When an intelligent, coherent 92-year-old activist speaks … stop talking and start taking notes. Ferdie Ferreira recently reminded us of his move from “political paradise to political purgatory” and commented that Rushton Paray will likely share his experience. He also commented that he was watching the signs and symptoms of hubris of the leaders of our two major political parties.
My introduction to the concept of hubris dates to the tenure of the late former Prime Minister Patrick Manning, when Professor Selwyn Ryan questioned whether the nation was grappling with Manning’s “hubris syndrome.” Reflecting on this term, I pondered whether it was the intoxication of power, excessive pride, or an absence of humility that led to its manifestation. Or is it that other than General Elections, there has not, in living memory, been an instrument for informing leaders that they are wrong, so they are allowed to proceed recklessly? Now, intriguingly, hubris surfaces in discussions surrounding our current Prime Minister as well as the Leader of the Opposition. Their demeanor suggests arrogance in addressing critical matters, a deficiency of humility in their approach, and a detachment from the needs of ordinary citizens.
Tone deaf and unaware that the country is crying out for effective leadership, both political leaders seem to be cemented in their current positions, politically and mentally. In the case of the Leader of the Opposition, after leading her party through losses in both National and General Elections, if she were paying attention, she should be rethinking her leadership role. In the case of the Prime Minister of the country, citizens are so disappointed with his current leadership that in my opinion if the opposition presents itself with a new leader quite a few staunch PNM voters will “hold their noses” and give support simply to “vote him out”, That’s another voter behaviour which does not work well, because it is used punitively, not productively.
Several persons have commented that the call for the UNC’ ‘s internal elections by Member of Parliament (MP) for Mayaro Rushton Paray is political suicide, but he is taking the risk and asking the Leadership to “respect the voice of its members” and move ahead with the party’s internal elections that are constitutionally due in June of this year. That to me is a reasonable call that should be honoured because it abides with the party’s constitution.
In 1973, author and political activist, Ferdie Ferreira supported the late Mr Karl Hudson Phillip in his failed attempt to secure the office of political leader of the PNM. Later, he was declared persona non-grata in the People’s National Movement (PNM). He went on to be a key influencer in the Organization for National Reconstruction (ONR) which did not win a seat in the 1981 General Elections despite winning over 22% of the votes. ONR was succeeded by the NAR in 1986, winning 33 out of 36 seats in the General Elections.
If history is to repeat itself, then Rushton Paray is committing political suicide. In my opinion, his political rebirth could transform our two-party system. However this plays out, our current leaders need to step away, focus on the twilight of their lives, and provide opportunities for new and different leaders.
Dennise Demming 