On Sunday at the PNM’s Sports and Family Day, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley put his supporters in election mode when he said, “Stand by and wait for the call because, in the middle of the night, the dawn may not be too far away … whenever they are ready, THA election, by-election, general election, we will beat them.”
Social media showed ministers mixing with the masses and having fun. I am sure many dribbled for curry duck.
This positive imagery can have a powerful psychological effect on the voting populace and is a far cry from the negative messaging sent by the Opposition party.
While UNC’s internal election results should have been Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s coup de grace to her dissenters, MP Rai Ragbir’s conscience vote and responses to this, prolong the imagery of animosity and conflicts.
Will the PM call elections before it is due? The late Patrick Manning did this once and the gamble did not play out to his advantage.
Besides the Opposition’s disarray, the inevitable flooding, increasing crime rate, and lack of forex around Christmas may hasten this decision.
It may only take land distribution via the Homestead programme, loans for house repairs, and other benefits to party supporters in the marginal seats to win another term.
The general policy of both parties is similar.
Where they differ is in their approach to crime and labour.
UNC is giving people better access to defend themselves and now getting into bed with union leaders for political mileage.
Both would need relations between Venezuela, the US and Guyana.
Health management would be similar. I was alarmed when it was rumoured that the CDAP programme was becoming a burden on Government.
This Government’s modus operandi has always been austerity measures in their first three years, with gifts before elections, and it may have been politically prudent to delay property tax until after the elections.
In the UK, PM Rishi Sunak’s gamble to call an early election is being influenced by a gambling scandal.
Three days ago, Sunak’s party pulled support for two election candidates being investigated for using inside information to place bets on the date of the election before it was announced.
This is a plus to the opposition Labour Party, which may return to power after 14 years.
A bit of the UK’s history would illustrate a lot about the wanting calibre of leaders, as well as the unmet expectations of voters.
One gets the impression that something is very wrong at the heart of public life.
In 1979, Margaret Thatcher was voted into office after Labour leader James Callaghan’s tenure saw rising inflation and nationwide strikes.
Thatcher reversed the high inflation, privatised state companies and deregulated the financial markets. The Falklands War boosted her re-election in 1987.
After winning three elections, she resigned when John Major challenged her anti-EU views and poll tax.
Major was voted out after the “Sleaze Scandals” (corruption and sex scandals).
After 18 years, the Conservatives were voted out.
The new PM, Tony Blair, increased spending on healthcare and education and introduced a minimum wage. He resigned after the Cash-for-Honours scandal, where several men he nominated for life peerages loaned money to his Labour Party, also for his involvement in the invasion of Iraq. He was replaced by Gordon Brown, but the 2008 financial crisis saw the Labour Party ousted from power.
In 2010 and 2015, David Cameron won elections, but the Greensill lobbying scandal and his pro-EU stance led to his resignation.
In 2016, Theresa May, who succeeded him, called and won a snap election in 2017 but resigned in 2019 over her Brexit proposal and internal party discontent.
Boris Johnson took over but would leave office within three years, following a series of scandals, including the sexual harassment of the Pincher Affair.
His replacement, Liz Truss, resigned after a mere 45 days due to her disastrous mini-budget.
Her replacement, Rishi Sunak, who is branded an elitist, is faced with a cost-of-living crisis and an energy supply crisis.
He is the fifth PM in a little over six years.
Both parties produced leaders who offered hope but could not deliver. Some faced internal grabs for power. Sometimes external forces produced economic hard times. Corruption and sex scandals also seemed ubiquitous.
The election cycle starts where promises bring hope which stimulates change followed by dissatisfaction and the cycle restarts.
It is the population who has to decide when to end a cycle and note that most of the time the problems remain the same, only the players and their promises change.