PNM in Gov't (2020-2025)

[wing]

https://trinidadexpress.com/opinion/letters/time-for-rowley-to-step-down/article_d7a07ac2-f861-11ee-9200-7f03244ca68e.html#:~:text=The%20time%20has%20come%20for,and%20instances%20of%20ineffective%20governance.

Time for Rowley to step down
Apr 11, 2024

AS a concerned citizen deeply invested in the future of Trinidad and Tobago, I feel compelled to address the pressing issue of leadership within the People’s National Movement (PNM). The time has come for Dr Keith Rowley, the current political leader, to step down from his position for the betterment of the party and the nation as a whole.
Dr Rowley’s tenure as political leader has been marked by nume­rous controversies and instances of ineffective governance. One notable example is the persistent issue of crime in our country. Despite promises to tackle crime head-on, Trinidad and Tobago continues to grapple with high rates of violence and criminal activity. Dr Rowley’s administration has failed to implement comprehensive strategies to address the root causes of crime, leaving citizens feeling unsafe and vulnerable.

Economic instability is another area where Dr Rowley’s leadership has fallen short. Trinidad and Tobago has experienced sluggish economic growth under his watch, with little progress made in diversifying the econo­my away from its heavy reliance on oil and gas.

Despite the potential for growth in other sectors, such as tourism and agriculture, Dr Rowley’s Government has failed to implement the necessary policies to stimulate investment and create jobs for our citizens.

Social inequality remains a persistent issue in our society, exacerba­ted by Rowley’s failure to implement effective social welfare programmes. Many citizens continue to struggle with poverty, lack of access to basic services, and inadequate health care.

Instead of prioritising the needs of the most vulnerable members of our society, Rowley’s Government has focused its efforts on serving the interests of the wealthy elite, further widening the gap between the haves and the have-nots.



Rowley’s leadership style has also contributed to the erosion of trust in his Government. His confrontational approach and propensity for divisive rhetoric have only served to deepen the political divide within our nation.

Instead of working collaboratively with Opposition parties and civil society groups to find common ground on important issues, Rowley has chosen to engage in personal attacks and mud-slinging, further polarising our society.

From questionable procurement practices to allegations of nepotism and cronyism, there is a growing perception that corruption is rampant within the highest levels of the Government. This not only damages the reputation of the PNM (People’s National Movement) but also undermines the principles of transparency and accountability that are essential for a functioning democracy.


In light of these significant challenges, it is clear that Trinidad and Tobago is in need of new leadership that can inspire trust, unite the nation, and effectively address the pressing issues we face. Rowley’s continued tenure as political leader of the PNM only serves to perpetuate the status quo and prolong the stagnation that has characterised his time in office.

Therefore, I urge Rowley to step down as the political leader of the PNM and make way for a new generation of leadership to emerge. It is time for the PNM to embrace change and chart a new course towards a brighter future for all Trinidadians and Tobagonians.

Steve Mootoo

Diamond Village

The people are speaking

Critical questions for the UNC


 


WHY reprimand a member of a party for speaking out? The Constitution guarantees free speech, whether or not you belong to a political party. Being a member of a party does not take away one’s free-speech right.

One is, or ought to be, free and praised for critiquing one’s party’s leadership, policies, strategies, weaknesses and the like. Critiques are great to expose and address weaknesses and to strengthen a party to make it battle-ready for an election. Thus, it was quite shocking to hear or read of some UNC MPs, supporters, councillors, party officers and groups attack Rushton Paray when he called for respecting the party’s constitution and holding internal elections when due in June.

I can’t quite recall any of Dr Keith Rowley’s supporters, defenders, PNM MPs, councillors, members or party groups attacking a fellow PNM member for critiquing the party, its leadership, policies and weaknesses.

Dr Rowley scheduled internal elections and he defeated his challengers, as predicted by this writer in every internal PNM election. Kamla Persad-Bissessar also defeated her challengers when she held internal elections. So why are the UNC folks so thin-skinned when a call was made to hold internal executive elections when due? I am certain Mrs Persad-Bissessar will call the internal elections when due. No need for political “chelas” to attack anyone for reminding the leader party elections are due in June.

I notice MPs and other individuals who are most vociferous in their condemnation and who are leading the attack on Paray and his supporters are holders of “safe” seats. They are in a race to attack Paray (and those who support him) to demonstrate their unquestioned loyalty to the boss. They believe their behaviour and demonstration of sycophantic loyalty will guarantee re-nomination to their safe seat; others hope to get a safe seat.

But in the 2025 election, seats once thought to be safe are under threat and could change hands. They are also reminded that the UNC, under the present make-up, is not returning to power in 2025.

Voters are fed up of the status quo; they want change, and good riddance to several undesirable MPs on both sides of the aisle. One should not be surprised if the PNM replaces several MPs who the party supporters want gone; voters are dissatisfied with their performance, and they will inevitably be replaced, as happened in 2020, to strengthen the party’s position in 2025.

Like PNMites, UNC supporters, too, want most of their MPs gone, as they have very low likeability and performance ratings. Ironically, the MPs who are attacked the most are the ones with the highest performance and likeability ratings. Rushton Paray, Dinesh Rambally, Anita Haynes and a few others are extremely well-liked by constituents and praised for their stance. They service their constituents well. Their performance brings back memories of the kind of parliamentary service once rendered by Trevor Sudama, Chandresh Sharma, Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj and Roodal Moonilal, among a few others.

The UNC executive and leadership need to answer several critical questions:

• Will UNC replace undesired MPs, or will leader loyalty triumph?

• Is a safe seat, for some, more important than winning government?

• Will undesirables be willing to trade their safe seat for government?

• Is loyalty more important than being in government?

• Is leadership more important than the party being in government? And if so, what about the future of the party’s supporters? Shouldn’t the future of the party and the country be more important than leadership?

In looking at seats in Trinidad, PNM’s 20 and UNC’s 19, the PNM will retain all 20, including five that can be considered as marginals. All the marginals have been fortified and have become relatively safe. Among the UNC’s 19, of four marginals, the PNM is leading in three and tied in one. So the PNM is likely to pick up all four marginals. If a third party enters the fray, the PNM is guaranteed to pick up at least four seats from the UNC, and possibly more.

The UNC also faces a serious threat in eight of the 15 so-called safe seats.

If a credible third force emerges under the leadership of someone of integrity and proven track record—say, the equivalent of a Winston Dookeran, as in 2007—it can capture eight or even more UNC “safe” seats, and possibly PNM’s seats as well, rendering the UNC a minority party.

Dr Vishnu Bisram



The people are speaking.

[Mmoney607]

Vishnu could vote in Trinidad?

[Mmoney607]

I would love to know who are the pnm mps that party supporters want gone

[VexXx Dogg]

Our constitution have free speech?

[wing]

I would love to know who are the pnm mps that party supporters want gone

I cannot speak for anyone other than myself, my Tabaquite MP has done reasonably well. I will give Anita a 5/10. As for the PNM, I'd love for all of them to be voted out, but Kamla doesn't want that.

[88sins]

Our constitution have free speech?

Nope

[VexXx Dogg]

Our constitution have free speech?

Nope

Somebody better tell Dr Vishnu.

[ProtonPowder]

you are required to send actual video footage of this from a reputable source
not some tiktok source, remember them chinese tiktok have all kind of ai fakery filters

The statement was true, the albino leprechaun with a head resembling a rotten onion, (aka colm imbert, aka, clown inbottom, aka the current minister of fine ants, aka Mr.Tax, aka Satan's inbred outside child) did in fact say, in parliament, that the people should pay property tax and that would facilitate them getting truck borne water from the regional corporations.


What now?

https://www.ttparliament.org/wp-content ... 40325u.pdf
page 214, i hope you could find it within yourself to read a few words

[pugboy]

i was only being facetious since it have some who want an allegation of what somebody said to be fully certified
soon they will require affidavits to make posts here

you are required to send actual video footage of this from a reputable source
not some tiktok source, remember them chinese tiktok have all kind of ai fakery filters

The statement was true, the albino leprechaun with a head resembling a rotten onion, (aka colm imbert, aka, clown inbottom, aka the current minister of fine ants, aka Mr.Tax, aka Satan's inbred outside child) did in fact say, in parliament, that the people should pay property tax and that would facilitate them getting truck borne water from the regional corporations.


What now?

https://www.ttparliament.org/wp-content ... 40325u.pdf
page 214, i hope you could find it within yourself to read a few words

[Mmoney607]

I would love to know who are the pnm mps that party supporters want gone

I cannot speak for anyone other than myself, my Tabaquite MP has done reasonably well. I will give Anita a 5/10. As for the PNM, I'd love for all of them to be voted out, but Kamla doesn't want that.

Imbert is my mp, I give him 0/10. Total failure, the place is a mess especially around his constituency office.

[shake d livin wake d dead]

^He still winning next year again...he doh even need to campaign and he winning that seat sure

[Mmoney607]

That's why I am asking to see where are these pnm supporters that want their mp gone.

[wing]

That's why I am asking to see where are these pnm supporters that want their mp gone.

They probably voice their concerns internally and the leadership considers their issues instead of resorting to insults and accusations.

[ProtonPowder]

Within the operatives of the party, it could be as simple as non disparagement clauses written into contracts with a long life. If anybody speaks out against the party, they would have big money to pay to the party they agreed not to speak out against. You agree to sign that contract when you are screeened and let into the party.

Teshiera probably didnt care, and she would be the rare example of a present or former PNM speaking out.

People feel the PNM dotish. Some of their supporters might be, but the inner party is the furthest thing from it. Their supporters however just dont care. Once is not kamla and the UNC.

[Habit7]

ANR Robinson was deputy political leader of PNM, publicly fell out with Dr Williams and joined the opposition.
Karl Hudson-Phillips wanted to replace Dr. Williams and when he couldn't he formed his own party.
Wendell Mottley fall out with Manning as well as Ralph Maraj, Dr Rupert Griffith and many others.
Chief of all power struggles was Dr Rowley who challenged Manning for leadership and publicly condemned the corruption in Udecott and was fired as a minister and was backbencher for 2yrs.

But when Manning went on his snap election escapade, even though he had veto power, he chose Rowley again as an MP probably knowing that if he lost, Rowley would pick up leadership.

So it is a false idea that PNM ppl keep quiet and don't speak out. If they are upset they will hit you a 33-3 or 29-12. And if MPs have to speak out they clearly do. But UNC ppl believe their own propaganda and think everything is falling apart and think rango tango PNM ppl should speak out. But while things are not perfect with PNM ppl, they don't see govt as the cause of their problems and that the govt is doing good enough.

Unless and until PNM ppl get fed with the PNM as they have done in the past, the UNC cannot win. And PNM ppl are not fed up with the PNM yet. Hence, I constantly challenge my UNC friends to look at objective stats especially of the economy for them to see that the sky is not falling as your fellow UNC voices are telling you. PNM supporters are not inspired to 'Kick out the PNM' despite the propaganda you keep feeding yourself.

[Mmoney607]

So basically when people want power and they don't get it, the leader is a dictator

[The_Honourable]

ANR Robinson was deputy political leader of PNM, publicly fell out with Dr Williams and joined the opposition.
Karl Hudson-Phillips wanted to replace Dr. Williams and when he couldn't he formed his own party.
Wendell Mottley fall out with Manning as well as Ralph Maraj, Dr Rupert Griffith and many others.
Chief of all power struggles was Dr Rowley who challenged Manning for leadership and publicly condemned the corruption in Udecott and was fired as a minister and was backbencher for 2yrs.

But when Manning went on his snap election escapade, even though he had veto power, he chose Rowley again as an MP probably knowing that if he lost, Rowley would pick up leadership.

So it is a false idea that PNM ppl keep quiet and don't speak out. If they are upset they will hit you a 33-3 or 29-12. And if MPs have to speak out they clearly do. But UNC ppl believe their own propaganda and think everything is falling apart and think rango tango PNM ppl should speak out. But while things are not perfect with PNM ppl, they don't see govt as the cause of their problems and that the govt is doing good enough.

Unless and until PNM ppl get fed with the PNM as they have done in the past, the UNC cannot win. And PNM ppl are not fed up with the PNM yet. Hence, I constantly challenge my UNC friends to look at objective stats especially of the economy for them to see that the sky is not falling as your fellow UNC voices are telling you. PNM supporters are not inspired to 'Kick out the PNM' despite the propaganda you keep feeding yourself.

I'll give pnm credit, since Williams time to now they perfected black management 101.

And what is the cause of their problems? Satan? The British? Trump? the Syrian? idol worshippers? Slaaaavvverrrrry!?

Many pnm people are fedup with the pnm. There is no inspiration for them to switch their vote to the UNC right now since they in a mess. If there was a better alternative with a charismatic black man in charge, you will see how fast many would leave the pnm. NAR won easily not just because of the economic climate at the time, it's because there was a black leader in charge. Partnership got the benefit of the doubt with a female leader. If Rowley reaches the point that pnm are fedup with him, the party will find a black female as leader such as Pennelope Beckles. Jack Warner and Watson Duke were legit threats to pull pnm votes but they royally f**ked up to the point of being politically unattractive.

If all remains the same till the generals, the truly fedup will just stay away from the polls. The party may not care too much if that happens in the strongholds like Port of Spain, Laventille East/Morvart and Point Fortin. That is a problem in the marginals.

[ProtonPowder]

ANR Robinson was deputy political leader of PNM, publicly fell out with Dr Williams and joined the opposition.
Karl Hudson-Phillips wanted to replace Dr. Williams and when he couldn't he formed his own party.
Wendell Mottley fall out with Manning as well as Ralph Maraj, Dr Rupert Griffith and many others.
Chief of all power struggles was Dr Rowley who challenged Manning for leadership and publicly condemned the corruption in Udecott and was fired as a minister and was backbencher for 2yrs.

But when Manning went on his snap election escapade, even though he had veto power, he chose Rowley again as an MP probably knowing that if he lost, Rowley would pick up leadership.

So it is a false idea that PNM ppl keep quiet and don't speak out. If they are upset they will hit you a 33-3 or 29-12. And if MPs have to speak out they clearly do. But UNC ppl believe their own propaganda and think everything is falling apart and think rango tango PNM ppl should speak out. But while things are not perfect with PNM ppl, they don't see govt as the cause of their problems and that the govt is doing good enough.

Unless and until PNM ppl get fed with the PNM as they have done in the past, the UNC cannot win. And PNM ppl are not fed up with the PNM yet. Hence, I constantly challenge my UNC friends to look at objective stats especially of the economy for them to see that the sky is not falling as your fellow UNC voices are telling you. PNM supporters are not inspired to 'Kick out the PNM' despite the propaganda you keep feeding yourself.

So your most recent example is from 15 years ago, before PNM turned into the invincible machine it is now?

[wing]

SCANDALOUS TRIPS
Moonilal slams PM’s $10m travel bill: whopping $.8m for washington visit

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s five-day trip to the United States to hold meetings “with high-level officials” from January 28 to February, 2024, cost taxpayers’ $818,262.97.

And Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal said yesterday he intends to file questions on the PM’s trips to ascertain the delegation, what meetings were attended, who invited them, the agenda and outcomes of the meetings.
The figure was revealed by the Office of the Prime Minister in response to a written question filed by Moonilal who asked how many times the Prime Minister travelled overseas between September 20, 2020 and February 29, 2024 and the cost of each trip inclusive of hotel accommodation, meals, ground transport for the Prime Minister and his entourage and other related expenses. The answer was supplied last Friday.

The written response revealed that $10.6 million was spent on 19 official trips taken by the Prime Minister in a 40-month period.

With respect to the trip to the US in January, the Prime Minister met with defence officials, including US Deputy Under Secretary of Defence at the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns at the CIA’s Langley Headquarters in Virginia.

The Prime Minister also met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, US Trade Representative, Ambassador Katherine Tai, as well as Reta Jo Lewis, president and chair of the board of directors of the Export-Import Bank of the US, during this trip, according to media releases issued by the Office of the Prime Minister at that time.

Moonilal also questioned whether the Prime Minister’s trip in May 2023 to receive his honorary Doctor of Letter degree from Howard University should have been paid for by the taxpayers. “It’s all very nice for the Prime Minister to get a degree but you should pay for that trip privately,” he said. The Prime Minister went in May 2023 for what was effectively about a six-day trip to the United States, which cost $400,000.

“He disguised that meeting to say that it was not only to receive his personal benefit, a personal award, (an honorary doctorate from Howard University) but stated that he met with ‘high-level government officials’. That was a trip where they were going from Starbucks coffee shop to McDonald’s to meet anybody in jacket and tie to create a meeting. They had no agenda. They had no invitation, $400,000 spent in six days in May 2023 for the Prime Minister to receive his personal award of a doctor of letters from Howard University,” Moonilal said..

The Oropouche MP said another trip that attracted his attention was the trip to Guyana in February of this year when the Prime Minister attended the International Energy Conference and Expo as well as the 46th Regular Meeting of Caricom in Guyana between February 18 and 29, 2024. The trip cost $452,895. Moonilal said he raised the fact that after the International Energy Conference and Expo ended, the Prime Minister was “loitering” in Guyana for a number of days before the start of the Caricom meeting. “He was on a tourist trip to Guyana. In fact it was a very weird development where President Irfaan Ali was in St Vincent so you had this rare development where a visiting head of government was in the country where the existing head of government had left,” Moonilal said.

Ground him!

Moonilal said the Prime Minister should be “grounded”, adding that he “spent $10 million in 36 months in foreign travel where there have been absolutely no benefits to the people of Trinidad and Tobago from these trips or others, is a matter that is shocking and scandalous and the Prime Minister ought to stop it. Cut it out now! I think we should clip his wings and ground him, seize his frequent flyer cards to ensure that he remains on the ground and face the problems that Trinidadians and Tobagonians face on a daily basis, which are crime, insecurity, poverty, joblessness, et cetera”.

Moonilal said the $10.6 million tab was “shocking and scandalous”. “That is almost $300,000 per month in foreign travel. This is untenable. It is scandalous that a Prime Minister can spend $300,000 per month on foreign travel. Many of those trips brought absolutely no benefit to the people of Trinidad and Tobago. This figure, of course, does not include the travel of his companion. Mr Stuart Young, who poses as a Minister of Energy, but he’s more of a gopher and (Jean) Passepartout (the fictional character of Jules Verne’s novel) of Around the World in 80 Days”. Moonilal said the $10.6 million bill excluded Young’s travel and expenses.

Moonilal also raised questions about the Prime Minister’s trip to Barbados to spend one day to attend “a banking meeting” with (congresswoman) Maxine Waters, which cost $127,000. The Prime Minister went to Washington in April 2022 as well to meet “what is called high-level officials of the government of the USA” which cost $382,000 for a three-day trip, over $100,000 per day, he said.



Awaits the comparison with Kamla's helicopter rides.

[Habit7]

I disagree with slavery being any uniter in PNM politics. That might play a role in US politics but not TT. While TT politics is race based no party can get power by focusing on race. Only about 35% of the population is Afro and a slightly higher is Indo. But PNM wins with +50%. Despite what you might think not every Afro Trini supports PNM, in fact there are some that never will support PNM. So for PNM to get the 50% it must be with considerable support of Indos and mixed ppl. That has nothing to do with “black management.”

There is no doubt that there are PNM supporters who are fed up with the party but the are obviously not the many. I think it is simplistic and racist to so say NAR won because a “Black man was in charge.” So black ppl didn’t vote for Panday and Kamla too? When Tobago which is 90% black voted PP, were they voting for a black man PM? No, they voted for an Indian woman. No doubt that there might be ppl who see race in their leaders like you, but in TT it is clear ppl with vote in their interest in who they think will serve them best despite them not have the same ethnicity or sex of the PM.

“Jack Warner and Watson Duke were legit threats to pull pnm votes but they royally f**ked up to the point of being politically unattractive.” If you honestly believe this, you don’t know PNM supporters. Jack Warner swept the highly Indo Chag West in the 2013 by election but flopped Lopinot/Bon Air West in 2015. Duke could not get islandwide support in Tobago and had to push Farley as a surrogate which he now regrets.

While I don’t think NACTA is too credible, they are saying all the marginals locked for PNM.

So your most recent example is from 15 years ago, before PNM turned into the invincible machine it is now?

Well Rowley became leader 14 yrs ago and he has been winning ever since. The biggest criticism I can think of was him dropping Lovell Francis in lieu of Gypsy and it ended up being the only seat they lost from 2015 to 2020.

But PNM will air their dirty laundry when they have to as I have recalled. But whether it is Penny or the Manning faction, Rowley knows how to quiet down his opponents with appointments.

[The_Honourable]

I ask you a question and you didn’t answer me yet. You stated:

“But while things are not perfect with PNM ppl, they don't see govt as the cause of their problems and that the govt is doing good enough.”

Explain to me what exactly pnm people see as the cause for their problems instead?

I know pnm supporters VERY well. I live among them and I know exactly how they think. But I want YOU to answer for me.

As for the NAR, sounds simplistic and racist but is exactly what happened. Even Panday knew this back then. Panday stated publicly that at that time, the country wasn’t ready yet for an indo prime minister. Back then you had to strongly consider race in your political decision making than today. You really think if Panday went up for PM instead of Robbie back in 1986, that NAR would have won 33-3? Or at least won with that commanding victory?

Yes many black people voted for Kamla too, and that’s why I stated she got the benefit of a doubt as a female leader until they believed that she was unsuitable by 2015.

You pretty much reinforcing what I said. Yes Jack Warner swept Chag West and then what? his own foolishness with FIFA caught up with him till he became politically unattractive. As for Duke, within a few years from inception the PDP tied to the pnm in the THA elections. Once Farley became the face, the party got islandwide support and won convincingly. Then jealousy got the better of Duke, Farley left, party mash up and now he’s politically unattractive. Then there is a rape case looming over his head.

NACTA poll may be true but we are over a year away, it's too early and we all know a lot can happen.

[Habit7]

The PNM came into power in 2015 with the country already in recession and the oil price in free fall. In 2016 oil prices bottomed out and only started to climb in 2017. The economy started to grow in 2019 but with Covid 2020 it was hard times. Again PNM received a mandate because the supporters understood that the govt is doing the best in a rough situation. It is also a rejection of the UNC campaign videos painting PNMites as sufferers and begging for bananas. UNC is complaining about unemployment and unemployment is at like 4%, they are campaigning on property tax but ppl are willing to pay it. UNC's narrative of govt oppression makes little waves among PNM. Rowley constantly touts the need to make tough decisions for the economy and his supporters accept it. PNM shut down the refinery in 2018 and saw no major change in Point a Pierre constituency votes as a percentage. And now with the GDP projecting sustained growth for the foreseeable future, the UNC narrative of 'all ah suffering' will become more irrelevant.

You are reducing Robinson's competence as a politician, the economic situation, the coalition politics and other factors just to say Robinson only got elected because he was Black. Thus you are being simplistic.

You are thinking like a UNC. While JW and Duke may appealed to you, there was no major appeal to the PNM supporter. From JW swearing in Rowley said that was Kamla's first mistake. By the 2013 by election there was already credible allegations on him yet the UNC faithful voted for him and not Kadija. JW was popular with PNM supporters for the money he handed out, but they would take it and still vote PNM.

Duke is from Roxborough, East Tobago has always had an anti-PNM bent. PDP would win East Tobago seats but never islandwide. It was only when he put Farley as the potential Chief Sec did he get broader support.

If you think in a year UNC will get better then I have beachfront property in Tabaquite to sell you.

[The_Honourable]

People are willing to pay the property tax? What balisier narcotic you smoking?

Not reducing Robinson’s competence at all. He was a well-qualified black man for the position which many afro trinbagonians put their trust in at the time hence the powerful mandate he received. There has been no other since.

Pnmites are sufferers for the most part but yeah, the banana ads were inappropriate. A pnm supporter usually supports their party no matter what. They will blame everything else for their predicament instead of themselves and their leaders they blindly put their trust in. Laventille, Beetham, East POS etc will easily remain the same for another 50 years unless they take responsibility, demand better for their votes and hold their elected representatives accountable. At the end of the day, most pnmites will stick with rowley as with unc and kamla. Those on the fence voters plus the marginals will be the deciding factor. About Warner and Duke, you are again repeating what I already agree with.

In its current form, I agree with you that UNC chances are slim in 2025 retaining the same 18-19 seats. If there is a leadership and Natex change, they have a fighting chance. UNC didn’t have a ghost of a chance until Jan 2010 when Panday was removed. Five months later, they were in office. A lot can happen in a year.

[shake d livin wake d dead]

The PNM came into power in 2015 with the country already in recession and the oil price in free fall. In 2016 oil prices bottomed out and only started to climb in 2017. The economy started to grow in 2019 but with Covid 2020 it was hard times. Again PNM received a mandate because the supporters understood that the govt is doing the best in a rough situation. It is also a rejection of the UNC campaign videos painting PNMites as sufferers and begging for bananas. UNC is complaining about unemployment and unemployment is at like 4%, they are campaigning on property tax but ppl are willing to pay it. UNC's narrative of govt oppression makes little waves among PNM. Rowley constantly touts the need to make tough decisions for the economy and his supporters accept it. PNM shut down the refinery in 2018 and saw no major change in Point a Pierre constituency votes as a percentage. And now with the GDP projecting sustained growth for the foreseeable future, the UNC narrative of 'all ah suffering' will become more irrelevant.

You are reducing Robinson's competence as a politician, the economic situation, the coalition politics and other factors just to say Robinson only got elected because he was Black. Thus you are being simplistic.

You are thinking like a UNC. While JW and Duke may appealed to you, there was no major appeal to the PNM supporter. From JW swearing in Rowley said that was Kamla's first mistake. By the 2013 by election there was already credible allegations on him yet the UNC faithful voted for him and not Kadija. JW was popular with PNM supporters for the money he handed out, but they would take it and still vote PNM.

Duke is from Roxborough, East Tobago has always had an anti-PNM bent. PDP would win East Tobago seats but never islandwide. It was only when he put Farley as the potential Chief Sec did he get broader support.

If you think in a year UNC will get better then I have beachfront property in Tabaquite to sell you.

Lol wut? You does water that balisier every morning boy!

[Habit7]

UNC running a campaign of "vote for me and I will axe the tax" for 2 cycles now, how successful has it been? Just like how restructuring Petrotrin was thought to be UNC's surefire way of PNM losing, it wasn't. PNM supporters are willing to pay the tax, even now so it has been reduced by 33.3%.

Again saying that Robinson won in 1986 because he was Black is dumb. I don't know if you are aware but PM Chambers was Black too. That is like saying Biden beat Trump because he was White. But if you want to hold on to simple racial politics, I can't convince you otherwise.

As well if you believe "Pnmites are sufferers for the most part" then you are free to hold on to that trope. 1986 and 2010 shows that 'a pnm supporter usually DOESN'T support their party no matter what.' Laventille, Beetham and East POS are doing better than you think and they have the same resources for their betterment just like everywhere else. They will continue to vote PNM esp if the alternative believes that what they need is a "limited SoE and curfew" in their areas and their residents should be arrested without cause.

And if you still believe JW and Duke stood any chance of pulling PNM votes in any major way then we don't agree. UNC lost in 2015 and 2020 because they misjudged the sentiment of the voters. Not addressing serious corruption allegations, thinking everybody looooves Kamla, creating panic over covid then relegating it as not so serious, painting PNM supporters as sufferers, and several other missteps all play a role in their loss. One could easily blame the leadership but they are just reflecting the backward ideas of the base. And if the base continues to think that Kamla is the best vehicle for 2025, then it is just another misjudgement of the ppl of T&T.

[The_Honourable]

Now i know for sure you smoking that balisier narcotic. This comment piqued my interest.

Laventille, Beetham and East POS are doing better than you think and they have the same resources for their betterment just like everywhere else.

Aside from the swimming pool and the once in a decade or more painting by hdc, show me proof.

[Mmoney607]

People looking like Rowley and Hinds allowed to have illegal guns to rob and kill innocent people but people find kamla leadership of the UNC is the biggest issue of the day

[The_Honourable]

People looking like Rowley and Hinds allowed to have illegal guns to rob and kill innocent people but people find kamla leadership of the UNC is the biggest issue of the day

It is... decides if pnm wins in 2025 for eric williams grandchildren to continue terrorizing the nation.

[daring dragoon]

People looking like Rowley and Hinds allowed to have illegal guns to rob and kill innocent people but people find kamla leadership of the UNC is the biggest issue of the day

It is... decides if pnm wins in 2025 for eric williams grandchildren to continue terrorizing the nation.

daz all them small island they bring here to vote pad and they remain and reproduce in the hills and then daddy probably get a wuk in the port and have plenty woman so he not around and mammy gone amerika and leave them with granny.

[mero]

Realise I does be missing out on all the 2nr late night /early morning raw and uncut talks yes.