Political analyst Dr Bishnu Ragoonath is urging all political parties to maintain respect and dignity during the election campaign as accusations of intimidation tactics and derogatory language continue to emerge from various platforms.
"Be respectful of each other, maintain the dignity of the election campaign, and do not bring down your party using derogatory language," Ragoonath said on April 13.
Ragoonath, who also serves as chairman of the Council for Responsible Political Behaviour, clarified that he was speaking in his personal capacity and not on behalf of the council.
His comments come amid increasing concern about the tone and language used during political meetings and rallies.
At a political meeting in Rio Claro over the weekend, the UNC Tabaquite candidate, Sean Sobers, made a derogatory remark while referring to the former Cumuto/Manzanilla MP Rai Ragbir's tenure as MP.
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Ragbir has faced criticism from within his party since 2024, when he broke ranks and supported the government's Whistleblower Protection Bill. This led to a public fallout with UNC leadership.
On April 12, UNC Chaguanas East candidate Vandana Mohit accused the PNM's Richie Sookhai of trying to derail her campaign efforts.
Ragoonath said that while there have been public allegations of intimidation tactics by opposing parties, the council itself has received few official complaints.
However, he acknowledged that derogatory remarks and inflammatory language are increasingly common across the political spectrum.
"Politicians are using derogatory concepts and terms, which they should not be doing. Those are comments you will hear all the time—it goes across the board, not that it is the right thing to do," he said.
As an example, Ragoonath cited the Attorney General's recent comments and questioned, "Who is she referring to?"
He said that inflammatory language is often targeted at political bases, which tend to embrace and even encourage it.
"They are talking to their party base. But when it comes to attracting voters outside that base, especially the informed and enlightened voter who is not loyal to either party, they will take those things into consideration," Ragoonath said.
Asked whether intimidation tactics and derogatory language will influence the election outcome, Ragoonath said, "We have to wait and see."
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