Right thing for wrong reasons, Tesheira

THE EDITOR: Karen Tesheira, a once up-and-coming member of Cabinet and former finance minister, has boldly emerged from the shadow of the PNM. She did not simply tender her resignation; she drop-kicked it and stomped on it, declaring “battered wife syndrome” by the PNM administration against the citizens as her reason for leaving.

Where was Tesheira when she was in the PNM Cabinet and the citizens were so battered that they kicked out the PNM and opted for the PP government instead? Is she saying that the Rowley administration is inferior to the Manning executive, of which she was a part? The voters had a different view when they voted Manning out?

Her attempt to go head-to-head against Dr Rowley for the party’s leadership last year backfired, and she was left bruised and battered, losing spectacularly. But now, less than a year later, she suddenly felt disengaged from the party, still nursing her wounds from the sound thrashing meted out to her.

Did she suddenly wake up and discover that the PNM, which she was part of for more than two decades, was brazenly disregarding the voters’ concerns and its members enriching themselves?

Everything wrong with the PNM under Rowley has always been bad. So, no, Tesheira, spare us the phony outrage and finger-pointing. Tell us what would you have done differently if you had won the leadership of the PNM? Would you have fought for campaign finance reform to get money out of politics? Would you have kept the promises made by the PNM during campaigning?

How about the disrespectful tone of campaign speeches against its opponents? Would you have cleaned that up? Would you disclose all the criminal behaviour the PNM was allegedly responsible for over the years, or would you continue sweeping them under the rug?

Karen Tesheira may finally be doing the right thing but for all the wrong reasons. Yes, the PNM has lost its way. But it is too late to pull back from the precipice. What happened in Tobago was just the beginning.

REX CHOOKOLINGO

rexchook@gmail.com