Political Scientist Professor Hamid Ghany has described Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s two Independence Day messages as unconventional but effective in generating public discussion.
Speaking on the Trinidad and Tobago Today morning show on Wednesday, he noted that the Prime Minister delivered two distinct messages – one to the national community and another to members of the United National Congress.
He described both of the Prime Minister’s Independence Day messages as unconventional but effective in generating public discussion and achieving their intended impact.
“It goes into the heart and soul of what was being portrayed in the official Independence Day message because there were two messages, there was one for the official Independence Day, which was the national message, and then she had a separate message that she sent to members of her party, which was meant for members of the party, and people have also commented upon that as well.”
Professor Ghany said the Prime Minister’s statements on colonialism, particularly her view that it is not the primary source of the country’s problems, generated significant public discussion.
“She has certainly gotten the shift in the national conversation. Her message has had the effect that she obviously wanted it to have because people are talking about it and people are reflecting on it and looking back. And basically what she is saying is that we can’t blame of all of our ills on colonialism. So there are some who have taken it in a very narrow way and looking at some of the inequalities of the past and not looking at it in a broader sense, the big picture of what were the standards in the public service, what were the economic standards of the day.”
He said Mrs Persad-Bissessar’s decisive approach to issues such as national security has also helped deliver results and supports the Government’s vision for change.
“She has brought some changes onto the arena. She has been criticised for having two States of Emergency but she wants to show that at the end of the day that that effort was worth it. And statistically there is something to show for it. And now moving into area of expanded police posts all over the country, which is perhaps going to be her next game-changer with regard to dealing with the problems of crime in our society as an example of what I’m talking about.”
He also said Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar is moving the country in a defined direction.
“What she’s doing is making a kind of change in direction that she thinks needs to be made because people have become jaded and weren’t really seeing that there was something coming forward. Yes, you can talk about traditional policy, we did this, we did that, we did the other. But what is the impact on people’s lives? What is the quality of life that we’re looking at? And you’ve got to take political risks.”
Dr Ghany said the risks and bold moves of the Kamla Persad-Bissessar-led administration are ultimately intended to improve the quality of life of citizens.