Trinidad Politicians Are Not Afraid of, Nor Do They Respect, the People They Serve
Time and time again we have watched our political leaders refer to us — the citizens who put them in office — in scornful, demeaning terms. They mock us from the platform, dismiss us from the parliament, and forget us the moment the polls close. This is precisely why Trinidad is ripe for a revolution. And the time to rebel is now.
People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.
Alan Moore, V for Vendetta
Let us talk plainly about why politicians should be afraid of the people. We live in a democracy, where the power is supposed to rest with the people — but in Trinidad it rarely feels that way. Too often it seems the politicians are the ones in control, and we, the people, are simply along for the ride, told to be grateful for the seat.
But it should not be this way. Politicians should be afraid of the people, because we are the ones with the power to hold them accountable for their actions. When politicians are not held accountable, they drift into corruption and make decisions that serve themselves rather than the nation. Do not expect much from the political class on its own conscience — traditionally, they respond only when they are frightened.
We have seen the pattern repeat for decades. These clowns make grand promises during their campaigns, only to forget them — and us — the instant they are sworn in. We fail to hold them accountable, and so they grow more concerned with their own personal gain than with the needs of the constituents who elected them.
This is why we, the people, must demand more. We must hold our politicians accountable for their actions and demand transparency and honesty from them. If they fail to meet that standard, we must remove them — and bar them from any future political ambition, never again to be handed a chance to steal from the people. It should be a one-shot deal for determining a politician's integrity: betray the public trust once, and you are finished for good.
But we cannot stop at pointing fingers upward. We must also hold ourselves accountable. We must be informed about the issues and about the people who claim to represent us. We must educate ourselves and participate actively in our own democracy, rather than waking up only when the damage is already done.
Consider how it goes. We sat back and watched Them come for the iron workers, and society as a whole paid it no mind. Curiously, right before the shutdown, there was a high-profile incident of a church bell going missing that helped trigger the closures — and Trinis thought nothing of it. Was the whole sequence a setup to execute a larger plan? Whether or not it was, the lesson is the same: we did nothing, and so it happened. Apathy is the permission slip the powerful count on.
Politicians must be afraid of the people, because when we are informed, engaged and active, we hold the power to create real change. We can hold our elected officials to account and force them to serve the best interests of the nation rather than their own. That fear — the fear of an awake and organised public — is the engine of every reform this country has ever won.
So let us not be complacent or apathetic about our democracy. Let us demand more from our politicians and from ourselves, as proud Trinis. Let us show them that we are not afraid to hold them accountable — and that we are more than willing to fight for what is right. The power was always ours. It is time we acted like it.