Trinidad Local Government Elections PP, PNM, MSJ, ILP

Sharing Why I Voted & Who I Voted For

Today I voted in the Local Government elections in Trinidad and Tobago.  There was no indecision in my vote or the reason for me voting.  First of all let me say that one of the reasons I felt I had to vote is because I think that for someone to comment and observe anything that sooner or later you have to take a position.  I vote for the right to be able to take a stand and say I prefer this party or that party. 

Before I tell you who I voted for, I will share with you the choices I had and you tell me how you would have voted given the political climate in the country.

The People’s Partnership Government (PP) , primarily represented by the United National Congress (UNC), The Congress of the People (COP) and the silent partner, the National Joint Action Committee.  This is the Party I supported in the last election.  The situation was that the then incumbent government led by the then Prime Minister, Patrick Manning had to go.  The reasons are all recorded in history.   But I could not and would not vote or support a Party that has made so many missteps, mistakes, misrepresentations with numerous allegations of corruption, nepotism and outright waste.  That will never happen again if my vote matters.

The Independent Liberal Party (ILP) This is a formed by a rejected minister of the present government, Jack Austin Warner.  He had to leave after allegations of theft, bribery and corruption which he all denied and instead began hurling accusations at the present government.  His campaign was one of the meanest in the history of Trinidad, yet it appears that thousands of Trinidadians are following him.  That in and of itself speaks volumes, "which we will not address here… not now”.  But the bottom line is that the people who follow this man are either morally or ethically blind or are so desperate for an alternative Party that they will follow Ali Baba if he was running.  He is, in the person of Mr. Jack Austin Warner, never convicted but always suspect.  On the eve of the election it was revealed that he has not paid taxes in the last 10 years.  Ouch that hurts.

Movement For Social Justice (MSJ) This I believe should be a favorite Party; it is the Party that can really make a difference in the way the country is run.  They have demonstrated their integrity when they walked away from the government partnership because as they put it, “they no longer wanted to be a part of the corruption”.  Ideally, this is the Party most citizens would choose.  There is one problem.    Their appeal is not wide enough, so the other Parties are dwarfing them in the campaign and getting the message out.  They will lose the elections.

The People National Movement (PNM) This is one of the oldest Parties in Trinidad and Tobago.  It is the Party I wanted out in 2010 because of the aforementioned leader, Patrick Manning.  Since then, the new Political Leader, Dr. Keith Rowley took the helm of leadership.  He was the only Party politician to stand up against Mr. Manning excesses while they were in office.  The PNM has attempted to re-invent themselves, as any sensible Party would do, after the licking they took in the 2010 elections.  They were lucky to get away with just a few seats in Parliament.   Today they are seeking a comeback in an election that they did not give the people an opportunity to have for 3 years.  

My question is given the choices above.  Who would you vote for if your interest was in the improvement of the country.  

I voted PNM, not because I know they will do any better but because given the choices the PNM was the only logical choice.

The sad fact is that this is just a Local Government Election, tomorrow the PP government will still be in power.  In terms of governance nothing will change.  

With my vote I hope to send a message to that government that I don’t agree with the way they are doing things.  At the end of the day today, we will see if that message was sent.

If you are a Trinbagonian, Who did you vote for and why?  

Your answers are anonymous unless you choose to identify yourself.