Waking up the sleeping beauty

A week ago, on Sunday afternoon, January 24, the eve of the THA election, the windows at home reverberated and my dogs scampered (as though running from fireworks) when the “PNM comiiiiiiiiiiing” motorcade exploded into the community.

Driving out to the main road shortly after, I encountered a red sea – waves of large, billowing red flags, generations of adults and children in red T-shirts hypnotically clutching red paper flags, dancing and chipping on the sidewalks to booming music. Oncoming traffic was a long line of cars, vans and open-tray trucks from which some revellers hung precariously, while others wined and jammed, smiling, many maskless, uninhibited in the merriment of their political Carnival on wheels.

The mass of people seemed invincible, perhaps knowing somewhere within themselves that police might do nothing about their blatant lack of adherence to covid19 protocols. After all, who would dare penetrate the moving red fortress.

The apparent absence of a PDP presence was notable to me. All I had seen that day, as I drove around some parts of southern Tobago, was red –small red flags fluttering on lampposts...large red flags waving from vehicles...red fabric tied to gateways or hanging from windows...red-clad revellers (drunk and sober) wandering through Scarborough.

With the exception of a truck with bright green speakers rolling silently through Bon Accord earlier in the day, and a few green-black-white flags fluttering peacefully near to Bon Accord Food Basket, that Sunday I saw no further public evidence of the PDP’s existence.

I called a friend who works with the party, asking how come I was seeing no PDP motorcades on "election eve."

He informed me that at the PDP meeting on Saturday, Farley Augustine had instructed all candidates to not join a motorcade, but to "work the ground," staying in their respective areas, focusing on continuing to connect with their constituents.

Some candidates also opted to work from their offices in their respective districts, meeting with their election day machinery and workers to pray and brief them on what is required for election day itself. Theirs was a day of prayer and preparation.

On January 25, powered by supporters’ votes, the PDP met the PNM in a six-six deadlock that had the latter stammering to grasp the reality of this unexpected historic outcome.

“Like that rope so strong it tie up the election,” one citizen commented on social media.

By the time I submit this article (Thursday midday deadline) there will be no clear resolution to the six-six impasse. In an ideal world, the two parts would come together as a harmonious whole, transcending the political "divide" and the concept of "parties," merging strengths and uniting to transform Tobago for its highest good.

As though responding to the PDP’s rallying cry –“Tobago wake up, let’s transform this island” – a clear message was delivered on January 25:

It is time for change; time for freedom from decades of dependency; time for empowerment; time for autonomy.

“We have no other choice,” a friend reported her neighbours as saying after they had returned from voting for the PDP.

The sentiments of "having no other choice," "give someone else a chance" and being "ready for change" were consistent among several citizens with whom I spoke prior to elections.

From my perspective, the general feeling on the ground was that the old tricks and tools of the trade are becoming obsolete. While there will always be those who are “X party till ah dead,” it is likely that the days are coming to an end when race, party colours, overnight road paving, handouts, bribes, threats and sudden appearances of candidates in communities can get people to vote any party into power.

Some people joked (or not) about accepting the food cards and money, and then voting for their new choice.

“They think Tobagonians stupid,” one community elder told me. “We quiet, but we not fools.”

"Tobago, wake up" was not just a call to "vote the PDP." It is (among other things) also a call for us to keep our eyes open, continually demanding and ensuring full accountability, integrity, transparency and commitment to active performance from whoever is "in power."

Otherwise, this beautiful island will continue to slumber, only dreaming of what “could be.”