Rowley’s date with destiny

IN A FEW weeks’ time, on March 15, it will be the Ides of March. It is a date of huge symbolic significance, being the day on which Julius Caesar’s fate was sealed. The very next day, Keith Rowley, 75, will leave politics.

The Prime Minister has selected a moment for his departure that could not be more momentous for him.

His grandfather died in March 1974. He took part in Black Power activities in March 1970. It was in March 2008, too, that he first privately decided to quit politics under the pressures of the Patrick Manning administration. In March 2019, he announced a coronary issue had necessitated medical tests abroad.

But crucially, it was in March 1981, while he worked at the National Quarries Company, that he experienced the trauma of the death of Dr Eric Williams and witnessed the transition to George Chambers. It is this process that Dr Rowley now seeks to follow. Months after that constitutional transfer of power, he made his debut in electoral politics, contesting the Tobago West seat in that year’s general election. He lost by 364 votes.

The decision of the Diego Martin West MP to announce the date of his departure on February 26 at an event commemorating deceased MP Lisa Morris-Julian is also of significance.

Dr Rowley is inviting contemplation of the lives of leaders while seeking to hone his legacy. His decision to let the opening of the new ANR Robinson International Airport serve as a final public engagement is similarly symbolic, reflecting the past, the present and the future. It is also oriented towards the campaign trail.

However, how history assesses this leader will, to a large degree, depend on the tone set during his exit, as well as the finer details of its mechanics. Will Stuart Young be placed in office through MP endorsement alone?

Meanwhile, the PM’s choice of an event in honour of Ms Morris-Julian, whose death was a national tragedy and whose contribution to political life has been hailed by all sides of the House of Representatives, set a less partisan tone.

Still, a more conventional venue for making crucial national leadership transition announcements might be Parliament, Whitehall or even the Prime Minister’s Residence and Diplomatic Centre. While not ideal, Balisier House could pass muster, if pressed.

As important as the forum and optics of this transition – which need to strengthen the sense of a stable democracy for all – is the manner of Dr Rowley’s engagement with the public from here on end. He has chosen a moment that allows Carnival’s exuberance to colour his goodbye. Yet, especially amid a state of emergency, he cannot afford to leave too many questions unanswered for too long.

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