Depending on independents

IN SOME respects, Dr Denise Tsoiafatt-Angus’s campaign for a place in the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) continues a practice of politicians refusing to toe the line.

Dr Tsoiafatt-Angus’s former political leader, the Prime Minister, is an example. Dr Rowley once raised the alarm over the operations of Udecott under the Patrick Manning administration.

But even Dr Rowley never went as far as Dr Tsoiafatt-Angus.

In 2010, as the People’s National Movement (PNM) faced a snap election called by Mr Manning, Dr Rowley was selected as a candidate and largely fell in with the party’s campaign.

On Monday, Dr Tsoiafatt-Angus, in contrast, filed nomination papers to contest as an independent candidate.

“This is really about service to the people,” she said. “I am putting myself on the line for them.”

By the looks of things, Dr Tsoiafatt-Angus’s choice has rendered her expulsion from the PNM a
fait accompli.

That outcome – made automatic by a party “constitution” which abrogates the basic check of a hearing – underlines the challenges faced by anyone inclined to serve outside the party system.

Yet the former THA presiding officer is not alone in thinking she can make a difference.

In recent days nomination papers have been filed by independents in a different arena: local government by-elections. Ariel Saunders is seeking to become councillor for Hindustan/St Mary’s, and Christopher Wright for Hollywood, Point Fortin.

Be that as it may, there is a long history of independent candidates losing their deposits. Many are outliers lacking political experience, or else they are regarded as curiosities.

What is notable about Dr Tsoiafatt-Angus’s candidacy is that she comes to the table with a wealth of experience. A doctor by training, she served as the PNM’s public relations officer in Tobago for seven years, the first woman to hold that post.

Dr Tsoiafatt-Angus was also chairman of the Tobago Regional Health Authority and later Secretary for Community Development and Culture in the Orville London-led THA. She quit her post as presiding officer to run for leader of the PNM’s Tobago Council and garnered enough votes to endorse the candidacy of Tracy Davidson-Celestine in a runoff.

The strong resumé points to another hurdle. Because they often come to prominence through acts of dissent, independents face backlash from party loyalists, no matter their bona fides.

This is notwithstanding widespread belief in the role of independent voices under our Constitution, where senators are appointed specifically to play this role.

As difficult as their prospects are, independents, third parties, people who cross the floor, conscience voters – all actually have a role to play, whether we admit it or not.

The irony is that it was Ms Davidson-Celestine’s decision not to be beholden to Dr Tsoiafatt-Angus that has resulted in more women on the ballot.

Already, we have won.