Kamla Persad-Bissessar was present at the United National Congress (UNC) National Assembly Sunday but she was not giving any interviews to the media.The UNC deputy leader has been touted as a potential leader of the party and one delegate even stood up at last month's National Assembly and told party leader Basdeo Panday to step aside and let Persad-Bissessar lead.
She has not said if she plans to run in next January's internal election at which Panday is running for the post of leader.
But there is a strong lobby for her to challenge Panday. It's coming from both inside and outside of the UNC and from powerful political players.
Jack Warner, who plans to run for the chairmanship of the UNC, has said if she decides to run he would support her. Others in the Ramjack camp are also planning to throw their support behind her if she takes the plunge.
Warner reiterated his support for her on Sunday during his walkabout in Panday's Couva North constituency. He refused to attend the Assembly because he says it was held on the basis of a bogus list, which he will not recognise.
Warner told the Trinidad Guardian Sunday UNC people have been calling him to say that they would support Persad-Bissessar for leader.
The Guardian has also reported that the Siparia MP is getting strong support from members of the Congress of the People (COP).
The paper quoted an unnamed COP strategist as saying that if she runs and wins Persad-Bissessar could emerge as possible leader of a united opposition that would include both the UNC and the COP.
Persad-Bissessar leads a UNC team that's trying to find a formula to unite all opposition groups and has appeared on a COP platform representing the UNC. However, she pulled out of a COP-supported "Axe-the-tax" rally after Panday said publicly that she did not have the party's approval to speak on the platform. Since then she has kept a low profile.
Dookeran is on record as saying that Persad-Bissessar would be a good choice to lead her party. But he declined to make any commitment about a future role for her in his party.
He told the Guardian, "While we may have our wishes, we won’t interfere in the internal affairs of any party; but my wish is that Panday would find a nice way out and go out to pasture."
Many UNC supporters feel that while Persad-Bissessar might make a good leader and stand an excellent chance of beating the People's National Movement (PNM) she would not challenge Panday for the leadership because of her loyalty to him and the party.
But others have suggested that her silence is a smart move because to be bold enough to oppose Panday would amount to political suicide since no one has ever challenged Panday for the party's leadership in the UNC's 20-year history.
Persad-Bissessar held on to the official post of Opposition Leader when Panday was convicted for failing to declare a London Bank account to the Integrity Commission and was expelled from Parliament. Panday remained UNC leader.
The only other UNC leader in the past 20 years was Dookeran who was anointed by Panday and won the leadership unopposed in an internal election that saw Panday emerge as chairman of the party.
When Dookeran left and formed COP, the UNC executive handed back the leadership to Panday.
Some UNC insiders have also said that Persad-Bissessar's silence means that she is keeping her options open.
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