THE EDITOR: If the "most powerful man" in the free world, can do it – albeit very late in the game – so too can Trinidad and Tobago's very own powerful people, Dr Keith Rowley and Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
Finally, US President Joseph Biden has seen the light, read the writing on the wall and dropped out of the US presidential race.
Even as the Democrats rush to coalesce around incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris as their nominee for the presidential race, I cannot help but think about these two political leaders in my country.
Incumbent Prime Minister Rowley is 74 years old. His rival, and PM-in-hope Mrs Persad-Bissessar is not too far behind, at 72.
A society's care, concern and treatment for its elderly is a benchmark of its progressiveness, or lack thereof. Clearly, we in TT have no care for our elderly.
This is an obvious fact, given there has been no national call for age limits on those holding or aspiring to hold the highest political offices in the land.
The life of a prime minister is not an easy one. Especially in polarised, gossip-hungry and crime-ridden TT.
The life of an opposition leader is even more daunting, especially since TT's political culture dictates this leader must at all times oppose the government, make them look bad and, come hell or high water – every five years – find enough dirt to convince the electorate that change is needed.
I believe it is high time the people of our country agitate for a change to the Constitution that sets age limits for the prime minister and opposition leader.
If Rowley wins the next general elections in 2025 – and chances are, he may very well do so – he will be 75.
If Kamla, somehow upsets the oddmakers and pulls off a victory in this election, she will be 73.
This raises the question: will TT truly benefit by having leaders who both are hurtling towards their eighth decade of life?
I'm not saying they should be discarded, especially since experience trumps paper qualifications.
What I'm suggesting is that discussions should start on the merits of setting age limits for the prime minister and opposition leader. It's time to consider that Rowley and Persad-Bissessar should make the transition, now, from active politics to that of advisory politics. A kind of political emeritus and emerita.
No one knows what happened behind the scenes that precipitated Biden's abrupt, seismic announcement that he was dropping out of the race, four short months shy of election day in America.
We ought not to allow a situation to exist where in the run-up to the 2030 general election, a doddering 80-year-old Rowley or a 78-year-old Persad-Bissessar is now finally pressured to demit office.
It's time to thank these two for their decades of service to country and gently nudge them out of active politics.
Lest I be accused of being ageist, let me declare: I am a pensioner and full-time retiree.
I invite both Dr Rowley and Mrs Persad-Bissessar to rethink their active participation in the race for Whitehall in 2025. If not for the country's sake
