1 week ago
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Senior Reporter
Chairman of the Council for Responsible Political Behaviour (CRPB), Dr Bishnu Ragoonath, has revealed that the recently concluded Tobago House of Assembly (THA) election campaign was marred by multiple breaches of the Code of Ethical Political Conduct, raising concerns about the tone and maturity of political engagement in Tobago.
Speaking with Guardian Media yesterday, Dr Ragoonath said both major political parties – the People’s National Movement (PNM) and the Tobago People’s Party (TPP) – committed infractions during the campaign period, underscoring what he described as significant “room for improvement’ in political conduct.
“In terms of the breaches, there were several breaches of the code,” Ragoonath said. “They included the use of inappropriate language, race-baiting and the defacement of political banners and paraphernalia from various parties. Unfortunately, I don’t think anybody took us on seriously, as it came up right up until the day before election day. Statements from the political platforms left a lot to be desired in terms of applying the code.”
The CRPB, which monitors election conduct but has no enforcement authority, did not publicly attribute breaches to individual parties.
Ragoonath said that the approach would remain unchanged.
“We have not disaggregated the breaches in terms of which party committed what, and that will not be made public,” he explained. “But the fact remains that there is room for improvement.”
He added that while the council cannot impose sanctions, it intends to re-engage political parties following the election to reinforce adherence to the code and promote more responsible campaigning ahead of future polls.
“We are only supposed to monitor the election campaign; the campaign has ended. What we do is report to the founding organisation, which created the council, and it is for them to call on the various political parties to act beyond what we would have presented.”
The comments come in the wake of a decisive THA election outcome, with the TPP securing a clean sweep of the assembly, a result that Dr Ragoonath said has intensified scrutiny of the PNM’s internal leadership structure.
According to Dr Ragoonath, the PNM’s leadership arrangements remain a lingering concern and may have contributed to the party’s electoral difficulties.
“The leadership remains questionable as to exactly who is leading the party.”
He pointed to past leadership experiments within the PNM, arguing that inconsistency at the top has created confusion both internally and among the electorate.
Dr Ragoonath said similar issues resurfaced ahead of the 2025 general election.
Dr Ragoonath suggested that the THA election result sends a clear message not only about voter preferences in Tobago, but also about the importance of coherent leadership and disciplined political behaviour.
“The PNM has to deal with their own challenges, and they now have the time to deal with them. One of the things that came out of this election was, now that the PNM has lost Tobago, we remember Mr Dennis was appointed by Dr Rowley, so the new leader of the PNM Pennelope Beckles will have a greater say in who is the new leader of the PNM Tobago council.”
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