Fwd: COP's Critical Role - COP will never 'merge' into UNC or PNM or any other party: UNC needs COP

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CCDSJ_TT

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Jun 29, 2011, 10:27:50 PM6/29/11
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People who do not understand COP's critical role in T&T politics and who plot and conspire to merger, or takeover, or morph COP into UNC or PNM are really political simpletons who will pay for their political folly.
 
Since 1981 when the ONR was born, there has been a growing COP constituency (call it ONR, NAR, TAPIA etc at that time, but essentially they are COP today) that has become a powerful segment of the electorate, so powerful that it is decides who wins the general elections. The key to understanding the reason for this growing COP crowd is that there are more than 100,000 voters who will NEVER vote for UNC or PNM, for whatever reason, and we can go into that later.
 
That's why you will never succeed in bringing these people into UNC or PNM, even if COP elects a leader who will be a willing bride for this arranged marriage between leaders but not the individual members.
 
The core COP (who knows, maybe another name after the July 3rd elections) members will always be there, never will they go to UNC or PNM; they may form another party, another splinter party, but they will be strong enough to play the critical deciding role in general elections.
 
Why is this important? The electorate is changing, the political culture is changing, not just here in T&T, but also everywhere - the Arab young men and women don't want to ride camels in the desert while Mubarak and Gadaffi control their destiny. By 2015, the traditional politics will be almost dead - forget house and voter padding plans which some think are 'secret' in their grand design but you can't hide that, everyone knows about it; forget trying to merge COP, all you will do is get a few thousands but will antagonize the other hundred thousand who will rather stay away from the polls leaving the PNM to win with their core 28%; forget about tribal racist politics - that's dead and buried, and will be rejected by the younger electorate; forget hamper and rum/roti or scotch/BBQ politics - people want good jobs, tools for modern lifestyle, they dream of the First world societies that they see/hear/read everyday on TV and Facebook/Twitter and where many of their relatives and friends live... it's a fast changing world and COP seems to be leading the way in offering the politics that can woo and capture the electorate of 2015.
So what can UNC and PNM do? PNM seems hopeless, reverting to the PNM tribal politics formula with a few token Indos thrown into the mix. It's difficult to see the current PNM leadership and party improving to the extent that it can win in 2015 but you cannot write off the PNM, especially if UNC and COP go separate ways. UNC should focus on building the party, on good governance, developing a good long-term relationship with COP, delivering the goods, making good on the promises, and stop trying hare-brained failed PNM political schemes or trying to take over COP, stop trying to implement failed PNM policies etc etc. UNC has to modernize (there must be a better word), change to attract the youths, discard the traditional UNC-style politics that is rapidly becoming quaint and anachronistic....
 
COP has done well since the dark days of 2007 but it needs to strengthen the organization, reach out to the masses, maintain its fierce independent role -- this what makes COP unique, this is the essence of COP. 
 
To retiterate -  only fools will try to takeover COP or try to destroy COP because you can't capture or destroy that constituency. Correction - you can, but it means your party has to become like COP. Either do that or work with COP, build mutually beneficial relationships with respect and fairness, and learn to live with COP as a partner. 

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