Dr. Keith Rowley was sworn in as the Honorable Leader of the Opposition by the President of the Republic, His Excellency, George Maxwell Richards, at 4 p.m. on Friday evening.
Almost immediately after that ceremony, when asked what would be his 'first' priorities in office, Dr. Rowley dispatched into his usual trade mark style and launched into the Government, as is his perceived constitutional role and duty to the Party.
While I still have the utmost respect for our new Opposition Leader, I completely disagree with his assessment.
Dr. Rowley's first order of business MUST be to completely destroy the legacy of the Patrick Manning PNM and ALL of the issues that reduced a majority Government to a minority Opposition.
He cannot shrink from this, or his part in our history will be considerably shorter than it might have been had he had the courage of the convictions we the people believe he possesses.
He must consign Patrick's remaining minions to hell, and set about establishing a new PNM order; cut off completely as it were from Calder Hart's UDECOTT, Gary Hunt's 2M flag, Patrick's Palace and the Guanapo church/prophetess saga to name but a few.
All must be surrendered to their own fates, to face the Courts and the law of the land without any support whatsoever from the Party, whose name they dragged into disrepute.
His purge must be so complete and so public as to leave the other side nothing to feed on, nothing to bite into, and so force them to stand on their own record and bring people focused, issues driven debate back into the House of Representatives.
Do not doubt for one minute that the stink of the Patrick Manning era will linger long after the memory of this humiliating defeat fades.
There has to be a severing of ties with the old guard if the Party is to unite under Dr. Rowley's pennant, regardless of what the remaining bastion of what passed for Party leadership under Manning feels.
Colm Imbert has to be marginalized, as he is the most despised remainder of that cabal. If Patrick was Papa Doc, then Colm was Baby Doc, and the people are eager to see the back of him as well, sooner than later. If Mr. Imbert had one remaining shred of decency, he would find a way to resign and cede his seat to Penelope Beckles, the last, best, brightest star shining out of the PNM, darling of the people, and the vestibule of their hope and their redemption.
The party CANNOT survive, rebranding, repositioning and re 'anything else'. There must be a period of upheaval, house cleaning and letting go.
The people, especially the Party faithful, needs there to be a bloodletting, for, as in any fiasco of such immense proportions, someone (or 'someone's in these circumstances) has to pay.
For all his absurdity and stupidity in the face of good counsel and attempts at reason (both from within and without), Patrick Manning did not act alone. There are other culpable parties who betrayed the Party and the country for their own selfish agendas, and who must now pay the ultimate price.
The mantle of leadership is now squarely on Keith Rowley's shoulders, but it does not have to remain there.
Until he gets that and gets his political house in order, he has already arrived at everywhere he has to go.
The people are paying very close attention to what happens next.
Something to think about...
Excellent work Phillip
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