James: PDP presents formidable Tobago opposition

Although the PNM retained the two Tobago seats in Monday’s general election, the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) won the support of a significant portion of the electorate, and therefore presents a formidable opposition on the island.

This was the view of political commentator Dr Winford James as he reflected on the PNM’s victory in Tobago.

“The PDP has covered a lot of ground, from what I have seen, and therefore there is hope in the future for better, more robust opposition in Tobago,” he told Newsday. “Then the Tobago House of Assembly elections, in January next yea,r will become very interesting as a result of the great ground that Duke and his party has covered.”

The Elections and Boundaries Commission is yet to release official results but, according to a preliminary count, the PNM won 22 of the 41 parliamentary constituencies, including the two Tobago seats.

The PNM’s Shamfa Cudjoe and Ayanna Webster-Roy secured second terms in the Tobago West and Tobago East constituencies respectively.

They competed against the PDP’s Watson Duke and Tashia Grace Burris.

But James said the PDP cannot be discounted as a political force in Tobago.

“They are the people that have replaced the (ANR) Robinson era, and Hochoy (Charles), Christlyn (Moore) and Ashworth Jack have been confined to the scrap heap by the voters. They not going to come back.”

One Tobago Voice, a coalition of three Tobago-based parties – the Charles-led Platform of Truth, Tobago Forwards and Tobago Organisation of the People – fielded one candidate, Juliana Henry-King, in the Tobago East seat. The PDP did not field a candidate in Tobago West, but supported the PDP’s Burris.

James said the three entities were routed by the PNM and the PDP.

In the absence of a inal tally, James said there also appeared to be a low voter turnout in Tobago.

“This means that people who may have voted PNM before have now been turned off.”

Commenting on the overall election result, Jamessaid people continued to vote along ethnic lines.

“The country is split down the middle by the major ethnicities.

“It has not always been like this, although there has been a clear difference between the two ethnicities.”

He said the result is a repeat of what occurred in the 2015 general election.

“We have got to do something to unite this country along ethnic lines. I am not so sure, but maybe the answer lies, in great part, (in) constitutional reform.

“We have a situation where half of the population rejects the government, so maybe some form of proportional representation might help.”

James said there are different forms of proportional representation.

“Our single-winner system, our system in which whoever passes the post first wins everything doesn’t seem to be the best system.

“We alienate one-another, which we continue to do in the elections, and yet we have to live in the same space. For the other side to win, they have to actually team up with other people.”

He said such a situation can cause citizens of a particular ethnic group to become “frustrated and desperate.” James said although the PNM won, ethnic lines ought not to be the basis on which people vote.