Hulk woos the Jack

Guest Column

Dr RAMCHAND RAMPERSAD

IN WHAT could be described as a political turn of the tides, one Carnival fete brought with it the love and unity that characterise the season. Capturing media attention was Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, holding hands, conversing with her long-time colleague, Jack Warner.

For many, this would be a shocker, given the decade-long stand-off between the two, with Warner occasionally lambasting her and weakening her political endeavours. For others, it may appear normal in our mode of politics of the day. Either way, several questions arise.

Is this the Opposition Leader’s response to an ongoing call for unity of the opposition forces in a bid to oust the ruling PNM? Is this her technique of settling the controversies surrounding the recently held UNC national congress? Is this move sufficient to stir national momentum and alight the large fraction of discontented voters of both the opposition and government?

If this is the start of a national alliance, who can we expect next? Given the history of failed alliances formed on the heels of general elections, would the population buy into this type of arrangement? Are citizens’ disenchantment with the PNM’s management of the economy sufficiently strong to accept a relatively weak alternative?

The onlooker will form diverse impressions and this development will strike a new conversation at all levels in society: it will give a renewed sense of hope for some UNC activists; Warner’s loyalists may once again find a political home; PNM leadership will be observing closely, gauging an appropriate response; political scientists would bask in the opportunity to analyse, proffering their differing views, conclusion and consequences of this apparent partnership; and writers like me would now have a new matter to ponder upon.

Whatever our individual opinion, there are some indicators that suggest a deeper significance to this appearance.

This historical bonding may be considered not only personal, but also structural. The event, the UNC’s Carnival fete, was held at the Centre of Excellence. For sure, it is a merger of two leaders in their own rights: Persad-Bissessar leads the UNC, Warner leads the Centre of Excellence.

Certainly, deliberations between the two would have begun long before the event. The outcome, posing for the media, hand-in-hand, would have been premeditated, strategic and meaningful. Warner has been dubbed a strategically inciteful and astute politician. What’s in it for him attracts much speculation, while the benefit to the UNC requires some in-depth analysis.

The Ganges meeting the Nile will be the greatest success factor for the next election. The PNM cannot count on the two Tobago seats given the PDP's infiltration, and both parties have recognised that their tribal base is no longer sufficient to guarantee the marginal seats.

To this end, the UNC must woo the African votes just as the PNM is attempting to gain Indian votes by the recent appointments of Christine Kangaloo and Rishi Sookhai. One can predict that there will soon be more appointments of Indo-Trinis to high positions in the government.

This agenda would have triggered Persad-Bissessar’s reconciliation with Warner, cautiously weighing his political value to the UNC. Others who are waiting patiently for her call, but do not meet the race criteria, will have to understand their place in the proverbial waiting list. The UNC’s headhunt will be for those of African descent, just as the PNM is seeking East Indians. PNM loyalists understand this and placidly accept their leader’s decisions.

Would the hierarchy of the UNC be similarly accommodating? History has proven otherwise, as was the case of the so-called UNC cabal during the Partnership government. Most around the leader will feel directly and indirectly threatened as some stick to her like termites, eating away everything that gets close to her. Wasn’t that Warner’s fate in 2013? Did this not contribute to the fall of the Partnership government? Can that trail of betrayal be so easily forgotten?

Persad-Bissessar’s future political success lies in her ability to reposition her party as all-inclusive, giving a free ticket to those she has hurt and who are willing to forgive and forget. Her challenge will be to convince those around her that they lack the political acumen to move the party into government. Can she exercise her "hulkculean" powers to crush the general attitude of mediocrity, complacency and insecurity of NATEX members?

Would this arrangement with Warner give the PNM renewed ammunition to detonate the UNC? What fruits will this symbiotic relationship bear? Would the symbolic handshake between the controversial duo be seen as timely in the context of the 2025 general election, or as a miscalculated impulsive reaction to the PNM’s Indo recruitments? Or putting everything aside, could it be just for the love of Jack?