Dear Editor,
The Barbados PM has achieved the phenomenon in politics of winning by a landslide all 30 seats up for grabs twice in her country not by flexing her muscles and looking for pavement fight but by being the stateswoman incarnate – as of Germany’s Merkel, for example, running her country in such a way that its global reputation belies its geographic size; that when she speaks at an international forum, at the UN, world leaders sit down and make themselves comfortable to listen to her, to one who has become a beloved, respected and towering personality on the world stage.
While in years gone by Trinidad was known as Little America and Barbados as Little England, via Mia her country has maintained that designation while Mia has herself become the Caribbean Margaret Thatcher no less. In the meanwhile, Trinidad’s image as Little America has been so diminished with Rowley becoming the sidekick of Maduro that now we just qualify in the eyes of America to be “Little,” as in the nuisance of a mosquito.
So Little Mosquito that we have become we could only look up at Barbados and echo the words of the great poet, Omar Khayyam who said so profoundly, poignantly, when paradise is lost, when we let it slip through our fingers: “what might have been?” Now we quote the poet as we see Mia take Barbados to the heights of global recognition and respect and watch with shame and regret how Trinidad is in a race for last place – we really not knowing whether we are coming or going.
Mia Mottley is the leader of the BLP but when she gets elected she becomes PM of Barbados, all of Barbados, but when a PNM leader gets elected here he does not see himself as PM of the country but just only as PM of the PNM. If this country is divided it is only because the rest of the population, feel disenfranchised and when our Miss World contender articulates that reality it is a bit farcical for those who get on their high horse in self-righteous condemnation of her. When PNM says this is their country and when they are in power isn’t it natural for the rest of the country to feel marginalize, victimized – even if it is not so. Remember, perception is a mischievous player in political machinations and shenanigan.
Yours truly
L. Siddhartha Orie