CHANGE ….. or Is It?

CHANGE ….. or Is It?

In Canada’s Federal elections on Monday, the Liberal Party led by Justin Trudeau were elected to form the next government in November.

Trudeau, 43, is the son of a former Canadian Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau, who led the government for most of 16 years from 1968.

The world media repeated Trudeau’s claim that his party’s electoral success was ‘real change’ in Canadian politics.

A local radio station carries an ad which claims that on September 7 “change happened” in this country.

Coincidentally, both the Liberals and PNM have won 2015 elections following serious electoral defeats in the previous elections.

Also, coincidentally, as one Canadian newspaper put it, “In this election, the question was how badly did… (voters) want to defeat” the incumbent.

Interestingly, both parties had promised to reduce the size of their respective Cabinets.

The similarities in these situations and the frequent description of election outcomes in many parts of the world as events of change, real changed and the like beg the question: Is that so?

Does ‘voting out’ a government really mean Change?

Trudeau’s victory is being seen as a “return to …traditions”. Pretty much the same is the thinking in this country as the PNM’s victory is hailed as a “return to proper government” and such terms.

So, is going back to something that existed before, really change?

Is the PNM presenting a Manifesto and then a Budget which create the image of a time warp as it seems for them that the last 5 years did not exist and government policy is simply to pick up from where they left off in 2010 when they were voted out.

But, why were they voted out in the first place? Wasn’t their defeat in the previous elections because the very policies they now vow to continue were rejected by the people of the country who voted them out?

So, how is more of the same, Change?

How is back to Property Tax, Rapid Rail, Media Broadcast Code or the return of a regime which presided the deadliest period of violent crime in our history; how is that Change?

In nature and in society change is said to be constant. In natural science and social science also change is constantly occurring or being brought about by deliberate actions of human beings in transforming the natural or social environments.

Change can either move things forward – in a direction according to the laws of development of nature or of society – or move things backward – in a direction counter to such laws of development.

In matters of politics and governance, change can either move society in the direction of greater democracy or greater autocracy.

When governments come into office, they have a choice either to give more control to the majority in the society – the people or to give more control to the minority – the controllers of wealth and power.

So, when we describe the election of a ‘new’ government which is really the return of one of either two (as in T&T) or three (as in Canada) to positions of power as Change, we have to ask the question: 

What are they doing to either curtail or expand the monopoly they exercise in the electoral process?

Is this ‘Change’ to give the majority a greater say, a real role in the determination of matters of politics and governance which affect all aspects of their lives?

Or, is this ‘Change” to deny the majority any real say and continue the status quo?

There is no third way. To claim to do neither is really to support the status quo; to maintain a system of governance and a social system which it supports which places the interest of the majority in last place.

These are important issues in which the majority of the society must have greater interest and engage in wider discussion and action about.

The Change that is needed is that which moves our society forward in the direction of increased democracy and a real say for the people.

How is this to be achieved? What must we do to ensure that it happens? How do we create that Change?

These are issues which must concern the electors, not merely which of the parties which claim to represent ‘Change’ we should give our vote to.