What People's Partnership?- The PM's challenges

As part of the dwindling hope the PM's vehicle for change barely lives up to its "People's Partnership" name. Sure enough people create much of their problems but political parties promise to make them all disappear. No political-party-turned-government can deliver on such impossibility and the People's Partnership has worked no miracle, Ministry of the People notwithstanding. The Partnership is singular only in name. It is made up of a series of partnerships, some impossible, others ill-conceived and a few well-intentioned getting nowhere.

Amongst the people promises the fight against crime topped the Partnership's list and moved quickly from top to flop. A still-unexplained national security threat provoked a national lockdown. Initial praise turned to criticism, then cynicism. In a comparison of fish, no big ones ended up in the net and we know that no government elected without transparency in political funding will likely reel the big fish in. Rotten politics is still the crucible of crime.

Protesting poor road conditions and social services

Of the partnerships forged in search of government, the one which appeared most significant at the time was amongst potential rivals, each conceding an opportunity to split up the non-PNM vote. All that remains of that political ceasefire is self-interest, demonstrated in no less way than the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) clinging to a position in the Senate while shedding board appointments. It is incongruous for the MSJ to allege poor governance at the level of boards and board chairmen and stand aloof of that allegation as part of the Government in the Senate.

In any event that partnership amongst political rivals is not the most significant within the People's Partnership. That honour belongs to the sometimes uneasy bond between the UNC's chairman and its political leader. Despite compelling governance and political reasons, the UNC chairman remains in the cabinet, a senior minister in the PM's team.

The Army called out for crime-fighting (Andrea De Silva photo)

It is a low threshold of governance the PM has set for herself and her Government and the rest is therefore unsurprising. Out of that mould, the ministries and State entities proceed, shamelessly repeating the mistakes of the predecessors. Nothing about the Partnership's handling of the State sector is refreshing; the pervasive odour is rancid and not necessarily unrecognisable. It is the inevitable product of a country pushed into decline by smartmen and showgirls.