It refers to a column entitled “No Place to Hide” by Dr Selwyn Cudjoe, published in last Sunday’s Express.
Dr Cudjoe obviously supports Ms Karen Nunez-Tesheira in the PNM (People’s National Movement) leadership race. I have no problem with that, as it is his democratic right to do so.
However, I have concerns about some of the things he stated in the column, and some of the views she articulated on the campaign trail.
I personally am against mudslinging in election campaigns, even though this seems to be the norm, globally, in such campaigns. However, Dr Cudjoe paints a one-sided picture with Ms Nunez-Tesheira as the lowly victim.
Ms Nunez-Tesheira at the start of her campaign painted Dr Keith Rowley as vulgar and raised his statement a few years ago about “cyat”. Apart from anything else, she showed that as a potential leader of T&T, she was out of touch with the cultural norms of Tobagonians, as that statement is an old Tobago saying that is no longer in vogue, but has nothing to do with vulgarity/ sexual implication that some uninformed Trinidadians sought to put on it.
In fact, at the time the statement was made, one of Dr Rowley’s political opponents, originally from Tobago, felt compelled to come to his defense on the matter. Many older Tobagonians also felt very offended that some Trinidadians could associate such an old Tobago saying with vulgarity, given their very conservative Christian background.
My advice to both parties is to make this campaign issue-based.
Mrs. Nunez-Tesheira emphasized that “it is not a bad thing for the political party to point out the shortcomings; instead, it is your duty and responsibility to do so.”
Ms Nunez-Tesheira – I would not be surprised, as with any other human being – would have disagreed with every matter that came before the Cabinet for a decision when she was Minister. However, she would have let her views be known there, rather than taking dirty liberties in public.
I would also not be surprised that in some cases she would have been able to persuade the Cabinet to accept her point of view and vice versa.
It is only after a minister has articulated his/her views within the Cabinet, and the Cabinet decides otherwise, that the minister, if he/she still feels strongly about an issue, does he/she resign and go public on the issue.
Of course, for good measure, apart from the Cabinet, this is well-established protocol within political families and parties, globally. Ms. Nunez-Tesheira should tell us what efforts she made to bring her concerns to the party’s attention before going public with them.
Another concern is, what role did Ms. Nunez-Tesheira play in efforts to rebuild the party after its electoral defeat in 2010? As a former cabinet minister and constituency representative, did she seek to support the party through her involvement at least at the caucus level? If not, then why not?
Mrs. Nunez-Tesheira expressed the opinion that the PNM hierarchy should engage its members in the identification and implementation of solutions. This means that the party bodies are not functioning properly, because this is what, for example, party groups, constituency councils and the general council are all about.
I look forward to her views on how this relationship can be strengthened. I’m not being sarcastic. Leaders, after a while, become so overwhelmed with the heavy responsibilities of their office that they eventually live in a bubble. Many of their trusted advisors do not help, as they simply tell their leaders what they think those leaders want to hear, instead of the truth.
Party groups are close to the ground and can serve to moderate this tendency. Along with this concern is the poor communication of excellent policy initiatives. Mr. Patrick Manning was strongly challenged on both counts. He called a general election in 2010 that, given the prevailing state of the country, it was clear to all but his staunchest supporters that he could not win.
He had some great policy initiatives that would have borne fruit by 2012; and with a proper communication strategy in place, if the election had been held then, the outcome could have been different.
There is much talk of a new vision for Ms. Nunez-Tesheira, but I have yet to see anything from her that reflects this.
A significant part of the current PNM leadership is old. What needs to happen urgently is to establish a proper mentoring program which would train/prepare the next generation so that they can hit the ground running.
It is their world and they have a keen insight into what will be required in the future. However, the wisdom/experience of those politicians from a previous generation is essential to chart the way forward.
Louis W Williams
Saint Augustine
