The Opposition has a problem

Paolo Kernahan
Paolo Kernahan

PAOLO KERNAHAN

IS THE Opposition accountable for the stewardship of its role in governance? Many UNC loyalists seem to think the party does not have to uphold any performance standards. The hierarchy only needs to do something, anything – just show up (or walk out).

Last week I made a facetious Facebook post questioning the strategy behind the Opposition's protest against gas price increases on the day the increases went into effect.

Why mobilise after gas station pumps had already been recalibrated? The impending adjustment was announced at the beginning of April. Wouldn't it have been more logical to protest every day after the notice went out?

My relatively innocuous post attracted a strike force of opposition drones.

“At least we doing something, what are you doing?”

Apparently, columnists and ordinary citizens must supply receipts of activism to qualify for the right of criticism. Perhaps some circular went out itemising requirements for eligibility to condemn corruption, injustice and imbecility in TT? I must have missed it.

Among the baying mob strafing my Facebook post with intemperate remarks were upper-tier members of the UNC's inner circle. We're not just talking about your average, street-level political bottle-pelter.

Now in my life as a reporter, news producer, talk-show host and columnist I faced constant public critiques of my work. The same is true of my afterlife as an online entrepreneur. Can you imagine if I responded to both constructive and patently malicious criticism with vituperative, emotionally-driven clapbacks?

“You feel you could do the video better, well, you do it, nah!”

Like it or not, certain jobs come with stinging public evaluation and criticism. It's just one of those clauses in the contract most people gloss over.

Oddly enough, I tend to be harder on the government of the day in my commentary. Governments are the ones with access to resources, the authority to set policy and drive (or derail) socio-economic development. They've got their hands both on the till and the tiller.

Yet one post questioning the Opposition's questionable protest strategy had the yellow band seeing red.

There are many problems with the “at least we did something” sentiment. It incorrectly assumes doing something, even if the action is devoid of strategy and produces no result, is somehow different from doing nothing.

Moreover, this underlying attitude exposes a misunderstanding of the Opposition's responsibility to those who elected them. People need intelligent advocacy, not half-baked tactics engineered for optics. This myopic approach also disregards citizens who voted for the Government but strongly disagree with its decisions. But “is dem vote fuh dat!” – or whatever.

Make no mistake, the fuel price hike will punish low- and middle-income families. Thousands are already reeling from a terminally-ill economy further sickened by the pandemic. That's why the Opposition needed a solid strategy, one that gauged the severe pains being endured by the population.

Protests against the fuel-price hike were entirely appropriate, but why push for a rollback of such a major decision rather than try to prevent its implementation? Even if the Government proceeded, pressure could have been applied to lobby for improvement of the notoriously hobbled and unreliable PTSC.

In this way, citizens would benefit from a more dependable and efficient public transportation system, in theory anyway. Ultimately, the Opposition's protest came off as watered-down political theatre.

Not surprisingly, the UNC couldn't stoke support outside its core fandom. Even for an issue touching so many citizens of different political allegiances, the Opposition was unable to attract crossover support.

That's because the UNC clearly doesn't know how to rally a diverse, divided and beleaguered nation. Additionally, it doesn't seem interested in learning. Party insiders are keener on attacking critics, the same people it’s trying to get on board for votes.

The UNC will probably win the next general election anyway. That victory won't be owed to earned appeal, but overwhelming disgust with the PNM and its inability to lead the country out of challenging circumstances. Without broader support, though, the UNC will have one helluva a ride governing a country that, by then, will be in complete tatters.

UNC leaders haven't demonstrated they've learned from their mistakes. Practising the same antagonistic politics that are the speciality of the PNM does nothing for their image and saleability.

The party needs to hit "Pause" and absorb widespread public scrutiny of its performance.

It should examine why it continuously fails to galvanise the populace to causes like the gas-price hikes which are innately flammable.

That would certainly be more useful than chasing after parked cars on social media.

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"The Opposition has a problem"

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