The citizens of T&T who form the backbone of the United National Congress need to understand why they keep losing. The UNC is unable to win control of government unless they are aligned to other parties and, importantly, if People’s National Movement voters decide to not vote on election day.
The UNC needs the assistance of other political parties because the core voters are spread over what is termed “UNC territory.” The Republic of T&T is not just half of Trinidad.
The scattered enclaves of UNC sympathisers are located in mainly south and central Trinidad. There is little or no representation in Tobago unless it is paid support.
Defeat in 2015 was achieved on the backs of a deplorable negative campaign strategy of character assassination of the then Opposition Leader and the total collapse of a misguided Congress of the People. The COP which had formed the main prop to the UNC in 2010, collapsed abominably and dislike the description or not, the COP is one political foot from the grave. Success for the UNC is now tied inextricably to finding a leader with significant political appeal beyond the core constituencies. Truth to say, Mrs Persad-Bissessar may no longer be as politically beautiful because of her five straight defeats at the polls but she appealed to many female voters as first female prime minister of T&T. That novelty has worn off and she is back to square one.
Speaking frankly, not mincing words, not coating the political medicine, it does not matter who wins leadership of the UNC unless the core people of the UNC show that they love and trust all of T&T. This is not about race. In death all the bones look the same. This is about spreading UNC campaigns into so-called “enemy territory.”
Do not leave the understanding of yourselves as fellow citizens on the backs of the families who come into all areas of Port-of-Spain working as doubles and coconut vendors. Apart from the brilliant young people who attend the University of the West Indies, contact with our Indo brothers and sisters has remained far too separate.
Proportional representation is an admission of political defeat as it really means putting citizens into racially-lined prison boxes. It is totally ridiculous that the UNC campaigned in Port-of-Spain once and expected to win the general elections of 2015.
The harsh reality is that the People’s National Movement has spread its national appeal well inside UNC territory. Voting is no longer about race. No one race will win government without help from the other.
It will forever remain necessary to win at least half of the northern constituencies to form the government of T&T. Winning in Chaguanas is too easy. I do not anticipate Chaguanas ever being made the capital city. The real political challenge is Port-of-Spain, the North West and the East/West corridor.
Lynette Joseph