Jesse Ramdeo
Senior Reporter
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s two Independence Day messages have drawn sharply different reactions, with Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles and Mickela Panday criticising what they described as divisive and politically motivated rhetoric, while political analyst Dr Shane Mohammed defended the Prime Minister’s first message as an opportunity for objective reflection on the country’s development.
In her first message, Persad-Bissessar reflected on Trinidad and Tobago’s condition at Independence, arguing that Britain had left “a very prosperous functioning country.” She urged citizens to stop attributing the country’s present problems to its colonial past.
Her second message, directed specifically to United National Congress supporters, took a more political tone, with the Prime Minister speaking about the challenges facing her administration and urging party supporters to stand together, using the phrase “peace or total war.”
Beckles says PM’s
messages ‘insensitive’
Beckles condemned the two messages, describing them as “insensitive, divorced from reality” and lacking a distinction between party politics and the responsibilities of national leadership.
In a statement yesterday, Beckles said the Prime Minister’s decision to address the UNC membership before issuing her message to the wider nation was inappropriate for a national occasion.
“That is not the conduct of a Prime Minister seeking to unite a country.”
Beckles also accused Persad-Bissessar of presenting a politically convenient version of the country’s history.
She also said the Prime Minister’s post-colonial comments failed to adequately acknowledge the inequalities and social conditions that existed at Independence.
“The Prime Minister is wrong to present our colonial inheritance without acknowledging the profound inequalities and social conditions that existed at Independence,” she said.
Mohammed defends PM
Political analyst Dr Shane Mohammed adopted a different position, saying Persad-Bissessar’s first Independence Day message was appropriate and that national occasions should provide an opportunity for objective reflection on the country’s progress.
“I think in some instances when it comes to national holidays and when we speak about our nationalism, it is important to look at the things which are very objective, very matter-of-fact,” Mohammed said.
He agreed with the Prime Minister’s assessment that successive leaders made decisions after Independence that had negative consequences for the country.
Mohammed identified the decline of Trinidad and Tobago’s agrarian sector as one such decision.
He argued that combining agriculture with industrialisation could have significantly strengthened the economy and said national leaders need to develop policies with a 30- or 40-year vision.
While agreeing with much of Persad-Bissessar’s first statement, Mohammed said it raises a question about the Government’s position on reparations.
Jackson sees deeper
political and social problem
Creative and Cultural Studies advocate Abeo Jackson offered a significantly more critical interpretation of the Prime Minister’s messaging.
Speaking with Guardian Media yesterday, Jackson said Trinidad and Tobago is already experiencing a period of intense social and political upheaval and argued that the country is approaching what he described as a “fever pitch.”
She criticised what she described as entrenched political polarisation and argued that many citizens have become trapped within established political loyalties.
Jackson said Persad-Bissessar understands the audience she is addressing and claimed that aspects of the Prime Minister’s rhetoric mirror what he described as a broader US political “playbook.”
She also alleged that external and imperial interests are making increasingly significant inroads into regional politics.
Panday condemns
PM’s divisive rhetoric
Mickela Panday, daughter of former prime minister and UNC founder Basdeo Panday, also criticised Persad-Bissessar’s Independence Day messaging.
“No, I don’t believe it was appropriate. Independence Day belongs to the entire nation. The Prime Minister’s responsibility is to speak to all citizens, whether they support the UNC or not. I say that with particular understanding because the UNC is a party my father founded. UNC supporters should not be used so conveniently as a political shield for what is ultimately about the Prime Minister’s leadership. They don’t deserve that.”
Panday said “peace or total war” is an extremely dangerous statement for a Prime Minister to make.
“Who is she at war with? Her political opponents? Her critics? The people who disagree with her? The disenchanted UNC Supporters?” Panday asked.
