Lessons for Rowley

For a little while I did see Patrick Manning as a prime minister. He had the look of a prime minister, he dressed well (I hope not at taxpayers' expense) and he spoke well. And please don't hand me stories about looks being deceiving.
Somehow I cannot picture Keith Rowley as a prime minister. His voice grates on my nerves, when he lifts his arms in front of the TV cameras, all those huge wet patches bother me and his pronouncements are more of convenience than of conviction. At least that is how it seems to me. Of course my opinion of him is coloured by an early judgement and try as I might to change, I find the effort burdensome. I was passing through Couva during an election campaign in the nineties. The PNM was having a public meeting in from of Republic Bank. Rowley was speaking. "If it wasn't for the PNM, you would be living in Bangladesh", he roared. I thought I might be mistaken until I saw the footage on Trinidad and Tobago Television (TTT) the following night. I don't feel I should comment on that issue anymore.
Having taken over the leadership of the grand ole party from Manning he found himself leading the PNM into a local governemnt election- the election that would never have taken place if the PNM was still in power.
He was in government so long and voted with the PNM time and again to deprive me of my right to choose my local governemnt representative. He never did anything to make sure I retained that right to vote. The he walks about telling Kamla Persad-Bissessar what she should and should not do.
The classic, however, is after the damaging results, he tells us that he is good, but not so good. GOOD WHAT! The new PNM leader failed to bring out his supporters to vote and that essentially is how good he is. No one expected him to win all the corporations, but good lord, does he not see that the places where they won, it is still Eric Williams they were voting.
Does he not realise that he could not mobilise his supporters?
And here is why. The example I am using is how Marabella West was lost. If you look at the post of July 12, you will see that Rowley did not care about public opinion. He retained Jennifer Marryshow as the candidate and the electorate told him what to do with his prize candidate. People did not want Marryshow, but Rowley did not care about that - very Manningesque I must say.
Anytime a leader can say that Jennifer Marryshow is the strongest councillor, or that Jennifer Marryshow is their strongest candidate they are saying that the party is in very bad shape. That is the worst start a leader can have...not losing an election, but the standards he sets for his party.
Which is why Pennelope Beckles must get more involved in the PNM. Forget tht job you were given to keep you quiet. Set high standards and people will look at you differently.