Kamla thanks the people, ready to consult with everyone

The United National Congress (UNC) launches a mass membership drive Monday following a weekend of motorcades to thank the UNC membership for their support in the internal elections a week ago that propelled Kamla Persad-Bissessar into the leadership of the party founded in 1989 by Basdeo Panday.

Speaking with reporters Saturday, Persad-Bissessar said the party needs to put its house in order before talking with other political groups about a common front against the governing People's National Movement (PNM).

"We have administrative processes to put into place. We will start working on that almost immediately," she said.

She added the party will first get organized and clean up its membership list and then "in the fullness of time we will be consulting not just with the COP but with groups (and) party organisations because we need to meet with all stakeholders in the country if we are to form a mass of persons who are prepared to get good governance in the country.

"So in addition to the COP, there are other parties but there are also NGOs, non-party groups, labour, the business community, the farming community, all the stakeholders of this land. We intend to meet with them in order to build a mass to take the next election." Persad-Bissessar said.

She added that the healing has started and people are expressing their thanks and encouraging the party to move on.

"We have a lot of calls, texts, e-mails, people have been coming forward and offering to go up for the benefit of the party and the benefit of the country," she said.

Persad-Bissessar also spoke about the the post of leader of the opposition, which is currently held by Panday.

"I have no great rush or anxiety to sit in the chair of the Opposition Leader. There is so much work to be done at the moment. They are two separate positions and as leader of the party, we will work outside of the Parliament and certainly as leader of the party we will work inside of the Parliament,’ she said.

While the leader is patient on the issue, one of her deputies is urging all MPs to stand with the new leader.

Dr Suruj Rambachan said on Saturday opposition MPs who have not yet given their support to Persad-Bissessar are working against the will of the people and he suggested that they are shortening their own political lives.

"The people in this country have spoken when they voted against Mr Panday and when those members of Parliament were also defeated in their own constituencies, they should have seen the writing on the wall, and recognise that a message was being sent to them.

"If they want to have a political life, they must bow to the will of the membership, and the membership is saying with 13,600 votes and more, look we have chosen change and Kamla Persad-Bissessar is the one, now we are expecting you all to support," the former Chaguanas mayor said.