of Education, has been a high-profile member of Cabinet. His deselection is therefore notable, if not surprising.

Ms Beckles-Robinson served as Arima’s MP from 2000-2010. She once led the senatorial arm of the party in opposition, and was the first female deputy speaker – in addition to holding Cabinet appointments under Patrick Manning.

Ms Beckles-Robinson unsuccessfully challenged Dr Keith Rowley for PNM leadership in 2014, then was rejected as the candidate in 2015. That Dr Rowley has now welcomed her back into the fold signals a party seeking to mend fences and to rely on some of its stalwarts.

Name recognition seems to be a factor in the case of Mr Nakhid. Though not a known quantity in political circles, being a former member of the national football team has given him a cachet that political neophytes do not often enjoy. He joins figures like retired Lt Col Ahloy Hunt, who will contest St Joseph for the UNC, and who had served the nation in the regiment since 1988, though unknown in politics until now.

With so much up in the air, the calculation may well be that these individuals, with their wealth of varied experience, will balance the new candidates.

But as the rancour over the Sangre Grande seat, as well as the ongoing search for a candidate for St Augustine, shows, the parties are under pressure to get the balance right.

The PNM has turned to alderman Roger Munroe for Sangre Grande. This is despite the popularity of former chairman of the regional corporation Terry Rondon and strident criticism from supporters of Glenda Jennings-Smith, the incumbent.

In all, nearly a dozen PNM incumbents will not be returning, while some UNC senior figures are bowing out.

There will be a lot of new faces, perhaps reflective of the fact that we need to treat the election as a portal to a new society, even as we hold on to known quantities.

So the faces are changing. Will the politics follow suit?