Throwing down the gauntlet

SINCE this country became a republic in 1976, all seven presidents have adopted varied approaches to politics.

Sir Ellis Clarke diverged dramatically from the Cabinet of ANR Robinson on the matter of the appointment of a chief justice, while Noor Hassanali was not known to rock the boat. Anthony Carmona was unafraid to criticise government on national security, while Paula-Mae Weekes studiously avoided any contentious territory, some would say to her detriment.

George Maxwell Richards straddled the spectrum, being initially tight-lipped on several controversies, including one touching his own role in appointments to the Integrity Commission, while later calling on Kamla Persad-Bissessar to explain the early proclamation of Section 34.

Perhaps the most activist president, however, was Arthur NR Robinson, in his later incarnation as head of state, who, for better or worse, acted based on his own views, moral and spiritual ones included.

President Christine Kangaloo’s call on Wednesday for Tobago autonomy, however, goes well beyond what we have seen from her predecessors. Its boldness places her in a category of her own.

“I believe that at this juncture of our country’s history, our task,” Ms Kangaloo said, addressing a special session of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), “is to fight to keep the question of Tobago’s autonomy on the national agenda and to strain every muscle in us to struggle for its achievement...until it is advanced and achieved.”

This unabashed appeal, coming from a head of state, would be notable at any time; it goes well beyond the speech delivered by Ms Kangaloo’s predecessor in the same chamber in 2019. The symbolism, too, of the President’s choosing to raise the issue first with Tobagonians and not in the Trinidad and Tobago Parliament is striking.

Most striking of all, though, is Ms Kangaloo’s timing. Her call comes at a moment when the relationship between the Central Government and the THA is at an all-time low. Her gesture can be read as an invitation to all parties to refocus.

Will it work?

The long and winding road of the issue of Tobago’s autonomy started, perhaps, in 1977, when Mr Robinson led the charge for self-governance in Parliament. He would have to wait until 1996 for legislation more fully approximating his vision to be passed.

And yet, by his death in 2014, the idea of real autonomy was yet to be achieved. Various committees and reports and consultations have occurred over the course of almost five decades, and yet little progress has been made.

Ms Kangaloo has thrown down the gauntlet at the feet of all of TT, including those who doubted her ability to be non-partisan, challenging all to work together to change Tobago’s fate.