Join Barbados Underground and follow the countdown of the 41 seats in the Trinidad and Tobago General Elections 2007 on C-News – The Voice of TnT.
Source: Trinidad Guardian
Yet another General Election is upon us in the Caribbean and if the result runs true to form the People National Movement (PNM) might be found wanting when the the final result is posted. In Barbados, Prime Minister Owen Arthur will have an eye on this election result if for no other reason that a PNM defeat will help to feed a public perception that incumbent governments need to be swept from office come hell or high water.
The happenings in T&T must also interest Barbadians because of the geographical proximity and the growing economic interdependence of the two countries. The current debate in Barbados regarding the acquisition of the Barbados conglomerate BS&T by Neal & Massy and Ansa MaCal, the offer by CLICO for Barbados Farms which is a company that owns over 4000 acres of land, the controversial purchase of the Barbados National Bank (BNB) and we can go on makes our point. Whether we agree on what some consider to be the hegemonic behaviour of T&T or whether current events mirror the need to integrate under the ideals of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME), events in T&T will create conversation in Barbados.
Basdeo Panday, Patrick Manning and Winston Dookeran:
Source: T&T News Blog
We have been scanning the T&T newspapers and listening to the news when we can. What is noticeable is the violence and crime. The reemergence of the relic Basdeo Panday who seems to still have the fire in his belly. Our analysis of the situation suggest that the passivity of Winston Dookeran has left the door open for Panday and the UNC. From this distance it looks to us as if T&T for all its economic advancement is a country which will continue to vote along racial lines – we would welcome feedback from our T&T visitors to the blog on this point! The recent polls all show that the race will be very tight so it makes us wonder why Panday – UNC and Dookeran – COP wouldn’t entertain a coalition going into the election to ensure that they can better the odds.
If our observation reflects our naiveté about Trinidad politics please forgive us!
Barbados Underground wish the T&T political parties well. Even though general elections are taking place in a sovereign country the world sees us as one space, one Caribbean. The leaders of our Caribbean continue to advocate that we must move to a single economic space to ensure our survival in the prevailing global turbulence. The ability of any T&T government to manage its cosmopolitan environment must interest Caribbean neighbours. If we can’t manage the diversity on the domestic front how can we hope to do it under a CSME umbrella!
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