The PM and the PNM's tone-deaf approach

Dr Gabrielle Jamela Hosein

The fact that PNM polls showed the party winning, or people thought the result would be close, is fascinating. Clearly, they missed sentiment on the ground – and it was the ground that carried this general election.

On Saturday in Aranguez, the UNC-led coalition had the Trinidad "massive" which was entirely ethnically mixed. In Eddie Hart, there was a surprisingly homogenous crowd and we wondered how the PNM had not managed to build cross-country groundswell in all these years.

Who have the crowd doesn’t win elections, but if crowd counted and if unmistakable vibe meant something, momentum was clear.

Whatever percentage of the electorate that went to the polls, town needs to get past the lighthouse and see that, across race, class and gender, PNM was voted out.

There’s a disconnect between a small portion of the north Trinidad and San Fernando East and the rest, particularly swathes of rural central and south. Indeed, this is an election when country people spoke loud. If you don’t understand why, do some deep asking.

Both the now former PM and the PNM political leader also continued to misapprehend the result in their election night statements, several times blaming it on people voting for promises, rather than acknowledging that this was a referendum on a ten-year record of governance.

It was a tone-deaf approach and an arrogance that one hopes will not continue, whether in opposition or in their next round in government.

People had been talking about crime creating profound fear and, yet, Fitzgerald Hinds was kept in place. Dr Rowley couldn’t be critiqued without him responding with insult and quarrel.

There were many moments of failure for which the PNM has to take responsibility – whether for Imbert’s authoritarianism, as confirmed in two major court cases; the mishandling of the Paria tragedy; the closure of Petrotrin without a plan in place or a care for the downstream South economy; thousands of job losses and public sector workers on short term contracts or 2013 wages; outstanding lands to Caroni workers; closing down funding of graduate programmes; the forex crisis that was decimating SMEs; failure to diversify and improve the ease of doing business; failure to make anyone feel safe; approving million-dollar annual salaries right before an election knowing that settlement of wages was far too meagre, and more.

Remember how self-congratulatory Imbert would be every budget speech while we shook our heads in disbelief at how he thought things were alright? They were not. No more self-congratulatory finance ministers, please.

The government clearly performed in many ways, there are health centres and community centres that were built, investments in remedial programmes, roadworks completed, and other achievements. We can appreciate where they worked hard and made a difference, and thank them for all they did right.

The unfair battle fought between Penelope Beckles and Stuart Young, the latter being hand-picked, but obviously unpopular, and now rejected at the polls, didn’t help. Perhaps Penny could have saved votes where Stuart lost them.

There were miscalculations made based on the feeling that if the party kept going on about 2010-2015, corruption and “sober” leadership, that people would continue to be swayed. But 2015 was ten years ago, a whole slew of voters came of age and didn’t remember then, and tired insults felt desperate.

At the end, it was a difficult battle for Young who had to separate himself from the ten years he spent in Cabinet while taking responsibility for achievements during his ten years in Cabinet.

There is data to scan: how many voters failed to come out in significant polling divisions and what was the impact? And, if PNM voters did not come out, even in marginals, why not? Surely, that is more damning, not less. Maybe they too were fed up, but preferred not to vote for a party and leader they look down upon.

Then there is the "everybody wins" campaign, the groundwork that had been done, and a kind of organic momentum. That Tobago was fought by Tobagonians was exactly what was needed.

Congratulations to the Tobago People's Party.

Meanwhile, nothing will change overnight and we must go on with our lives. The win signals another government in power which requires citizen vigilance. It will not be an easy road and it’s a challenging coalition.

All the best to all parties as they navigate the next stage, may they listen to the voice of the people with humility, honesty, commitment, and grace.

Diary of a mothering worker

Entry 555

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