Column: Opposition unity is good news, but at what price?

The good news coming from UNC Political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar is that she is keeping her campaign promise of uniting the opposition.

The better news is that she is putting the party's three deputy leaders to work on a unity strategy. And the best news is that she would ensure that party members are involved.

The team, which is led by Oropouche East MP Roodal Moonilal, is in the process of working on a report and Kamla has promised that when it is submitted, the National Executive and all arms of the party will have their say.

She said once that is done she intends to engage the broad membership and the general public "in our deliberations on this very important issue" on national unity.

Kamla told supporters at a political meeting in Barataria Monday the UNC's vision includes objectives and strategies to address the wider problems of the society, which is why there is an urgent need for unity.

"The Unity that our Party desires, is a unity that will be based on principles, integrity in the process, a commitment to good, honest and effective governance, and most importantly a unity that will not only be embraced by the electorate...but one that is sustainable.

"I have tremendous faith in you and your patience...the nightmare we have been enduring will soon be over."

The nightmare of which she spoke is of course the Manning administration's failure to effectively govern and the mounting allegations of the worst corruption to ever surface in the country's political history.

What is even more interesting is that the anti-PNM movement is stronger because of the conflicts within the PNM at this time.

There is without doubt a vibrant "dump Manning" movement within the governing People's National Movement (PNM). For the first time, the party is challenging a sitting prime minister and suggesting that he quit.

That provides the greatest opportunity for unity among those political forces that want to see genuine change.

But the challenges are also enormous, which is why Moonilal and his team have to be careful about how they approach this assignment.

Kamla has been careful to define the broad terms of any political nuptials, noting that it must sustainable. That is critically important because unless there are strong base fundamentals on which the parties can agree there is no point in having a flawed unity.

The Congress of the People (COP) continues to position itself as THE alternative government while ignoring the seismic change that has shaken the UNC at its roots and established an entirely new approach to doing business.

In the new political order it is the UNC that is in command primarily because COP's initial strength was from disenchanted UNC members who wanted nothing to do with the old guard led by Basdeo Panday.

Kamla campaigned on a promise to unite the party and the oppostion and do what Panday had failed to do: beat the PNM. The people took her at her word and now she is demonstrating that she plans to keep her promise.

The danger, however, is that in the haste to form a united front, the UNC could lose its focus and, because of political expediency, compromise its identity as a people's party.

It would better for the Moonilal team to fail than to succeed in a unity venture that would eventually crumble as the NAR "one love" experiment turned out in 1986-7.

There is today a perfect political storm in favour of the opposition. While the two main opposition parties have a common goal, each has its own guiding principles and philosophy.

Each has its own constituency and it would be a fatal error to assume that an agreement to unite will solve the problem.

The UNC is today the strongest it has been since it won its first general election in 2000. The people are ready for change and see the new leadership as offering the best hope for that change.

There is, therefore, no great urgency to have a shotgun marriage that would fail.

A formal coalition based on a recognition of the individual identities of the parties is a far better and more honest approach that unity deals that force each to give away too much.

The electoral formula that would see Manning swept out of office is a simple one - one to one contests in each constituency. And that is is the point on which the UNC must keep its focus today.

If the COP claims to have strength outside of the traditional UNC heartland, then that is where it needs to focus if it genuinely wants to unseat the Manning administration.

All it would take for an opposition victory is for the UNC to keep its 15 seats and take the six marginals that were within reach in 2007.

That may not be an attractive proposition for COP, which would likely demand some of those "safe" seats as part of a unity formula.

But the UNC must stand firm.

Here's why: COP knows that it cannot win an election alone and history has shown that a divided opposition in our electoral system benefits the governing party.

So whatever happens, the starting point must be a unity plan in which the opposition parties agree that only one opposition candidate will face the PNM in every one of the 41 constituencies.

If COP refuses to agree to that, it would be wise for the UNC to seriously consider building its strength with its other allies because if the mood in Trinidad and Tobago remains as it is, the UNC alone can win a majority against the PNM.

Jai Parasram | Toronto, March 17, 2007