SO Trinidad and Tobago has finally announced the date for new general elections. The September 5 V-day, as disclosed on Friday by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, is just nine days before the ultimate constitutional deadline since the 2010 national poll at which her party had swept to power with a whopping two thirds parliamentary majority to lead the incumbent People’s Partnership (PP) administration in Port-of-Spain.

First woman to head a Government in that twin-island nation, Persad-Bissessar also proudly carries with her the reputation of being the first female leader of the country’s second major party, United National Congress (UNC), second only to the current main opposition People’s National Movement (PNM), which has traditionally dominated political power in that most cosmopolitan of Caribbean Community member states.
One of the quartet of founding member states of our Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Trinidad and Tobago has earned its proud reputation for spreading its financial resources and market space in helping other Community partners in advancing progress in various sectors, including sports and human resources.
In the area of democratic multi-party governance politics of the country, T&T has managed to distinguish itself, under the leadership of its first and longest-serving Prime Minister, Dr Eric Williams, in ensuring free and fair parliamentary elections – one of the very outstanding legacies of the PNM he founded.
It is a legacy sustained by subsequent changing Governments. Although, similar to Guyana’s, the pattern has largely revolved between the PNM and the UNC whose founding leader is the current political retiree, Mr Basdeo Panday.
For the first time, the PNM would be led into national parliamentary elections by Dr Keith Rowley, successor to the last PNM-led leader and Prime Minister, Patrick Manning. His failing health had influenced his decision to eventually give up leadership of the party of which he was the most successful of PNM inheritors after the visionary Caribbean historian and subsequent statesman, Eric Williams.
In this context, we look forward to expected free and fair elections in September by a sister CARICOM member country that has remained committed to free and fair elections – irrespective of the incumbent and, by extension, the flowering of multi-party democracy in multi-ethnic, multi-cultural Caribbean societies.
Guyana could, if it so chooses, learn how to better improve the quality of democratic governance in a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural CARICOM state from our good neighbour.
After all, with their long history in trade and governance partnership, CARICOM states like Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago could, if so desired, learn much from each other.