It has been a week since Tobagonians voted resoundingly for the Progressive Democratic Patriots to take control of the Tobago House of Assembly and manage the affairs of the island.
The 14 to one victory for the PDP saw the People's National Movement, which had been governing Tobago for the last 20 years, receive a thrashing, with even the political leader of the PNM's Tobago Council, Tracy Davidson-Celestine, losing her Lambeau/Signal Hill district.
Mrs Davidson-Celestine could be regarded as a lifelong politician.
Having entered the political arena early on in her career, she rose through the ranks largely under the tutelage of former THA Chief Secretary Orville London.
As a young woman, she gained respect in Tobago politics and indeed all across the country for her eloquence, determination and poise. When she attained the role of deputy Chief Secretary of the THA in the last regime, it cemented her future in governance.
Davidson-Celestine seemed destined to one day take the reins of Chief Secretary and become the first woman ever to do so, much like how she created history as the first female political leader of the Tobago PNM.
However, her party did not amass the votes needed for that glass ceiling to be shattered this time around.
Since then, the Tobago Council of the PNM says it has embarked on an assessment of itself to determine why it suffered such a massive loss and to begin the rebuilding.
That effort has seen the departure of several key members who held crucial positions in the Tobago arm of the party.
The first to go was Stanford Callender, who stepped down as council chairman. The party has also since lost its public relations officer, education officer, welfare officer and lady vice-chair.
The calls for Davidson-Celestine to also make her departure have been gaining momentum.
Prime Minister and PNM leader Dr Keith Rowley, while not sharing publicly his thoughts on what should be her next move, told Guardian Media in an exclusive interview that traditions in the party should be respected.
He went on to explain that in the party, "the leader would take responsibility for having lost, you would so declare by resignation and that creates a vacancy within the organisation. The person who is the leader can contest again if he or she so wishes. And the membership will determine whether you continue, or they change the leadership.”
While it may be difficult for all those who have held executive posts in the Tobago Council of the PNM to now remove themselves, it may very well be the best step to allow the party and its membership to begin the introspection which must be done.
If we are to look at the political career of former United States President Abraham Lincoln, he encountered numerous defeats. Although he kept nudging himself towards success, it is clear from the history books that he also knew when to take a step back in order to regain his footing. Davidson-Celestine is clearly at such a crossroad.