Who is popular today?

As the PNM Tobago Council meets on Monday to discuss a power-sharing arrangement proposed as an interim solution for the deadlocked Tobago House of Assembly (THA), a third political party is lauding it as “the most enlightened” of all proposals.
Political leader of the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) David Abdulah said it was not a new approach as a group of independent trade unionists to which he belonged had proposed a government of national unity during the 18-18 tie in the 2001 general election.
He said the proposal was put forward to former opposition leader Patrick Manning, Dr Keith Rowley, ex-president ANR Robinson, and ex-Cabinet minister Wade Mark as then prime minister Basdeo Panday declined to meet, but it was not accepted.
“In this instance Tobago has done what Trinidad could not have done. Tobago has the opportunity to bring about significant reform in the governance arrangement in Tobago and we hope that the outcome would be realised both in terms of power sharing and decision making of the administration and responsibility and accountability which goes hand in hand with power and decision making.”
At the same time, he said he hopes internal self-government become a reality for Tobago.
Abdulah said the six-six tie between the People’s National Movement (PNM) and the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) is not a crisis as some have described it but an opportunity for them to do something fundamentally different.
While he said the outcome of the January election was not organised, “sometimes the popular will of the people gets expressed in ways political pundits don’t expect and this was one of those occasions when the result demonstrated a wisdom overall of the people of Tobago because they did not give either party a majority in the THA.”
He congratulated the PDP for its proposal and showing in the election having won four additional seats, saying this also demonstrates the people of Tobago were unhappy with the state of governance.
“It says to us Tobago wants a certain unified approach to the politics and governance of Tobago to be taken by the political parties in order to advance the interest of Tobago.”
He said this model was articulated by the late Dennis Pantin who advocated for constitutional reform, not for winner takes all.
The PDP's proposal agrees to give the PNM the positions of Chief Secretary and presiding officer, while it is willing to settle for the portfolios of Deputy Chief Secretary, Secretary of Finance and two of the three councillors allocated to the executive.
The post MSJ: Tobago has opportunity for significant reform appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.