Will Race-Baiting Ever End in T&T

AZP News Commentary

ONE thing that I absolutely hate with the fire of a thousand suns in this world is political race-baiting.

To catch you up, last week Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley announced he would be retiring. A vote was then taken at a sunny Tobago retreat where the majority of his colleagues chose Minister of Energy and Energy Industries Stuart Young to take over Dr Rowley’s post as prime minister upon his retirement.

As one can imagine this ruffled the feathers of keyboard bigots and it didn’t take long for the asinine comments to begin attacking Young’s race. “Welcome to Chinidad & Tobago,” “PNM hampers now coming with Cha Sui Kai Fan”… you know the usual stupidity.

Then there was the ugly. The usual social commentators took up the position that Rowley and PNM had “betrayed the black vote.” That the PNM had sold out their supporters to 1%. That they had been handed over to a “Chinee Masa.”

I mean really. We’re still going there.

Even Minister of Planning and Development, and Young’s only opponent to take over from Rowley, Pennelope Beckles wasn’t spared with someone asking what her qualifications were “other than being black.”

If you are a person who is still voting on race or agreeing with race-baiting social media posts because they make you feel “superior,” please head down to the Elections and Boundaries Commission and remove yourself from the eligible voters list.

This all started in the times of colonialism when the imperial powers deliberately used social and psychological tactics on former slaves and indentured workers to build distrust and animosity between the two major racial groups in the country.

This ensured they would never get together, realise their power as one and take down their “colonial masters… ” whom I hope are currently spending eternity getting jabbed in the buttocks by Satan’s pitchfork.

Unfortunately, the plan worked. Here we are a bazillion years later dividing ourselves along racial lines instead of coming together and demanding better governance from both of our major political parties. But nah…we like it so.

Perhaps the most intelligent thing said regarding Young’s possible rise to head of the PNM regarding race-based politics came from former United National Congress minister Dr Surujrattan Rambachan.

Via his social media account he said, “Has Rowley broken the mould of racial voting in TT. The choice of a Chinese (with Indian roots?) does suggest that Rowley was deliberate. If this is his motive, then he has made a political and social leap.”

Dr Rambachan is correct, if this was a deliberate move, then Young would represent a new era in the PNM and in local politics. A political party, whose perceived primary voter base has long been Afro Trinidadians, places a “mix up” Chinee at the helm. The move being one of moving away from the separative tactics of the past, and forging a new path in politics that is not based on race but rather what the party brings to the table.

Will people accept this? I am desperately hoping so.

If we can move beyond race, then we can focus on the policies being brought forward by our political parties come election. If they know they cannot count on the “Indian vote” or “African vote”, I assure you they will do a better job. If they know that the loyalty of the people is earned based performance, honesty, and creating attainable pathways for the country grow, they will work harder.

At the time of this article being published the PNM is meeting to discuss the retirement of Rowley and as to whether Young will take his place. If Rowley’s retirement is formally announced and Young steps in as prime minister, what Dr Rambachan said will be true. We as TRINBAGONIANS will have witnessed a step towards the end of race-based voting and political parties. It is a step I hope to see all other parties follow.