Historic first: Women at the political forefront in Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad & Tobago politically run by women for first time Monday’s general election in Trinidad has yielded up some interesting situations with women now holding the three most important political positions in the federation with Tobago like never before.

Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s victory over Stuart Young of the now opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) now means that she will become prime minister for the second time since 2010, while veteran PNM stalwart Pennelope Beckles-Robinson will soon be sworn in as the country’s opposition leader, trading places with Persad-Bissessar of the now governing United National Congress (UNC).

Once these two are officially sworn in by ceremonial President Christine Kangaloo, the Caribbean most southerly island will for the first time in history have three women occupying the top constitutional offices simultaneously. Kangaloo, a former senate president and accomplished attorney, has been president since 2023.

This fact has not been lost on most of the 1.4 million people in the republic, with most media houses ensuring that they have recorded this novelty fact. Interestingly, neighboring Barbados also has two women holding the top constitutional positions with Prime Minister Mia Mottley as head of government and Sandra Mason as titular president or head of state since November 2021 when the island became a republic. Both are accomplished attorneys as is Persad-Bissessar. Beckles-Robinson was planning minister in the defeated government and is extremely popular among party rank and file.

Her rise to the top of the PNM ticket is part of a generational change since Monday in the party that took the federation to independence from Britain in 1962 with former party leader and two-term Prime Minister Keith Rowley, 75, resigning with immediate effect as he goes into retirement.

Stuart Young, 50, the former energy minister to whom Rowley had made prime minister for just under two months, has also quit as party chair. And as expected, Young did not have the support to get the nod as opposition leader as he was bested by the same colleague whom he had beaten in an internal party vote to become PM.

Beckles-Robinson says she will work hard to rebuild the PNM. Also resigning voluntarily was former works minister and party vice chairman Rohan Sinanan as the three gave the party a chance to reboot with new leaders, faces and energy.

“When you lose an election, it’s never easy for your constituents. It is never easy for the party. It’s never easy to lose anything. But one of the things I would say is that on each and every occasion the PNM has lost, we have recovered. We have been resilient. We intend to be a responsible opposition. It is important to do your own analysis, do your own reflection. On the campaign trail, I recognized that the public is a lot more honest in terms of engaging with you. I’ve been an MP some time and they didn’t hesitate to share with me some of their concerns,” she told reporters after the vote.

For her party, the prime minister elect says she will govern fairly and try to fix mistakes made by the PNM.

“This victory is for the senior citizens to keep their pensions. This victory is for public servants to get their rightful salary increases. This victory is to reopen the children’s hospital …This victory is to once again give laptops to our children. This victory is to create over 50,000 jobs. And so, the victory is yours.”