Dear Editor,
During the 1880s when Trinidad was still but a Colony in the British Empire, merchants in downtown Port-of-Spain began civil action against “a degrading tyranny” which is how they described the fact that they had no control over their finances, taxes or governance of how these monies were being spent. This culminated in a protest at a cricket match in which the first Governor of this island, Sir William Robinson was participating. The liberal journal considered the event as “the most magnificent demonstration in favour of human freedom which had ever been seen in the West Indian Islands” whereas the conservative journal called it “a ridiculous fiasco”, and claimed that anyone in attendance was only there to admire the Governor’s batting. Later that very day there was a party held at the Governor’s House in which many of the elite attended including the Mayors of Port-of-Spain and San Fernando, and the topic of independence arose yet again. A history of this discussion was mentioned in the book “The English in the West Indies or The Bow of Ulysses” from the first-hand account of its author James Anthony Froude, and the following is a quote of his summation of the situation during that time:
“The relative numbers of the two races [Caucasians and Africans] being what they are, responsible government in Trinidad means government by a black parliament and a black ministry. The negro voters might elect, to begin with, their half-caste attorneys or such whites (the most disreputable of their colour) as would court their suffrages. But the black does not love the mulatto, and despises the white man who consents to be his servant.”
Overlooking the obvious racist overtones that are expected from an English account of the Colonies at that time, it is not hard to see how this mentality and philosophy was maintained throughout the rest of our history and led to a black power uprising occurring even after we attained Independence. And in some ways, the African-Trinbagonian diaspora is still struggling for the same type of control over their finances and governance that started all the way back in the 1880s. Of course, there has always been the obvious contradiction in this situation continuing for all of these years despite the PNM party, which was created for the explicit reason of giving black people ownership and control of this country. This is even further exacerbated by Dr. Keith Rowley declaring himself as the most black Prime Minister in history, a statement that simply does not resonate with the populace given his actions since being elected to government in 2015.
When you look at the offices that Keith Rowley has filled over the years, you might notice that more than any PNM Prime Minister in history, he has been willing to elevate non-African individuals to positions of authority. Would anyone have expected the self-declared blackest leader of the PNM to install an East Indian President? Or an East Indian Mayor of Arima? Or even an East Indian Minister of Works? It is because Dr. Rowley must constantly rely on his words to remind the PNM supporters of the melanin content of his skin even as his actions betray them. But of course, no one can actually blame him as the demographics of the country are not the same as it was in the 1880s or even the 1960s and as such the PNM cannot depend on the black vote alone if they are to remain the dominant party in the political landscape going forward.
This is why it makes perfect sense that Keith Rowley would be the first political leader to consider proposing a non-African as his successor because he understands that maintaining the status quo would doom the party to be seen as the black party for all eternity. Having already squandered the opportunity to be seen as a party that embraces diversity in 1981, the PNM simply cannot continue to trade on the black ballot in the coming years as not only has it proven itself to be unreliable, but also, if they are to disregard and reject progressivism at this juncture they will forever be branded as backward and racist for this decision.
Best regards,
Ravi Balgobin Maharaj
Mob: +1 868 476-6181