Newsday
WITH THE Prime Minister’s return on February 22 from the Caricom heads of government meeting in Barbados, his last lap in politics begins.
Soon after announcing his plan to resign before the next election, Dr Rowley, 75, indicated he would announce the timeline of his exit only after Caricom proceedings.
Thus all eyes are on him. The novelty of his unprecedented departure has worn off somewhat. But that does not mean the bar is not set incredibly high for his conduct.
The PM could not have wished for a fonder farewell than the one he received in Bridgetown.
Not only did leader after leader go beyond the usual valedictory platitudes in painting the Diego Martin West MP as the quintessential Caribbean man, but each official also presented hints as to how history might assess the quieter parts of Dr Rowley’s tenure.
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Still, the bonhomie in Barbados is not likely to be fully replicated here.
The PM begins his last lap amid the revelry of Carnival. But when the dust settles, dispiriting matters will return to the fore.
Indeed, even amid the reign of the Merry Monarch, the country remains in a state of emergency. The police commissioner is suspended. A triple murder in Guanapo happened hours after Dr Rowley’s return.
Caricom’s escalated stance, driven by him, of regarding crime as “terrorism,” and not just a public health emergency, reflects the extent to which there are two countries over which our leader presides: the country in which masqueraders will celebrate in wild abandon and the country in which people cower in fear in their homes, afraid to take to the streets.
This split-screen reality is inescapable, as made clear by the many songs at Calypso Fiesta which highlighted the ongoing plight of citizens just as the PM returned. In the audience at Skinner Park that day was Stuart Young, his heir apparent.
The astonishing mistakes made on January 3, when Dr Rowley announced his intention to step down, but did not take questions or outline the process by which his successor would be chosen, cannot be repeated.
The PNM leader must move beyond the dictates of his party and fulfil his duty, as the sitting prime minister, to inspire confidence in our democratic system. He must, through the granular details of his au revoir, keep an eye on the needs of the nation. The population has no experience in the handover process he proposes to undertake.
Additionally, in this delicate dance, the PM cannot afford to re-ignite the ire of elements within Balisier House.
Dr Rowley has been in politics for almost half a century.
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But the way he orchestrates his departure will become one of the defining moments of his career.
