By Raffique Shah
April 19, 2025
Kamla Persad-Bissessar will be delighted to learn that her not-so-friendly critic, Raffique Shah, has been moving around in my limited spaces, singing loudly, “When UNC wins, everybody wins.” In fact, when I zeroed in on that jingle, I had no idea that was the UNC’s main audio-visual marketing tool. By the time I realised what it was, I turned up my volume because I couldn’t be bothered with what people thought of my singing and the damn thing is catchy.
As a home-bound senior citizen who has deep interest in next week’s general election, I am tuned in to some radio stations every day, and I tune into the television nightly news and entertainment.
What struck me first about the UNC’s hook-line is that it literally hooks you. I am not a supporter but I sing it and I feel quite happy when I do. In fact, I prefer to listen to that jingle on replay than to listen to what is actually being said on the platform. Having said all of that, I need to point out to the decision makers in the election machinery that the quantum of audio-visual space has reached saturation point, the level where it is now annoying.
Radio is still my go-to for music and the latest updates in news, and since the start of the campaign, a month or so ago, the programme directors have managed to play, after every song, a political ad followed by the tagline: “The preceding was a paid political announcement.”
Having been part of the media world myself, I am aware that events such as elections are welcomed since they attract heavy advertising, which has taken a hit in normal times. In fact, newspapers faced a huge problem attracting ads in a world that has gone wild with technology, rendering sections of the mass media useless to them.
In such a scenario, the media grabs with outstretched arms the shadiest politician who will be featured prominently in their publications.
Ordinarily, some of these political freaks wouldn’t qualify for a soundbite or a pull-quote in the mass media. Still, as I try to keep track of the election, I can’t help but feel cheated by mafia-like advertising that dictates or controls the media space, whether it be Carnival, Christmas, a big sporting event or elections. But they have their work to do and I have mine.
Politics, especially a general election in T&T, is big news. Moreover, this election is critical in the sense that it will decide which of the two existing parties will take the reins of the country at least for the next five years. The PNM has ruled for ten consecutive years; with a new leader at the helm; the transition from Dr Keith Rowley to Stuart Young was smooth. The national economy and the global economy have both taken big hits over the past five years.
T&T’s revenue has dropped dramatically. Expenditure has remained static or increased. Whoever the winner may be, should they try to implement the multimillion-dollar bag of promises made on the campaign trail, they could easily land the country in the grip of the IMF—in the process pauperising a large section of the population, many of whom have been lapping up the gift list that may become automatic on the day after the election.
From that perspective, the election results will be critical, since each of the main parties has made some wild promises.
In the case of the UNC, it’s a do-or-die situation. The party has been moulded by the hands of the leader who, if we are to judge by her previous defeats, will see nothing wrong with yet another loss. That could be the trigger for an implosion that would demolish the house of the rising sun. They will want to avoid that at any cost, even if it means a palace coup. That could turn very nasty.
In contrast, the new leader of the PNM is relatively young, strong and fit, and the party may be inclined to stay with him and rebuild. If they are forced to change leadership in the aftermath of an election loss, they have been there before: 1986, 1991. We have some very interesting times ahead.
On a lighter note, I do know a few of the newcomers who are relatively young and who are showing an interest in politics.
Aaron Mohammed is both a neighbour and a relative; he’s also a close friend to both my children. He has been actively doing community work all his life and is particularly keen on sports and youth development. He has been assigned by the PNM the herculean task of defeating the UNC in the Couva South constituency. I wish the young man well.
And, above it all, let patriotism reign.