By Raffique Shah
May 03, 2025

I would be the happiest person in post-election Trinidad if, three months from now, the new Prime Minister achieves 50% of her goals in any one of her objectives after scoring an emphatic win over the PNM. If, in my gaiety, I make no mention of the occasion that I celebrate and appear to be claiming “victory” as my own, does it matter anyway? When UNC wins, everybody wins, including Raffique. Seriously, though, I should first congratulate Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar on a resounding victory. That was a performance political leaders only dream of—one she will have worked hard at in the ten years she laboured in the vineyards or wherever.

She leapt into the top spot among not just nationals of this country, but Caribbean leaders, too. So if she gains stature, she’s entitled to enjoy it. In this regard, “Critic Shah” also enjoys the right to comment on it, and the axis of her strategy and tactics plan to vault her to victory and virtually into orbit. Bear in mind, her main jingle in the cacophony of advertising herself and her party was during election campaigning—“When UNC wins, everybody wins”. So the Prime Minister therefore has almost an obligation to give columnist Shah progress reports as he requires.

You see, thousands of voters made their way to polling stations to cast their ballots for the new PM, with many chanting and reminding you “when UNC wins, everybody wins”. One might say they were persuaded by those lyrics to vote for the lady. They therefore have legitimate expectations from the new PM; and I want to be there when they pursue their dreams, happy smiles on their faces as they move into their new houses or occupy their agricultural plots. Alternatively, when they move in on her demanding their spoils of the political war, blows may fly and accusations may hurl.

She and I, coming to think of it, have never met, far less had any interaction. Now, in my winter years I find the last thing I would think of doing is engaging in any conversation other than exchanged polite greetings. Likelier, I shall depart to the hereafter before Kamla and I ever meet. It is she who, in the heat of an election, appeared to be getting physical with the PNM, and made promises aplenty.

The then-incumbent PNM government warned that the treasury was running low and would not be able to fulfil the promises she made, which seemed to run into billions. She reiterated for public consumption the refrain, “I’ll find the money.” Political gimmickry is one thing: people know the promises are gimmicks, but poor people out there by the thousands, maybe tens of thousands, expect Aunty Kams to deliver. If she fails within reasonable time, that could spell big trouble in this little country.

Politicians must be held accountable for promises they made that are not kept.

I heard who I believe was a member of the Commonwealth election observers team say Trinidad and Tobago was a good candidate to take the lead in seeking to have countries enact legislation to make the politicians accountable for campaign financing. He did that openly at some press briefing, where he also said that somehow politicians worldwide dodged the question. Few countries have any legal framework for such laws. And, while they go wild on campaign funding, as we saw here over the last several weeks, they are not so minded to talk about it.

Where is the money coming from? Who are the financiers of these extravagant campaigns?

Aunty Kamla, having secured a sound majority in Parliament that allows her to introduce legislation that may be seen as breaching citizens’ rights, will do nothing to stem corruption.

In the wake of last Monday’s landslide victory that has given PM Persad-Bissessar the power to enact legislation, I expect that she would do so forthwith. In fact, she should move post-haste to scrap that relic of colonialism, the Privy Council. Politicians complain about it, explaining that because few of them get that special majority in Parliament, they can do nothing. When they do get the majority, they do nothing about it.

I believe Persad-Bissessar’s position is in favour of retaining the law lords. Whatever their respected views may be, here is an opportunity to cut legal costs that often run into millions of pounds sterling. Not only that: it’s the shame of having to go all the way to London to secure what many believe are fair judgments, when with appropriate changes we could end these legal battles at the Caribbean Court of Justice.

Be gone, M’luds.