TERRENCE KALLOO

Guest column

The parliamentary caucus of the PNM met in a retreat between January 5-6 in Tobago, chaired by then prime minister Dr Rowley. The purpose was for the “team” to review its activities and plan its program for the year 2025.

The retreat was attended by the 21 sitting MPs many of whom would not have expected to lose the seats they held for almost ten years, especially within a few months. The year is not yet at midway point and once again, the PNM is in retreat.

Normally, a game of musical chairs is one of laughter and fun ,with the last man standing being the loser, and the one sitting, being the winner.

Well, the much maligned Kamla Persad-Bissessar is now sitting on the throne in White Hall whilst all the other PNM players are now licking their wounds and wondering what hit them. Many lost their seats in Parliament and possibly their way in politics.

The political casualties have been enormous with records being broken as to the shortest stint of a prime minister in TT as well as major resignations following April 28.

That fateful weekend in Tobago was where Rowley committed “political suicide” not only for himself but for his entire government. The double “whammy” of him resigning as prime minister and him selecting Stuart Young as his replacement was the beginning of the end for the PNM in power.

Rowley's actions did not go down well with the party. But no one dared to stand up to him.

Nary a sound of dissent was heard from within the walls of Balisier House as the party boasted of its discipline. Then the election bell was rung and all man jack focused on winning at the polls.

But it was not to be. Rowley took blame for the defeat and duly resigned. This was followed by Young throwing in the towel as chairman, and Rohan Sinanan – former master elections strategist – quitting as deputy political leader.

As soon as the election dust was settled, Jennifer Baptiste-Primus came out with verbal guns blazing at Rowley demanding he have no influence on who the new Opposition Leader should be.

In October 2024, she was the only one who stood up and voted against the leadership's motion to cancel internal elections and to move forward the party's 51st annual convention, in order for Rowley's selection of Young as new PM to pass through.

After April 28, she loudly claimed this was one of the major reasons for the party’s defeat. But is Dr Rowley to blame solely for the demise of the party?

I did not see any PNM supporter and the party's leaders looking disenchanted during their campaign rallies. In fact the shout was "Stuarty, Stuarty" while they all berated the UNC and some even showed off their sweeping skills with cocoyea brooms.

I could be wrong, but what I saw and heard was a party supremely confident that it would win the elections and whose members could not wait to “mob” their hero Dr Rowley for the hattrick of general election victories, and to mock Kamla Persad-Bissessar for her hattrick of general election defeats.

I saw confidence in the faces of thos