Young’s election flex

THE INK had barely dried on Stuart Young’s instrument of appointment as Prime Minister when he, on March 18, announced he had advised President Christine Kangaloo to dissolve Parliament, in the process sending TT hurtling towards a general election on April 28. He had been in office for one day and six hours.

Mr Young remains in post, but as the head of a caretaker cabinet. Whether his briefest of stints in Whitehall will end up in the scrapheap of history is now in the hands of voters. In a way, this bold move, and the confidence it suggests despite the clear gamble involved, is the ultimate political flex.

It is the first election in April in modern times. There have been polls in May, August, September, October, November, and December. The date means campaigning partly coincides with Ramadan, Spiritual Baptist Liberation Day, Eid-ul-Fitr, Lent and Easter. The SEA exercise involving primary schools is on April 10.

It is also one of the shortest hustings periods. The state of emergency is, additionally, due to expire close to the poll, though Parliament can be reconvened to extend it. That appears highly unlikely.

In his March 17 inaugural address, Mr Young praised the country’s multiculturalism, called for unity and seemed optimistic. While he cannot pass legislation, the caretaker PM can still regulate the state and outline post-election policies. But the convention of pausing far-ranging actions before polls will restrict him.

Despite this, the ruling PNM may still be confident it can ride goodwill from the voluntary departure of Dr Keith Rowley back into office under Mr Young.

With the opposition UNC for some time trailing in terms of revealing its full candidate slate, and with myriad coalition talks among smaller parties tenuous, the PNM is seizing the moment. The potentially damaging spectacle of legal action challenging Mr Young’s appointment is also avoided.

Still, the April 28 election date is both a shock and not. It is a shock given the PM’s historic assumption of office mere hours prior. But over the last few weeks, UNC politicians have been suggesting this was the proposed date.

So much so that a day before he called the election, Mr Young was asked by reporters at President’s House if an April 28 poll had been ruled out. He replied, “Absolutely nothing is ruled out.”

Even the PNM has been telegraphing readiness, with its March 16 event in Woodford Square arguably oriented not to Dr Rowley’s retirement but to the trail. The PNM leader’s reluctance to clarify the timeline of his exit is now explained.

The question is whether, after all this, Mr Young and the PNM’s bold gamble will pay off.