Black, Blank, or Blink … the race card has been called within a few days of the announcement of the Local Government Elections. Leader of the Opposition Mrs. Kamla Persad Bissessar (KPB) knew that the hostility of Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Christopher Rowley (KCR) would be easily triggered by her request for her supporters to fill in the blanks of her speech. And according to a newspaper article, “Dr. Rowley responded to the comment in a Facebook post at about 1.30 am on Friday, June 9th when he wrote: “Finally!!! Caught in her frequent disgusting race-baiting she is reduced to repeating inane rubbish to try and lie her way out. Anyone surprised?”
I am surprised that the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (PMoTT) continues this obsolete, disingenuous strategy of racial accusations to move our thinking away from the significant issues which are plaguing our land. I hoped that KCR was more strategic than that. It is redundant for our PMoTT to engage in this race discussion especially since the mixed-race population in Trinidad is the highest growing race of people. A 2003 song released by David Rudder and Carl Jacob commented that “how we vote, is not how we party” and I refuse to accept that this is still true 20 years later.
Research on “ChatGPT” revealed that the 2011 population census concluded that people of mixed ethnic background account for approximately 22.8 percent of the population while mixed Afro-Indian descent accounts for approximately 7.7 percent. Interestingly, that census allowed for self-identification. In other words, the respondents were allowed to choose their ethnicity, and “mixed” was a category. That was more than 10 years ago so I wonder what a current census will reveal!
Our society is culturally diverse because we comprise people of African, Indian, European, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and Indigenous descent, among others. Our ethnicity is shaped by colonization, immigration, and intermarriage. Scratch any of us deep enough and up will pop another race. The “mustard and ketchup” political parties have continuously disappointed us with their unsettling racial conversations as opposed to focusing on inclusivity, diversity, and equality and the necessary systems, processes, and procedures which could improve our society. Despite the political commitment to remaining fossilized until the last drop or bubble is removed from our earth, our top three topics for consideration are crime, corruption, and economic diversification. I wonder why KPB and KCR choose not to engage in these conversations with a solution-focused approach!
It is time to reform our governance and get rid of these two grave-digging parties. It is time for the person in the street, some of whom are the 22.8% mixed-race, to vote for persons who will do better. It’s time for us to take a chance and vote differently to reset our society. No more colorful voting. It’s time to vote based on the IQ and compassion of the representative, and their proven ability to get things done for their constituents.
We cannot continue to cover our deep societal problems with condiments that are flavourful to some but add little value to our overall health. Our leaders have a responsibility to change the conversation away from this sickening focus on race and concentrate on what is needed for citizens to thrive so that the phrase “Sweet T&T” will no longer be used in sarcasm.
Dennise Demming 