Just another ULP Convention?

Normally, one would be expected to offer congratulations as a matter of courtesy to Prime Minister Gonsalves on his re-election as Leader of the governing Unity Labour Party at last Sunday’s 26th Annual Convention. But, as evidenced

by the low-key reporting of the Convention and its internal elections, even by the state media, it seems as though neither his re-election nor the elections themselves were considered to be substantially newsworthy. As the French would say, they were “deja vu”.

To be fair to the PM though, he is never shy of blowing his own trumpet, and he certainly has many tunes from which to choose. He chose for the occasion to laud the transformational nature of his government’s major achievements. He is quite entitled to do so and, whatever one’s opinion of his government, is quite justified in doing so. Of course, the success of the transformation will be judged not only by what is built, but also by how it is managed, utilized and implemented.

Important questions asked, for instance the collision in Port Kingstown resulting in the turning away of a cruise ship on its maiden voyage here, the allegations about the connection between the damage at Rawacou and any causal connection to sand dredging, surely must be answered and any idle speculation put to rest.

But back to the Convention. Was it another exercise of “democracy in action”, as touted? Of course there were the formalities, and it avoided the potential catastrophe of some years ago when leadership issues nearly wrecked the Convention. But the leadership issue remains unresolved, no matter how much one chooses to dance around it, and there are people in the party, how big the number I am in no position to say, who want a clear resolution of the issue. But it seems to be taboo, strange for a party espousing democratic participation.

Some time before the elections in 2020, the ULP constructed a large billboard just outside Frenches Gate in Kingstown. That billboard promoted the maximum leader and what seemed to be the party’s choice for succession, Agriculture Minister Saboto Caesar and Finance Minister Camillo Gonsalves. There was much speculation as to when the Prime Minister would hand over a very successful leadership role. Four years later, we are no closer to Gonsalves’ departure, nor has the internal succession been resolved. Is it too much, not to wildly speculate, but to ask questions? We are approaching another general election but are no wiser than we were four years ago.

As I said, the PM and ULP are well in their rights to extol their accomplishments, but it is not enough to ignore their weaknesses or mistakes. After all these years in office, why can’t weaknesses be publicly identified and discussed? Does that not indicate a weakness in itself? The ULP is fortunate that it has had such an inept opposition to deal with all these years with weak leadership and a seeming lack of understanding of how to move the country forward.

Party leader Godwin Friday, appears to be what one would call a quite “personable character”, in contrast to some of his leadership colleagues, but his interventions on serious national matters leaves one to question his capacity to lead our country and to build on advances. I am increasingly worried by his seeming reliance on outside forces as in influencing party policy on citizenship matters, leading to a full commitment in that regard. Worse, while it is not of his making, the NDP, Friday personally and proudly, boasts of membership in the international club which includes Donald Trump’s Republicans, the disgraced Conservatives in Britain and, hear this, the Likud Party of Netenyahu in Israel and the ruling party in Argentina, reckoned to be now the most right wing and anti-people in Latin America.What is he doing with these bedfellows?

Friday seems to have a penchant for attacking Venezuela leading him to make ridiculous statements.

The latest of these concerns is Minister Caesar’s enthusiasm about a Venezuelan offer of 25,000 acres of farmland to SVG. Of course there are many challenges in working out such arrangements, but rather than try to temper Mr Caesar’s enthusiasm, he resorted to a nonsensical conclusion that the agreement “is nonsense masquerading as some initiative”, and other such nonsense. Is that how a potential Prime Minister reacts to a proposal? What does bad roads in Marriaqua have to do with such an issue? Clearly the proposal poses formidable challenges, and it is imperative that there ought to be significant private sector engagement to make it a success, but Friday’s comments negate any claims he advances as to his suitability for national leadership. Those of my generation would say that he seems not to know the difference between LCM and HCF and is influenced by rabid forces who are completely out of touch with today’s realities.

This is why I continue to say that the leadership of the NDP seems to be one of the biggest trump cards, (no pun intended) for the ULP.

• Renwick Rose is a Social and Political commentator.