Dr Gabrielle Jamela Hosein
THROUGH the most top-down and elite of processes, Stuart Young is now heir to the prime ministerial throne.
Politics is Machiavellian, referring to the political theory of Italian Niccolò Machiavelli and meaning cunning, scheming and unscrupulous. Seizing and retaining power is cut-throat business.
The party would have concluded that Young could pull in more campaign money from suburban and multi-ethnic uber-rich financiers. He is widely considered pro-business rather than pro-labour and already rubs shoulders in those circles; and he has been mentored for this role over PM Rowley’s tenure – the way that older men mentor younger men so they climb the leadership ladder higher and faster in a bestowing of power from elder to younger patriarch.
Known as the glass escalator, it is invisible advantage gained from class, masculinity, and “boys’ club” networks (from secondary schools to golf clubs, business associations, male-led law firms and family companies), enabling privileged men to conveniently believe that it’s their hard work and natural brilliance that fast-tracks them to the top.
Although it was never really explained why 21 MPs considered Young the best choice, throughout this brief brouhaha, I was less interested in the process of straw polling among the few than the public discourse of the many. For example, regardless of what is allowed by the Constitution and House of Parliament maths, people questioned the process of proposing to crown Young as PM of the nation "jes so."
Dr Rowley didn’t die. He didn’t get ill. He didn’t throw a tantrum about being disrespected and threaten to retire. He didn’t even withdraw from politics. Rather, he announced both his healthiness and retention of power as party leader; likely to be the most macho figure on the hustings.
What happened was that the nation got played by a long-conceived election strategy. It might have been one thing to watch 100,000 PNM faithful be levelled to a mere red rubber stamp, party democracy be damned, but to see the position of prime minister be cynically manipulated for the gamble planned quite rightly feels suss. No disparagement of interpreters, theorists, newspaper columnists or what the opposition did ten years ago will take away from that.
People will ask questions. What has Young achieved, particularly in relation to national security, when the murder rate says it all? Will he appear as heartless, under the guise of bureaucratic efficacy, as he did during the pandemic when he wouldn’t allow the ill, impoverished, visa-less students, and a range of legitimate others to come home while some well-connected others were flying in and out? Do we believe his smart, brisk head-boy persona or his risk of mic-unmuted homophobic and sexist immaturity?
Typically, when Dr Rowley wants to appear more "man of the people," random newspaper features, as blatant as all-out propaganda, appear with him hugging sheep. Photographs of him golfing are a major "no no" in these moments, for who in precarious urban hot
