Trinidad At Election Time

About a month ago, the security in the clinic came down to where Sister Lewis and I were talking about the daily nursing report and preparing to leave--"Did you hear? Manning dissolved Parliament!" For those that don't know, as I didn't, the Trini Prime Minister can serve up to five years at a time, but he also has the power to choose when the election will occur--usually by dissolving Parliament (if that occurs, then an election date will be set in the very near future). In this case, Trini Prime Minister Patrick Manning dissolved Parliament just before they could give him a no-confidence vote (my sense is that is something like an impeachment, but I could be wrong there). And so we have elections May 24. I am excited for many reasons--even though I hate politics. I am curious to see how this thing plays out, what techniques candidates use--and I am learning how the political system in Trinidad is set up.

It works like this--there are two main political parties in Trinidad, the People's National Movement (PNM) and the United National Congress (UNC, in alliance now with the Congress of the People, or COP). Historically (and in reality, for the most part), the PNM is the black vote, and the UNC is the Indian vote. Trinidad is broken up into constituencies that are slightly larger than a single town, or are half a city like San Fernando. Both the PNM and UNC put a candidate up for Parliament in that constituency, and the people choose. The party that has the majority has control, and the Prime Minister is the party's leader. In the case of the PNM, it's Patrick Manning (though if the PNM wins but he loses his seat, someone else will take over the role of PM), and UNC is Kamla. It should be close. Listening to the PNM, Kamla is unprepared, and is not running a smart campaign. I just can't fathom Manning winning, if his Parliament nearly voted no confidence in him. I asked Mr. Beepath, a PNM supporter, about health care and he gave a bad but politically correct answer. The conversation after the SAS PR committee meeting yesterday reminded me so much of certain discussions I used to have at Marist....

So what's it like to be here during a political time? It's exciting. The undercurrents in the air are exciting. People are constantly talking, signs are posted everywhere, parties trash-talk each other constantly. I witnessed the fringes of a PNM rally last week (causing it to take an hour for me to get a La Romaine taxi to take me home), and walked through the beginning of a UNC rally on my way to church the next day. Hoards of people in the proper colors turned out, and the voices could be heard from quite a circumference. In the early morning, workers were out powerwashing the confetti on the Promenade down the drains. Music is the preferred medium for paid political announcements--and honestly, I find it works much better than the dull bashing of the other candidate or making empty promises of US ads. I heard the PNM song (soca--can you just imagine replacing Patrick Manning...my only concern is what if the answer is yes?) five times in an hour one day, and it ran through my head for the rest of the day. UNC has a few songs too--one talking about change, and another saying how Manning must go. Secretly (though don't tell Mr. Beepath), I am rooting for the UNC. In part because I could be witnessing history. After being in the US and electing the change candidate and first black President Obama, I'd love to be in Trinidad where the change candidate and first woman Prime Minister Kamla is elected.

I apologize for my continued long silence--now internet is even scarce, never mind time. My parents came up shortly after my last post--had a lovely visit, and loved the Tobago beaches (kudos to my dad, for driving the narrow, winding Tobago roads on the wrong side of the road!). Pirate's Bay, just a bit away from Speyside, is one of my most favorite beaches ever, with it's calm aquamarine water and palm trees and overhanging mangoes. In Trinidad, I am loving my work, loving my patients dearly. I had a wonderful time with a few from New Horizons, a place for socially displaced persons to get back on their feet, today--they always make me laugh. Last week, I was a part of a small miracle where a woman who was homeless and in the words of a nurse "liked living on the streets" finally wanted to get help--and everything went right so that she could. I still struggle with the balance between caring enough and caring too much, but I am getting there. We've now lost eight patients that I have worked with (I think actually nine now), but I am learning, and I am grateful. I leave Trinidad July 22. I will miss the people here more than anything. That's how it always is--I miss the people moreso than the place. The only place I miss is DC, so I will be happy to be spending the next four years of my life there. (By the way, if anyone knows anyone wealthy who wants to put me through medical school, I promise I will work anywhere in the world they'd like me to for four years after residency...I just signed my loan paperwork and the amount of money I will be borrowing is terrifying).

Be well, all of you, and God bless and keep you.