Keith Rowley, the Trinidad & Tobago Prime Minister, emerged as a serious political force at the end of his predecessor's (Patrick Manning) term. But probably the most significant thing that we can note about him is the fact that he is not a creator. His talent lies in marketing (himself) rather than in any type of organizational leadership or in taking a novel concept from its inception to a premium place and thus benefitting the country. He has adroitly played to racist and xenophobic fears that attached to Mrs. Persad Bissessar's re-election bid in 2020. He has continuously lied and pontificated on just about everything from emailgate to crime to corruption and every thing in between. He has made ridiculous statements and ran with them and has surrounded himself with weak, incompetent and ineffective people who are making ten times more money as Ministers of Government than they could ever earn in the world that the rest of us inhabit. Little wonder that they remain so loyal to him despite all the evidence that the country is falling apart!
Rowley did not single handedly inject the strains of intolerance, racism, belligerence and a durable sympathy for anti democratic behaviour into the PNM and there is no reason to believe that his absence would cause them to evaporate, UNLESS the PNM replaces him with a more moderate and tolerant leader - which is likely to happen IF there is no cheating in the upcoming leadership elections. Unfortunately for the country that seems unlikely at the present time.
For critical observers, it is apparent that everything Rowley has offered the country came slathered in Snake oil. That is either a statement about the willful blindness of the T&T electorate or a barometer of haw many Trinbagonians view these dangerous liabilities or assets. In either case, at least one other insight : fixating on the salesman, misses the point. The problem is, and always has been, the size of the audience rushing to buy what he is selling.
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