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IMRAN N HOSEIN
I WRITE to commend former prime minister Dr Keith Rowley for his wise and graceful withdrawal from leadership of this country. It is to his credit that he did not consider his leadership to be indispensable; and that rare wisdom among local politicians is now certain to win for him a place of respect and honour in the political history of this country. An Arab proverb declares, "The dogs keep on barking, yet the caravan moves on."
Rowley’s place in history now appears secure.
The country must also praise him and his government for, in particular, the courage and wisdom demonstrated in maintaining fraternal relations, and mutually beneficial economic ties in oil and gas, with our dear neighbour Venezuela.
While others in TT recognised Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s president, foolishly so and to their everlasting political disgrace, Rowley and his government showed exceptional courage in gently resisting the diktat of a US government that was waging unjust economic and monetary warfare against a long-oppressed Venezuela.
We do not know what the future holds for this country’s oil and gas relations with Venezuela, but we are proud of a TT government which, like the South African government, did not bend its knees in submission to a bully.
But this was also the profile of the PNM from day one. The march to Chaguaramas, the "Massa Day Done" speech, the stand on US military intervention in Grenada, Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Dr Amery Brown’s recent courageous speech at the UN General Assembly all provided evidence of a political party and a government which was not in a state of servile submission to the Yankee massa.
But Rowley’s legacy, like that of those who preceded him, including Dr Eric Williams, was that of a politician rather than a statesman.
They all presided over a constantly collapsing society, and could do nothing to either reverse the collapse or arrest it. They were all secular politicians without adequate knowledge of how to build and sustain a healthy and stable social order. They did not know that such a society cannot be established without religion.
The predictable result has been the emergence of a godless amoral generation of drifting young people, ever-increasingly violent crime, home invasions, kidnapping, gang warfare, rape, murder and mayhem, from which there now appears to be no escape.
But this was not the only failure of the PNM. Its inadequate political philosophy, derived from an Oxford heritage, showed no understanding of how to respond systemically to a polity constituted of several different tribes and religions. It neither knew about a plural model of a state, nor was it ever prepared to part from the model of a state that was inherited from Britain.
As a consequence, the Afro-PNM shared responsibility with its rival Indo-tribe for ushering destructive tribal warfare (as well as political patronage) in a woefully inadequate political system inherited from Britain. That tribal rivalry has infected the society ever since the birth of the PNM in 1955 and, perhaps, even before.
The ever-faithful Kamaluddin Mohammed eventually left the party when he could no longer stomach its tribal arrogance, and so too did a broken-hearted Winston Mahabir.
Rowley had some personal failures as well. The manner in which Nafeesa Mohammed was driven from the party was embarrassingly petty and short-sighted.
The PNM had an opportunity of a lifetime when Williams died to heal those tribal wounds. If Mohammed had been chosen to succeed Williams as PM, all of TT would have responded with happiness and tribal relief.
Mohammed had the personality of deep commitment to the religious way of life, the profile of inclusiveness, the humility and native wisdom with which to embrace all tribes and all religions.
Because of political short-sightedness the PNM blew away that golden opportunity which may never come again.
But we must nevertheless commend Rowley – and the PNM – for having chosen Stuart Young as his successor. Despite his recent accidental failing, from which we hope he has emerged chastened, and despite the fact that he has not as yet showed evidence of rising to be a statesman, Young now represents a new ray of tribal hope in this hopelessly and lamentably tribally-divided country.
His Indian Muslim grandparents and his Chinese tribal heritage, while leading a largely Afro government (at least until Election Day) places him at an admirable tribal crossroad from which to reach out eventually to all the tribes in search of a constitutional tomorrow that can bring an inclusive political system that will embrace all our tribes in a political fraternity.
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