As the two 'major' Parties go for each other's political jugular, the responsibility to provide a calm influence and sound guidance rests more and more with the Congress of the People. It is from this position that the Party will find its true identity, and it is from here the Leadership of the Party should attempt to cultivate new members.
Having never formed the Government on its own, the Party has been spared much of the mudslinging and character assassination currently defining what is passing for political exchange. This is fertile ground for those who would build the Party into a truly National Party capable of standing on its own in any scenario, and steps have to be taken now if such aspirations exist.The Party needs to develop a strong core to withstand the onslaught of attacks from without and entreaties from within, and I have said before that the supporters need to be treated with more respect and kept in the loop out of respect for what they accomplished earlier this year in both elections.
There should be more gatherings, more sharings, more interactive events for the members to voice their support and their displeasure to their elected representatives within the Party from the grassroots right up to the activists. Taking its support base for granted now would only play into the hands of those who seek the Party's demise and I again caution the Leadership to look within for guidance. Beautiful sounding words come across as hollow if not matched by planned and sustained action, and the supporters of the Party deserve a lot more for their time and effort spent putting this Government into Office.
It is my firm belief that the Congress of the People has a significant role to play in bringing the politics back to the center, and the need for morality and integrity in public life is greater now than ever before. The Party also needs to embark on an aggressive membership drive to build on its current successes and prepare for the future, because, even as strong fences make good neighbors, so also do equality of membership and support base build strong partnerships, if only out of respect.Might I suggest a quarterly campaign style gathering through the four corners of T&T, complete with open mike for feedback sessions, moderators with Facebook postings and text contributions also considered?
This would give the Leadership a better understanding of the mood of its supporters in the bigger scheme of things, so as to allow for change of course where required, and to provide a feeling of continuous involvement among its supporters.
It is a law of party politics that a satisfied and happy membership grows and multiplies on its own recommendations, and the Party would do well to foster a feeling of belonging to all who call themselves members of the Congress of the People.
Mr. Alexander
ReplyDeleteTaking into consideration that the Congress of The People was initially formed mainly by free thinking people who could not in good conscience and for the sake of tradition support either of the two leaders running the show at the time i.e. Patrick Manning and Basdeo Panday, and actually coming from a family that split down the middle to support either the UNC or COP, and having seen, on the emergence of Mrs. Persad Bissessar, most of the UNC supporters rush back home, I believe that what is left of the COP is a core of intelligent, well bred, well educated, integrity oriented people who genuinely want to see T & T not only progress but evolve. In this light, I agree with you that the leadership of the COP should take this initiative to strengthen its support base, but at the same time make sure that its supporters remain true to its core beliefs and aspirations. Perhaps, setting the example of a party with superior goals and characteristics, the COP may yet lead the entire country into a radiant, spiritually evolved future where our future generations can live and grow in safety and peace.