A New Dispensation, New Challenges

CLEARLY THE VICTORY of Prime Minister Friday’s New Democratic Party (NDP) in last Thursday’s general elections represents the will of the electorate. Whatever the causes, and there will be no shortage of postmortems, the people have spoken, and we must respect their choice. It was the exercise of a right that took 113 years after emancipation, including a revolt in 1935, to be achieved. We must cherish it.

We have extended our heartiest congratulations to Dr.Friday and his team in our midweek edition and, for the benefit of those without access to that online edition, we repeat it here. But all the celebration and congratulation received cannot mask the enormity of the task before the new administration. Over the quarter century that Dr. Gonsalves’ Unity Labour Party (ULP) has been in power, our institutions of governance no doubt, have developed styles of operation based on the philosophical outlook of the ULP and its leader. Change, especially radical change, is not easy to achieve in these Westminster-trained and still very much colonial oriented institutions. Not that the new administration may be thinking of change in those terms. It has been reluctant to espouse anything but a general populist philosophy but now in office will be forced to manifest that populism in concrete choices.

It is left to be seen what direction will emerge. It may be too early to say, but the combination of an election close to the end of year and the requirement for a Budget presentation early in the new year will be pressurising. Many promises have been made, and patience may be a virtue, but it is often scarce in political times. The inexperienced government will be challenged and tested from Day One.

Its scale of victory over a long-established government will be one factor in its favour but the scale of its promises can prove to be haunting. However, we must be fair

to the new administration and exercise some patience. In turn, the government must understand its sacred pledge “to serve”. Many before them have mistaken their role and obligation to govern as one to rule. It is so throughout the Caribbean so we talk of “ruling party” when it should be “governing party”. It would be well to understand this early.

In the next few weeks and months, the Friday administration would begin to clarify its direction and to reveal it to the public.

There will of course be reaction, good and bad. But let us not have the ugly part. Already, immediately before elections there have been reports of supposedly NDP supporters confronting the former Prime Minister publicly. Most of today’s voters are too young to have witnessed the public accosting of our country’s first Prime Minister, Milton Cato as he entered the House of Assembly after his party lost the 1984 elections. It was an unpleasant and crude incident which we must not repeat.

The new Prime Minister has personally pledged to govern justly without fear or favour. It does not mean that personnel changes will not be made, but this ought to be designed to achieve an administration in line with the priorities of the government. Let us avoid recrimination and the incidents which trigger accusations of discrimination.

We ought to be proud of having an incident-free election. Part of the credit must go to the Supervisor of Elections and her team; but above all it is “We the People” who brought out the best in us. Let is be a pointer to our future!