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Home » Blogs » Edmund Gall's blog

Is T&T ready for an unelected Prime Minister?

May 13, 2010 by Edmund Gall

Every so often, politicians like to paint their actions in the good light of 'Westminster traditions.'  However, there are some Westminster shadows that I haven't heard anyone mention.  I wish to highlight one which T&T may face soon, depending on the upcoming General Election results.

In the 2005 UK General Elections, the incumbent Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, led his Labour Party back into government with a reduced majority.  The result fed growing internal conflict, the seeds of which may have been sown in the 1990s, and eventually caused Mr Blair to step down.  Mr Gordon Brown was elected Labour Leader at their Party Conference in 2007 and became Prime Minister as he commanded the support of the majority of the MPs.

This is the dark side of Westminster: Mr Brown became the UK Prime Minister based, primarily, on the results of an internal political party election.  The British electorate did not get an opportunity to decide whether they wanted Mr Brown as Prime Minister until this year's General Elections, and they voted him out.  Many of his opponents used this to attack him, calling him Britain's unelected Prime Minister even though no law was broken.

Lets examine T&T.  A number of PNM supporters, from leadership to ground levels, have publicly declared their displeasure with Mr Patrick Manning as PNM Leader.  Suppose the PNM were to win the General Elections on 24 May 2010, but with a reduced majority, i.e. less than the 26 seats they won in 2007.  In the immediate aftermath, in keeping with our constitution, Mr Manning would become Prime Minister of T&T.

However, one can then argue that, by winning a reduced public mandate over two years early, Mr Manning's position as PNM Leader would become untenable.  Suppose that Dr Keith Rowley also won his seat.

If Dr Rowley, with the support of the PNM General Council, were to mount a successful campaign to replace Mr Manning at any PNM Party Conference as early as later this year or early next year, is the rest of T&T ready to be led by a Prime Minister installed via a PNM Party Convention?

When Mr Manning was selected by President Arthur NR Robinson to form a new government following the 18-18 tied General Elections of 2001, at least the electorate got to vote on Mr Manning's candidacy for Prime Minister.  However, if Mr Manning is forced to resign as PNM Leader soon after 24 May 2010, the majority of the electorate can end up with a Prime Minister they never voted for.

Is T&T ready to be led by an unelected Prime Minister?  Or will Dr Rowley, as new PNM Leader and unelected Prime Minister, dissolve Parliament and send T&T to another General Election well before they're next constitutionally due in 2015?  Or will the electorate completely prevent this scenario from occurring by sending the PNM to the Opposition to allow them to solve their leadership issues?

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May 29, 2010 by Where does the PNM go from here? | KnowTnT.com (Beta) (not verified), 14 weeks 5 days ago
Comment id: 573

[...] People's Partnership's startling 29-12 election win means the scenario of T&T getting its first unelected Prime Minister has been postponed.  Taran Rampersad and BC Pires have each, in their unique ways, already [...]

Unelected Prime Minister?

May 17, 2010 by From Foreign, 16 weeks 3 days ago
Comment id: 521

I think this is an inevitable flaw of the Westminster system.

Am I voting based on who I want for Prime Minister or who I want to represent my constituency in the Parliament? I only have 1 vote so in case of a conflict I have to choose which of these concerns is more important to me.

According to the Constitution we can't really make a distinction between an elected PM and an unelected one because we don't vote for PM: we vote for an MP who we trust to support the best candidate for PM. I know that it's a subtle difference and no one conceptualizes it this way when voting but that's the way the constitution reads.

I am all for an executive Presidency because it would allow me to explicitly vote for the leader of the executive that I want. Also, I think that being an MP should be a full-time job. As should being a Minister.

People around the country

May 18, 2010 by From Foreign, 16 weeks 2 days ago
Comment id: 522

People around the country talk about representation from their MP who they only see around election time but in order to receive effective representation then my MP must be available on a full-time basis and not 1 day a week. MP must not be minister in charge of a ministry which is a full- time job. When I vote then I am voting for a representative not a Minister or the Prime Minister also my concerns are not addressed in Parliament because in Parliament the business of nation is discussed not if the community of La Brea needs a new road or lights.

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May 14, 2010 by Global Voices in English » Trinidad & Toba (not verified), 16 weeks 6 days ago
Comment id: 487

[...] KnowTnT.com wonders whether Trinidad and Tobago is “ready to be led by an unelected Prime Minister.” [...]

My Blessings to the Coalition

May 13, 2010 by From Foreign, 17 weeks 3 hours ago
Comment id: 483

Mind you the coalition must take heed. They are enjoying the benefit of the disgust the citizens have for the PNM this time. But let’s not get carried away by this show of solidarity for the coalition, for they just happen to be the better of two evils, because it comes to a point now where anybody can be better than Pat in the voter’s eyes. Hence the population is willing to take a big risk this time and take “cat in bag” and give the coalition a chance. There are also some sour grapes in there, so the coalition must make every effort to not let the contents go rancid.
If the coalition were to fail early or not deliver on its promises, for help me God the people will not let the coalition parties see light of day come next time around. The people will eat you raw and then spit you out like a rotten grape.

So this is an earnest plea to the coalition. This support you are enjoying now is short lived, believe me. You will win by a big margin, but none the less, you will be given a short time to pull you act together, and then the people expect you to deliver, and if you don’t you faced dire consequences. The voters will be willing give you a second chance come next election, like they are doing now; you will have to work very hard for that one. If you were to only fail, stray from your promises, break apart or cross the floor, you will be totally written off from the books, called the worst of names, and soon after you can kiss your political life goodbye.

The voters have no toleration for nincompoops anymore. Pat better have a thick skin, for the humiliation he will face in the polls will be saddening to say the least. All this energy inside us will not dissipate anytime soon and the pressure will be kept on the new government.
The coalition members must have total unity, so all the energies will flow in one direction. Any in-fighting and bickering will cause disturbance, instability and then the eventual collapse of the coalition government. What a laughing stock of jokers you will become, if that day happens I will hang my head in shame. All members of the coalition parties must understand that compromises will have to be made for the better of the country. You are not there to push forward your personal agenda but fight for the will of the people as one. You alone couldn’t make it into government, but sometimes, by your actions, you alone can break the government.

I think I may have strayed, but to summarize. A bit of advice to the smaller parties making up the coalition, remember you struggled for many years for this moment to be in government, so please don’t blow the opportunity, it may never come knocking again. Also, I commend Kamla for uniting the many groups who have shown interest in serving the country and to have their voices heard. Panday could have been enjoying this bliss only if he had practice what he preached. To truly turn this into a blessed event worthy of admiration, the coalition must now show tremendous discipline, transparency and total commitment to good governance. I wish you Gods grace and hope you turn at least some of the people cries into beautiful smiles.

We can prevent this by decisively Voting them out

May 13, 2010 by From Foreign, 17 weeks 10 hours ago
Comment id: 481

Some are saying that a coalition is bound to fail. But look at what happened to the PNM just 2 years after an election. Why did the PM have to call a snap election midterm? How could the PNM have failed? Is the PNM a coalition party? Are we to assume then that a single political party falling apart is not the same as a coalition party falling apart? What is the difference in the political breakdown the PNM just had for the PM to call elections to a breakdown in a coalition party if they were to win the election? A breakdown in the government is a breakdown, be it a single party or a coalition. So the PM better not look in the mirror for all his useless braying is only a reflection of him and the PNM. Last election the people voted the PNM for a five year term. Did the PNM last a full five year term and why they couldn’t? And you are telling me to vote the PNM back in power when they have a recent history as well of breaking apart midterm? You could call breakdown whatever you want, but in the end the government had a crisis in its hands it could not handle. But the PM is so dumb that he can only finds fault in others. So I say give the coalition, the People Partnership or whatever you want to call them a chance and maybe they will do better than the PNM. Even if they don’t last 2 years by then the PNM would have cleaned up the party and be ready for power again.

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May 13, 2010 by Twitter Trackbacks for Is T&T ready for an unelecte (not verified), 17 weeks 10 hours ago
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[...] Is T&T ready for an unelected Prime Minister? | KnowTnT.com (Beta) www.knowtnt.com/node/163 – view page – cached Every so often, politicians like to paint their actions in the good light of 'Westminister traditions.' However, there are some Westminster shadows that I haven't heard anyone mention. I wish to highlight one which T&T may face soon, depending on the upcoming General Election results. Tweets about this link Topsy.Data.Twitter.User['knowtnt'] = {"photo":"http://a3.twimg.com/profile_images/721436715/knowtntscreenie_normal.png","url":"http://twitter.com/knowtnt","nick":"knowtnt"}; knowtnt: “Is T&T ready for an unelected Prime Minister? http://tinyurl.com/23vsuhy by Edmund Gall ” 8 minutes ago view tweet retweet Filter tweets [...]

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