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.
The People’s National Movement (PNM) is getting its troops ready to battle Kamla Persad-Bissessar and the new United National Congress (UNC) following the landslide victory of the Siparia MP last Sunday.
A report in the Sunday Guardian states that PNM jefes are planning to meet Wednesday at Balisier House, to discuss "all pertinent issues causing disenchantment in constituencies."
The paper quoted a top source as saying: “We are strengthening and guarding the party. It is not that the United National Congress (UNC) is posing a threat to us, whether united or divided, because we are a strong party.
“However, what we have noticed is that there is disenchantment among the grassroots. Many people are not satisfied, and we are going to meet to discuss these issues.
“An election cannot be won without the grassroots, and we need to deal with the cries of the people. That is why the walkabouts have commenced. If the issue is not addressed, then we can face some problems.”
The paper said the source also spoke about a Cabinet reshuffle.
“Some ministers have failed to perform. When the Prime Minister opted to bring new blood into the Cabinet, it was to get the job done efficiently. Some of the ministers started off to work. However, some of them are too comfortable, and are not working as planned.
"Some of the previous ministers were removed from Cabinet because of this type of tardiness. The Prime Minister has said before that all ministers must be committed, and there will be no stopping until this happens.”
The paper said it was told by another PNM source party members were surprised by the overwhelming support for Persad-Bissessar.
It quoted the source as saying, “Her victory is something to be concerned about. What is our advantage is that the UNC continues to squabble over who will lead the party.
“Once they are united, we will face a challenge. If votes are added together, it will surpass the PNM, and this is proven by the results of the last election.
“We have lost some ground, because people on the grassroots level believe that they have been forgotten. We have to earn back that trust.
“Also, the controversial issue of corruption surrounding the Urban Development Corporation of T&T (Udecott) has tarnished the PNM.
"We fought the last general election on corruption, and now the circumstances surrounding the Brian Lara Stadium are scandalous, and we are not in a position to point fingers.
“We definitely need to strengthen our ground troops to win the next election. “However, what we have in our favour is that we have not taken away any social programmes, and that is a plus for any party contesting an election.”
The Guaridan reported that PNM chairman Conrad Enill said the Government is not threatened by the victory of Persad-Bissessar.
“The PNM has always taken the view that at all times it will be responsive as it can be to the needs of the people of T&T. Anyone who wants to compete with us has to do so on that basis. As we continue to work, the people of T&T will determine who is best to lead them.
“The PNM is not sleeping. We have moved the economy from $12 billion to over $50 billion whilst in office. I will repeat: The PNM is not sleeping,” the paper quoted Enill as saying.
If you know Basdeo Panday you would not lightly brush off his prediction that under the leadership of Kamla Persad-Bissessar the UNC would die in six months.This is not to suggest that the newly invigorated party with Persad-Bissessar as leader and Jack Warner as chairman would crumble; on the contrary, the mass membership drive beginning Monday will add to its strength and widen its base.But Panday's mission is not that the party will die in a literal sense. He knows that it won't but his mission would be to regroup with those Members of Parliament who remain loyal to him and launch a new political movement.And if you are saying, "so what?" on the basis of the 1300 or so votes he got as opposed to the runaway landslide of more than 13,000 for Persad-Bissessar, think carefully of the great danger that any such move holds for the United National Congress (UNC).The first and immediate result of such a plan would be to take back the opposition from the UNC. Under the present arrangement Persad-Bissessar can appoint her Whip, as she has done, and all the business of the Parliament would continue to be under the control of the party.Panday, for now, remains leader of the opposition, holding on to a post that gives him the privilege of meeting with the prime minister and the president to discuss matters of state. It also allows him in his capacity as leader of the opposition - not leader of the opposition party - to issue statements and generally to act as if he is charge of the UNC when it fact he is not.But if Panday decides to register a new party tomorrow morning and get all his loyal MPs to pledge allegiance to the new party, the new party will automatically get legal status as the official opposition and then he would be legitimately both the leader of the opposition and leader of the opposition party.It does not matter that he would have no support among the citizenry. The constitution does not ask that and there is no "crossing the floor" law that prevents the elected opposition MPs from advising the Speaker that they no longer sit as members of the UNC.If such a development takes place, then the UNC will have a greater battle on its hands because it would have lost its voice and status in Parliament despite having the near unanimous support of the membership.And even if it grows that membership significantly in the next few weeks none of that will matter. The new Panday party would have pulled the rug from under the feet of Persad-Bissessar and the UNC.And interesting, it is Dr Roodal Moonilal who could make a difference.The tally of who is supporting Persad-Bissessar today is still short of a majority. Moonilal still appears to be firmly in Panday's corner but he is also the lone Pandayite in the new national executive.He cannot, therefore, continue to sit in the executive and join another party. However, he can tell Panday the greater national good is more important and join those who support the new UNC and move on with the business of rebuilding the party and winning an election.Panday would still be able to move on with his agenda but the coup that he and his close allies are plotting to take over the opposition in Parliament would be stillborn and then he can hope, at best, just to use propaganda to try to kill the UNC and generate enough support to make sure the party cannot win a majority. That would keep Patrick Manning and the PNM in government.Ramesh L. Maharaj did that in 2001 with his Team Unity.While Panday boasted that he beat Ramesh in that election, it was a Maharaj victory. That's because Maharaj's point was never to win any seat but just to cause enough damage to the UNC to ensure that the fallen Panday would not return to government and Manning would be in government.And he achieved that and successfully got Manning into Whitehall.It was the same tactic he used in the internal election a week ago, except in this case the tables were turned and both he and Panday felt the wrath of the UNC membership.But Panday has said he isn't dead yet. And don't underestimate what he might be thinking or what he could do.If Persad-Bissessar and Warner become complacent and blink Panday will find the opening to pounce on them and have his revenge. This battle is far from over and the new UNC needs to be vigilant and skillful in holding on to the party both inside and outside the Parliament.Jai Parasram - Jan 31, 2010
"The election of Mrs Kamla Persad- Bissessar to the post of Political Leader of the UNC has dynamited the politics of the country.
" The fact that the margin of victory was wide and comprehensive added to the importance of the event. Had the result been closer and more equivocal, certain people might have been tempted to claim that they ’wuz robbed’ as they have often done in the past.
"The polls were correct when they asserted that Messrs Panday and Manning were in a ’race to the bottom.’ Mr Panday got there first."Selwyn Ryan
Read the full Ryan column in the Sunday Express
Two things about the UNC election did not surprise me. The first was the result, and the second was the fact that Basdeo Panday would not accept the results.
Having said that, I congratulate all of the winners, especially Kamla Persad Bissessar as Political Leader, and of course, my friend Jack Warner, as the new Party Chairman.
However, I do not see Kamla as the local Obama, as many seem to be hailing her. Nor do I believe that the popular victory within the UNC is going to propel Kamla into the Prime Minister’s Office, whether in a snap election, or in 2012.
The UNC has a lot of work to do within its own house before it seeks to remove the PNM, and indeed before it enters into any relationship with the COP.
The goals of the elusive “Unity” and removal of the PNM from office must not be deferred for too long, however, for these were the pillars of the election campaigns—albeit the pillars were often obscured by the smoke created by the infighting among Party members.
And right now—unless there is some major change of attitudes—the goals of Unity and of winning a national election are being sidelined by the unseemly, albeit totally predictable behaviour of Basdeo Panday and his cabal.
So, the UNC must ensure that its own house is standing on a secure foundation of internal unity, healing and basic organization before it invites COP in, or ventures out to take on the PNM.
If they look beyond their own house before they fix it, they will fail to remove the PNM and their own house will collapse again, like it has done so many times in the past.
So, what is required here to fix the House of the Rising Sun?
The first move, the call for peace by the victors, has already been made. The second rests with the Panday Cabal, but they, and particularly Panday himself, appear adamant in their quest to mash up the house.
Kamla herself must be commended for sidelining the Opposition Leader issue, when she declared that her mission was the removal of Patrick Manning, rather than Panday.
However, the “winning” of Panday, or his removal, is a prerequisite to the removal of Manning. Actually, I was disappointed that Dr. Tim Gopiesingh and Roodal Moonilal remained part of the “deniers”.
What do you tell your children, Tim and Rudi, when they ask you about this?
And come on, the “discovery” of the “hidden Party cards” has all the drama of a pre-planned scheme which Panday and Co. could reveal when the results came in.
However, this “revelation” is utterly inconsequential in that the cards were not a requirement to vote.
I certainly hope that by the time you read this today, some of the UNC parliamentarians will have realized what is their clear duty, and Kamla would have been chosen, if not yet appointed, as Leader of the Opposition.
The biggest threat to the UNC, now—as it has always been, is the UNC itself. And it is here that the negotiating and organizational skills of Jack Warner will be needed.
But, other than the toppling of a political icon, what has the UNC internal elections given us as a country?
For me, there are three interesting positives.
The first is the removal of Ramesh Maharaj from the local political scene. He, at the time of writing, still part of the Panday Cabal (whom he opposed in the election), is refusing to accept Kamla. However, his political irrelevance was underlined by the poll results.
The second is the acceptance and election of a Woman as Boss. Kamla did not acquire her position in a back room negotiation, or as the self-declared leader of a new splinter party.
She, as Woman, challenged the sitting Leader of an established Party, and an icon to boot, and soundly beat him. And her victory shattered two long-standing traditions—that a sitting political leader can be unseated, and that we can accept a woman as a Prime Minister in our country.
The third is the election, in a heated contest, of a Black Man (an Afro Trini?, a Non-Indian?) as Chairman of the UNC.
In our Party politics, based largely upon Race, but not necessarily upon Racism, we have seen, on both sides, the “other side” given positions close to the top. But these have always been with the support of the Maximum Leader.
That UNC voters could have overwhelmingly supported Jack Warner over Panday’s choice is the most refreshing breeze to blow across our political landscape, and augurs well for us, if we can build upon it.
But first, the healing must be completed.
The above article by Peter O'Connor has been published with permission from the author. It has also appeared in the Newsday newspaper in Trinidad.
In congratulating the new National Executive of the political party that will, God-willing, shortly take charge of the governance of this country, I'm urging every member of it to chart a new course - one that, before, neither you ent see, nor I - with all haste, for she who now leads the Alternative Government must lead and be seen to lead with and by integrity if we are to take our politics out of the backwaters of antics and cronyism and into the realms clarity and honesty, as is to be expected when the rising sun dispels malingering gloom. Accordingly, I call on every one of them to declare their assets, not to some secret cabal cloaked with legislative mandate, but directly to us, the people, via the worldwide web, as is done in Obamaland.Believe you me, once that is done, this place will leap forward on its journey to be what it can be, but never has been. Richard Wm. Thomas,5rivers.kid.publik@gmail.com
Politics for many is seen as the most noble of callings as it allows one to do for many that which is good. No other profession allows a person or group the opportunity to directly affect the lives of so many.
With that in mind it’s very difficult to understand why some individuals seem to want to occupy political space for personal gain.
In view of the overwhelming victory scored by Kamla Bissessar in the UNC internal election, the honourable course of action for her colleagues is to give her and her team every opportunity to lead the UNC and chart a way forward.
Let us examine carefully the sincerity or lack thereof of those wishing to represent the people of Trinidad & Tobago.
Kamla was elected with almost ninety per cent (90%) support from her party. In addition she has broad national appeal as almost every night in the week preceding the UNC election on CNC3 she was able to gather over eighty five percent (85%) of the votes on their call in poll. Without doubt the evidence will indicate that at this time she has the best chance of leading parties opposed to the present government into power.
In addition she also has the best chance of uniting those who share her vision. Would it not make sense therefore that those within her party give her not only their support but the opportunity to pursue her vision without unnecessary obstacles?
In such light, honour will demand nothing less than the full support of her elected colleagues in Parliament, the endorsement of the outgoing Political Leader and resignation letters from all the senatorial appointees of the previous leader.
This will give Kamla the opportunity to retain whoever she wishes without any political pressure from anyone.
This is standard practice in politics.
People seeking political office must respect the wishes of those who elect them to office or else the entire political system becomes irrelevant.
The second factor is that of the spin off political organization from the UNC and its relevance in the present scenario.
If a political party is formed specifically because they were of the view that they needed to break away from their parent party because of the leader and the leader later changes, then the reason for the existence of such an entity ceases to exist.
In such light the party should then return to its parent party especially since numbers are a critical aspect of any political desire for power.
The more people supporting a single party increase their likelihood to assume power.
If one continues to hold on to office simply to gain access to the media or for other personal reasons, it invalidates the honour and intent of such a person.
The question for the people is are we going to continue to support politicians with personal agendas who are more interested in their own ambitions rather than that of the people? It seems that the people are no longer intent on accepting the status quo. Those of us who wishes to serve our country and by extension the people can either learn our lessons now and act honourably or be discarded by a people who are stating very clearly that they have had enough.
Steve Alvarez | Political Leader of The Democratic Party of Trinidad & Tobago
Basdeo Panday returned to Parliament Friday as leader of the opposition and exchanged smiles with the new leader of the United National Congress (UNC) Kamla Persad-Bissessar but was less generous with Jack Warner, who was elected chairman in last Sunday's internal election.Persad-Bissessar won the leadership in a huge landslide getting over 13,000 votes to Panday's 1,349. Since then there has been speculation of a fight for the post of opposition leader.Panday still has the confidence of the majority of opposition MPs. However, as party leader, Persad-Bissessar will be responsible for the UNC's affairs.
It was persad-Bissessar's first appearance in Parliament since her election as UNC leader and Prime Minister Patrick Manning congratulated her and her colleagues Jack Warner, the new UNC chairman and Dr Roodal Moonilal, who was elected as one of the party's three deputy leaders.Manning digressed with the business of the House, which was the debate on the Prisons (amendment) Bill.“Mr Speaker, I rise to make a very brief intervention in this debate...to congratulate the very distinguished member for Siparia on her election to the position as the political leader of her political party and to ascending to the ranks of political leadership in the country...and to wish her well in her future endeavours,” he said.
Manning added, “I’d like to congratulate the Member for Chaguanas West on attaining the exalted office of chairman of his own political organisation and to wish him well. “I would also like to congratulate the member for Oropouche East who distinguished himself on being the lone survivor...He has done very well.”
He didn't spell it out but Manning was referring to the wholesale defeat of the team lead by the opposition leader. Moonilal was the only candidate to win a post.
Manning also reserved some time for former Prime Minister Bassdeo Panday."To my good friend, the member for Couva North, I think that he has made a significant contribution to the country’s development...At some appropriate time, I hope that the Parliament recognise it.” The comment brough desk-thumping approval from both sides of the House. Panday himself though he had the final word: “I do not intend to die just yet.” But Manning was not done: "I was very careful in my choice of words Mr Speaker not to suggest that my friend was dead, dying or in any stage that was suggesting that he was not in full control of all his faculties. "The political life of the country is not static and never will be and time marches on and I have no doubt that in years to come similar comments might well be made about me.
"Time marches on. Time marches on, Mr Speaker, and it is the hallmark of a civilised Parliament and a civilised country that we recognise contributions regardless of the political perspective from which we come."
Kamla Persad-Bissessar exercised her right as political leader of the United National Congress (UNC) Friday and appointed party chairman Jack Warner as Chief Whip in the House of Representatives.He replaces Caroni Central MP Dr Hamza Rafeeq, who has held the post since former UNC leader Basdeo Panday fired Ramesh L. Maharaj for speaking out on behalf of change in the UNC.Persad-Bissessar’s status as UNC leader gives her the right to direct activities among the opposition MPs in the House of Representatives, which includes the appointment of the Chief Whip.Generally the leader of the party and the leader of the opposition are the same person and this has blurred the lines on who makes the appointment. Although Persad-Bissessar is the new UNC leader Panday remains leader of the opposition and will keep the job until a majority of opposition members advise the president that they support another person for the post.In his first formal comments as the new whip Warner gave the assurance that the new UNC will always act in the best interests of Trinidad and Tobago. Earlier in the sitting Prime Minister Patrick Manning congratulated Warner on his election as UNC leader.Responding to the Manning's comments Warner, “I want to thank the Honourable Prime Minister for his sentiments. Sometimes you get what you wish for. As he wishes us well, I want to tell him and the rest of the country that we shall not disappoint."
Panday loyalist Dr Roodal Moonilal is unhappy with the appointment of Jack Warner as UNC Chief Whip and has suggested that it could lead to negative fallout from MPs who might have considered appointing NC leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar as Opposition Leader.
Moonilal told the Trinidad Guardian, "It is indeed the prerogative of the leader to appoint the chief whip. However, a lot of people have asked me why I, as deputy leader, was not consulted as to the appointment of Jack Warner as chief whip and other matters.
“We were in a process of having sensitive, delicate discussions that would have lead to the appointment of Mrs Bissessar as Opposition Leader over the very short term.
"It was our intention to talk with her and Mr Panday to resolve the matter. But the way in which she has moved to appoint Warner to replace Rafeeq...suggests that the process could be impaired."
Moonilal added that it seems discourteous to remove a Panday appointee "who has been harmless to her.”
UNC MP Vasant Bharath said: “I thought her action was calculated to demonstrate that she was in control. But it has come across as being very high handed and almost vindictive.
"It is one of the issues I will now have to consider if and when I’m called upon to make a decision on her serving as Opposition Leader.”
Panday's brother, MP Subhas Panday, was also displeased "It seems the blood of the campaign is still flowing. I’d thought that in Parliament today (Friday) all hatchets would have been buried, humility would have prevailed, things would have returned to normal and we’d have moved on."
The Chief Whip is a critical position in the organization of the opposition in the House of Representatives. That person determines the seating arrangements in the House and the order in which speaker make their constributions in the Parliament.
One Parliamentary expert disagrees with the views of the Panday loyalists, saying the party leader must have control of the front bench and also about how the party's agenda is enunciated in the legislature.
The expert said a Chief Whip loyal to Panday could have pushed both the new UNC leader and chairman to the back bench and tried to make them irrelevant while advancing Panday's personal political agenda.
"That amounts to a betrayal of the exericse the UNC just went through,which is to elect a new leadership," the expert said.
Two former cabinet minister who worked closely with Basdeo Panday are now saying that the ex-leader of the United National Congress (UNC) should not be
"hounded" out of the post of opposition leader.
Congress of the People (COP) leader Winston Dookeran and University Professor Dr Brinsley Samaroo said Friday Panday would be "eased out gradually and in a dignified manner".
Samaroo told reporters "it is wrong and unfair to try to force him out. That is what, very unfortunately, is happening now," he said.
"They should ease him out gradually and in a very dignified manner, not in the way that is being done now with everybody hounding him and telling him to go, without remembering the tremendous contribution he has made to the development of Trinidad and Tobago."
Samaroo said, "In fact, if Panday continues as opposition leader, Persad-Bissessar would have all the more time to reorganise the party in the way she indicated she wanted to do.
"In a sense, being relieved of the position of opposition leader at this time would only enable her to concentrate on the organisation."
Samaroo served in the NAR cabinet of Prime Minister Artnur N.R. Robinson in which Panday was foreign minister.
Panday and loyalists of the former United Labour Front (ULF) left the NAR after ideological fights with Robinson, which reached a climax when Panday and his colleagues, who included Samaroo and Dookeran, were accused of trying to grab power in the new administration.
Samaroo and Dookeran refused to leave cabinet with Panday and loyalists like Kelvin Ramnath and a few others, who former CLUB 88 and later launched the UNC in October 1988.
Samaroo returned to academic life and Dookeran, who stuck with the NAR, and was defeated by the UNC in general elections, was later appointed Central Bank governor when Panday was prime minister.
He was later anointed by Panday as UNC leader but was unable to work with Panday and the UNC executive and left to form his own party, the Congress of the People (COP).
Dookeran has repeatedly said his party will never unite with Panday and in campaigning last year the COP leader openly attacked Panday as having a deal with Prime Minister Manning to pass a new constitution.
In all his meetings Dookeran urged Panday to leave politics, saying he was no longer relevant to the politics of Trinidad and Tobago.
Dookeran is now urging UNC politicians not to get hasty about Panday's departure. "I think he needs a little time to adjust to the new reality that his political life has come to an end.
"And they should give him some time to come to terms with that reality because he has played an important role for 40 years in the politics of this country, and they can afford him the time."
Dookeran added that Panday's contribution "to this country should be acknowledged and recorded. I think that there should be an appropriate legacy that we should all subscribe to him."
At the same time he said opposition unity would dominate all discussions from now as part of the new politics. he said the first phase was the birth of COP. "This is the second phase of the new politics," he said.
Duiring the internal election campaign Kamla Persad-Bissessar praised Panday for his contribution to the party and the country and stated unequivocally that no one can deny Panday his legacy.
She also stated that there will always be a role for Panday in the UNC.
When Jack Warner launched his Movement for Change to demand change in the UNC he made it clear that Panday was a great leader whose legacy must be preserved. He called Panday the greatest national leader in Trinidad and Tobago.
Jack Warner issued a media statement Friday in his capacity as Chairman of the United National Congress (UNC) noting that a Newsday newspaper headline and article headlined "Draft Letter To Max" in Friday's paper "is highly misleading, false and fabricated".
The article states that UNC MPs were urged to endorse Kamla Persad-Bissessar for the post of Opposition Leader by signing a draft letter that has been quietly prepared for dispatch to President George Maxwell Richards.
It stated further: "UNC Chairman Jack Warner yesterday said the letter has already been drafted and is ready for delivery to Richards."
In his statement, Warner said: "I wish to state categorically that at no time did I make any such comment to the newspaper in question or to any other media house.
"The comments attributed to me are therefore most unfortunate. In the circumstances I wish to disassociate myself in totality from the commentary ascribed to me.
"Further, I wish to state that Mrs Persad-Bissessar and members of the newly installed NATEX of the UNC are unaware of the said letter or of its pending dispatch to the President. Whether such a letter exists is unknown to the NATEX and certainly did not emanate from us.
"The issue of the appointment of the Opposition Leader was raised briefly during the meeting of the NATEX on Wednesday but at no point in time was there a decision to lobby members of Parliament by way of letter or otherwise.
"In fact, the NATEX concluded that there were more important matters relative to the restructuring of the UNC that required urgent attention at this time.
"The appointment of the Opposition Leader is an issue we collectively agreed would be dealt with in the fullness of time and was not one that required any hasty or rushed intervention.
"We hold strong to the principles of a free press and of the freedom of expression. We are also confident that the said media house holds equally strong to those principles and would act accordingly in setting the record straight, Warner said.
Newsday says it stands by its report. The paper said Warner told its reporter that he was holding talks with UNC MPs and was confident of getting their endorsement of Kamla Persad-Bissessar for oppostion leader.
The Chairman of the United National Congress (UNC), Jack Warner, had denied a report in the Newsday newspaper that quotes Warner as saying a letter has been prepared for President Max Richards seeking to have Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar appointed Opposition Leader.
The Newsday report quoted from a letter allegedly written by Warner: “We the undersigned Members of Parliament in the House of Representatives who do not support the Government hereby advise Your Excellency that Member of Parliament Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar commands our support in the House of Representatives and, we kindly request that she be appointed as Leader of the Opposition in the House.”
But in an interview with JYOTI Friday morning Warner denied that such a letter exists. He said he did not advise the journalist who wrote the story of any letter and he has not approached any MP to sign any letter to be sent to the President.
The UNC's national executive meeting agreed Wednesday that the political leader would call MPs to discuss the matter. Warner said he following guidelines established at the executive meeting.
Former UNC leader Basdeo Panday is still the leader of the opposition and will remain in the post unless he is ousted by a majority of opposition MPs supporting the new leader.
Some MPs have already said they would support Persad-Bissessar on this issue but so far there is no consensus.
On Thursday the Caroni East constituency urged its MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh, to back Persad-Bissessar.
Newsday reported that Gopeesingh told the paper that he has not seen the letter from his constituency executive and does not even know if the executive met.
The paper quoted Gopeesingh as saying the matter is irrelevant since his executive has not been properly constituted. "I can’t act on one correspondence, I take no instructions from them. I will not allow political blackmail to push me into a certain course of action. I find that deplorable.
"This calls for a great deal of introspection and analysis on the matter. When I receive the letter I will decide on which future action I will take,” the paper quoted Gopeesingh as saying.
The paper said Persad-Bissessar declined comment on the issue but said she had been in contact with several MPs, whom she would not name.
It quoted her as saying it would be premature to comment.
The National Museum in Trinidad and Tobago is getting a new home. It is moving to the historic Knowsley Building which had been home to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for more than half a century.
Foreign Affairs will be relocated to the government campus on Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain.
The building has just been renovated as part of the government's refurbishment of buildings for the foreign ministry.
The multi-million investment in that ministry included the purchases of new buildings overseas including properties in New York and Toronto.
The refurbishment of Knowsley cost more than $20 million for the front and about $25 million for the back which includes a new wing.
The government bought Knowsley in 1956 for $250,000 and since then it has been used by the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Foreign Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon told Newsday “the rationale is to have all the cultural centres located together in the same vicinity so you have the National Academy for Performing Arts.
"Then you’ll have the museum, and then the administrative buildings related to culture and the National Cultural Centre which is also planned.”
Gopee-Scoon told the paper the relocation to Knowsley will bring new life to the museum. She described Knowsley as a “wonderful historical building. The building in itself belongs to a museum.”
Winston Dookeran is talking about unity among opposition forces.At a symposium to analyse the results of Sunday's internal election in the United National Congress (UNC) and its implications for Trinidad and Tobago, the Congress of the People (COP) leader said if there is a snap election, a united opposition would run against the governing People's National Movement (PNM).However he didn't explain how he arrived at the conclusion that the PNM would face the opposition one-on-one. He hinted at a merger with the UNC, stating that the home of the UNC is now different.
But he also appeared to contradict himself when he said that he himself would not be returning to the UNC. Dookeran was UNC leader for a short time and resigned to form COP.
With a new leader in the UNC there is speculation that COP members would return to the UNC and weaken the party, making it redundant. Dookeran dismissed that idea, saying COP is today even more relevant as a party than it was formed.The new leadership in the UNC is launching a mass membership drive Monday and has called on all its former members and others who support the party's vision to sign up.
In her speech at Wednesday's inauguration, UNC leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar invited everyone to "come home and bring the rest of the family".Persad-Bissessar continues to get congratulations from a wide cross section of the national community and the momentum from her landmark campaign has not yet subsided.During the election campaign she insisted that he would remain committed to the UNC and rebuild the party to defeat the PNM in the next election. Persad-Bissessar dismissed suggestions from Basdeo Panday that she would hand over the party to the COP.The Siparia MP noted that as an MP she resisted all overtures to leave the UNC so there is no way that she will do it now that she is the leader.Panday has said that under her leadership the UNC would die within six months.Dookeran had resisted all calls from Panday for unity, saying his party would never unite with the UNC under Panday's leadership. He had invited Persad-Bissessar and the UNC to join his party, saying that it is the only political vehicle to win an election.Persad-Bissessar resisted that and went on to challenge Panday for the leadership.
The constituency executive of Caroni East has written the MP, Dr Tim Gopeesingh, urging him to support UNC Leader Kamla for the post of leader of the opposition currently held by Basdeo Panday.
A letter to Dr Gopeesingh from Dr Anil Ramnanan, Chairman of the Caroni East constituency executive, commends the MP for the manner in which he conducted the campaign for the internal election.
Gopeesingh ran for the post of deputy chairman and was defeated by Dr Fuad Khan.
The letter stated that it is clear that the membership from Caroni East voted resoundingly for Kamla Persad Bissessar as the new UNC Political Leader.
It adds, "We are of the belief that she would need to lead a new Parliamentary agenda to fulfill the objectives she outlined in the campaign.
"As a result we call upon you as our Member of Parliament to lend your vote for her to become the Leader of the Opposition so that she can begin the work to take us from the Opposition to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago.
"We look forward to your critical support and pledge ours to you in making Caroni East a model Constituency in so far as service to the people is concerned," the letter stated.
It noted that the decision to ask Gopeesingh to support the new leader was made unanimously.
Persad-Bissessar plans to speak individually with the MPs on the issue of leadership in the Parliament. Sources close to the leader told JYOTI she has the commentment of a majority of MPs.
So far there are five confirmed supporters. If Gopeesingh take the advice of the executive that would make it six. It is expected that Roodal Moonilal, who is the lone Panday supporter on the executive, will also support Persad-Bissessar.
Fyzabad MP Chandresh Sharma is also reported to be on board, which would give her a clear majority to be appointed leader of the opposition.
The new chairman of the United National Congress (UNC) expressed solidarity Thursday with Karen Kissoon, the woman who has been a accused of being involved in a plot to withhold UNC party cards.
In a media statement, Jack Warner noted that as a result of the allegations Kissoon has had to endure "a very sustained and unfortunate attack on her character" by the wrongful accusation.
He said the allegations are untrue and called them an attempt "to sully the character of the party's newly installed Executive".
Warner said every member of the former National Executive was well aware that there were uncollected party cards sitting at the Rienzi complex and he suggested that the matter was a red herring.
"In any event as the Chairman of the Membership Committee has indicated the said cards were not requisite for casting a vote as all persons who would have had a card would have been on the voters' list," Warner said.
"We wish to express our support for Ms. Kissoon who is a very industrious and efficient staff member. We would also provide her with the necessary support she may require at this time," he added.
Warner also formally announced the appointment of Dr Glenn Ramadharsingh as the Party's General Secretary with immediate effect.
Ramadharsingh is a former Councilor and Senator and has also served as an Acting General Secretary in the past.
He also expressed the party's thanks to Ramadharsingh's predecessor. "The Political Leader and the new Executive wish to place on record our very sincere thanks and appreciation for the work, commitment and dedication of the UNC’s outgoing General Secretary, Fazal Karim, who has demitted office due to pressure of work."
Warner also announced an immediate mass membership drive which also begins effectively from Monday, February 1, 2010. He said persons who want to join can collect membership forms from constituency offices, UNC Members of Parliament as well as from Rienzi Complex.
Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday said Wednesday he is not power hungry and will not take any action with regards to the missing membership cards discovered at the UNC headquarters earlier this week.
He still believes it was sabotage by those opposed to him but in an interview with the Trinidad Express he said he is satisfied that the public is aware of the matter.
"I don’t intend to do anything about it, so long as the public knows that is good enough for me. People are entitled to take action if they wish, but so long as the public know what they have done that is good enough for me," he told the paper.
"I am not contesting the results of the action, I just want the people to know what happened so they would know why they could not vote, because their names were deliberately excluded from the list," he added.
He suggested that the election was not fair based on the evidence that he has uncovered.
The Warner campaign had made a big fuss about allegations of irregularities in compiling the voter list for the election but Panday claimed that there might have been sabotage that benefited the Warner and Persad-Bissessar campaigns.
"I think they spread that rumour because they knew what they were doing....so long as people know the fraud that they have inherited that’s good enough for me," Panday told the paper.
He assured those who never received their cards that he would "do all in my power to have these cards distributed to them, even if they want to keep it as a souvenir".
Panday reiterated what he had said during his campaign that there is a move to betray the party by those who lead it today.
"Have you seen how the COP has been rejoicing?" he asked, but told the paper he didn't feel betrayed because "in politics you must expect anything". He reminded the paper of his own statement about politics - that it has "a morality of its own."
He told the paper he is willing to work with the new executive. "It depends on what they want me to do, if they want me to destroy the UNC I would not do that...I will work with anybody, as I have always said I don’t have a single spiteful bone in my body," he said.
The new executive of the United National Congress (UNC) will immediately launch a membership drive and regularize its membership list. The aim is to grow the party immediately.UNC Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar made the announcement Wednesday afternoon after the national executive held its first meeting at the Rienzi complex in Couva.Persad-Bissessar also announced that Dr Glen Ramadharsingh has agreed to be the new general secretary of the party, replacing Fazal Karim, which advised the party that he would not be able to continue to serve in that role due to pressing personal commitments.She said it is important to build the party now and added that new membership application forms would be available as early as Monday.The UNC leader also said she would invite all former executive members and candidates who contested Sunday's internal election to join in the various committees that will immediately begin work on rebuilding the party.She also said the Parliamentary arm of the party would meet soon.Persad-Bissessar also addressed the matter of the leader of the opposition. Although she has been elected UNC leader, former leader Basdeo Panday continues to hold that post.Under the Trinidad and Tobago constitution he can remain in that position so long as he has the support of the majority of the MPs in opposition. Just before the election, 10 MPs signed a documents pledging support for him.Since then two of them have defected: Harry Partap and Nizam Baksh. In addition she has the support of Jack Warner and Winston "Gypsy, Reports say Chandresh Sharma will also join her, leaving her short of a majority.Persad-Bissessar said she would call all the MPs to discuss the matter and get their views. Sources say she would have the required majority to unseat Panday in the House of Representatives. She is likely to get the support of Ramesh L. Maharaj, who stated on Sunday night that members must accept and endorse the new leader. But since that he has told the media that no one had asked for his support for changing the leadership in Parliament.Roodal Moonilal might be under pressure to switch allegiances since he is now a member of the national executive although he said earlier in the week that Panday should remain as opposition leader.There is speculation that Dr Tim Gopeesingh might support Persad-Bissessar as opposition leader.
The government of Trinidad and Tobago is planning a major $15 billion highway expansion project across the country.
Works minister Colm Imbert made the announcement Tuesday at the opening of the refurbished public transit Passenger Terminal Facility in Sangre Grande.
Imbert said the government has already invited tenders for a new highway from San Fernando to Mayaro and that the project is expected to start by July.
He also spoke about extending the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway to Point Fortin and building an extension of the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway that would take it all the way to Manzanilla.
Imbert also promised a causeway from Port-of-Spain to Chaguaramas, a new East-West highway to link Curepe to Princes Town and a highway from the Uriah Butler to Trincity and Piarco.
“All these highway contracts are scheduled for award by the end of 2010, with actual commencement of construction of the first new highway, the San Fernando to Mayaro highway scheduled for July of this year, with the other five highway packages following shortly thereafter,” the minister said.
He also announced that the state-owned Public Transit service would get 85 news buses this year, of which 60 would be assigned to rural seats. The additional vehicles will bring the fleet to 450. The buses will cost $65.
The new executive of the opposition United National Congress (UNC) took office Wednesday afternoon in a simple ceremony at the party's headquarters at Rienzi Complex in Couva.Outgoing leader Basdeo Panday was absent along with members of the old guard.
Also absent was deputy leader Dr Suruj Rambachan, who left on a private trip to Miami shortly after the election and Education Officer. Dr Daphne Phillips arrived after the speeches.
Only one member of the team that ran with Panday in Sunday's election won a place on the national executive. Oropouche MP Dr Roodal Moonilal, who was elected one of the three UNC deputy leader, arrived late and took his place among the members of the executive while the leader was delivering her inaugural address.
He refused to applaud as Persad-Bissessar praised Chairman Jack Warner for his tireless efforts with the Movement for Change that helped "bring us to this day."
However he joined his colleagues later when Persad-Bissessar invited everyone to "come home to the UNC and bring the rest of the family."
The full executive received thunderous applause as Moonilal held hands with Persad-Bissessar, signalling that the healing she promised has begun. The entire team joined hands before retiring to its first meeting.
The leader invited the audience to wish Warner a happy birthday. The chairman turned 67 on Tuesday.
See other inauguraation stories:Warner heralds new era, invites everyone to be part of new UNCKamla takes charge of the UNC, praises the mediaThe new UNC executive
Kamla Persad-Bissessar on Wednesday formally took over the leadership of the United National Congress (UNC) from Basdeo Panday, the man who founded the party in 1989. And in speech to mark the occasion she said Sunday's vote marked the initial step towards reconciliation, reunification and rebuilding of the nation.
"This is a victory of the people, whoever they happen to be, man or woman, of every creed and race and space and place," she said.
She said the election was a very important part of the democracy in the UNC and praised those who had the foresight to create a system that allows every member to participate in the process of electing a leader and other members of the national executive."My message this afternoon goes beyond lines and other boundaries, real or imagined, and the message simply is that change is no longer just in the air, it has arrived at your doorstep.
"On Sunday night a few thousand people ensured that politics in Trinidad and Tobago would begin to take on a whole new meaning and that what before separated us would now bring us together.
"That the old way of doing things would now be replaced by the ONLY way of doing things, with tolerance for each other, with the greater good in mind, where personal political ambitions are secondary to nobler, national pursuits in the interest of every citizen."
She said the UNC must never again betray the trust of its membership and the nation."The political tribalism that once divided us will now give way to a nationalism and patriotism for the hunger of a child in Laventille is the same as that of one in Penal, and the fear of a father for his family’s safety in Tobago is the same as the ones in Toco.
And the pleas for water in Cedros is the same as those in Diego Martin, and the cries of a patient for proper medical attention in Port of Spain is the same as the ones in San Fernando," she said.
She praised the new chairman, Jack Warner, his perseverance and dedication in demanding accountability and change, and for taking the issue to the members across the country.
"And so we congratulate Mr. Warner and the Movement for Change for challenging the status quo and helping bringing us to where we are today.
"Had it not been for their untiring and selfless dedication to the cause of democracy in our party, the voices of our membership may have remained silenced and our nation would have suffered the result," she said.
Persad-Bissessar also pledged to make the new UNC a government in waiting."I shall recommend to our executive that we should immediately establish a shadow cabinet that will have responsibility for monitoring the day to day activities of the government.
She promised that "we will become the national watchdogs on your behalf. And we will not allow the Manning regime to get away with anything."
She invited everyone to work with the UNC and join the new revolution for change.
"Today I want to invite all of you to come home and bring the rest of the family. There is room in the house of the Rising Sun for everyone.
"And my arms are open wide to embrace each one of you as we begin this revolution of change that will sweep the Manning administration out of office."
She also expressed her deepest gratitude to the media who contributed to keeping the issues alive during the campaign for the internal election and for keeping on the national agenda daily, the issues that affect our people.
"You are the guardians of democracy and you have never abdicated your responsibility to the people and the country," she said, adding that, "You have my word that I will at all times defend your rights to freedom because without a free media our democracy would be deformed."
The new leader said, "Free speech allows for a marketplace of ideas in which our citizens would be able to judge for themselves – as they did in our just concluded election – what is right and what isn’t.
"We must never allow organizational pressures to get in the way of that freedom. You carry a great burden of responsibility to this nation to report without fear or favour to ensure that today’s minorities are not prevented from becoming tomorrow’s majority."
The new chairman of the United National Congress (UNC) Jack Warner said Wednesday the party's internal election brought hope "instead of despair, brought a sense of belonging instead of listlessness and brought a rebirth of national cohesion instead of national division."
In a speech at the inauguration of the new executive, the Chaguanas West MP said the party has been buoyed by the vision of a leadership that can be trusted. He said despite the "whining of a few", the party membership voted overwhelmingly to end the "old order, once and for all, and bringing in the new."
He said, "Overnight, the fears of yesterday have been diminished; the hopelessness that clouded our tomorrows is now quickly disappearing, the promise of a better day has now dawned upon us ushering a new era under our new political leader, the Honourable, Ms. Kamla Persad-Biessessar."
Warner called the victory a quiet confidence that the rising sun will be restored to its glory.
He also spoke about the irregularities in the leadeup to Sunday's vote taking a swipe at the old guard that he said had lost touch with the UNC membership. Warner pledge to free Trinidad and Tobago from "the failed Patrick Manning PNM Government which ruled over us with the arrogance of a heavy hand."
He also dealt with the issue raised Tuesday by outgoing UNC leader Basdeo Panday about alleged fraud involving UNc membership cards.
"The same men who tried to deny you your right to vote, who removed your names from the voters list who are now trying to deny you this victory. Today we see the same custodians at Rienzi finding now what they themselves had lost, hoping, no doubt, that this new find will change the course of this election.
"All the theatrical production of membership cards reveals is the unbounded ineptitude of the deposed Executive and the disgraceful way they conducted the business of the UNC over the years," he said.
Warner said the reintroduction of integrity in public life will have a new beginning and promised that the new leadership will always remain grounded with its membership.
He said the UNC will restore respect the truthfulness of the national anthem “Here every creed and race will find an equal place".
He extended on behalf of the executive an invitation to everyone to in "this great movement to give the country back to its people. To stop the "pain and hurt that engulfs us every day."
He spoke about a change that puts people first that will build "a society we all love; where differences of race, religion and gender, to name a few, can be celebrated. This is an invitation to join the UNC my brothers and sisters, now is the time for change; now is redemption time, now is the time to take back this country and save it for our children and our children’s children."
He thanked all who made the victory possible and invited everyone to continue the journey "until we make this country a happy home once again."
I wish to congratulate the entire executive of the UNC on their election victory.
As a political leader of a party that has struggled to gain national attention for the last ten years, I can assure you that the attention and support offered to this new executive is no small acheivement.
Time will tell if this can be transcribed into national success at a general election.
The challenge for the new executive is to exceed the expectations of those who look to them for quality leadership. Best of luck and mmay God richly bless you all.
Steve Alvarez | Political Leader of the Democratic Party of Trinidad & Tobago
Basdeo Panday is refusing to accept the decision of voters in Sunday's internal election of the United national Congress.
He told reporters Tuesday a former member of the staff at the party's headquarters held back party cards of his supporters and that raises questions about the legality of the vote.
He said he will say more about the issue at a media conference on Wednesday morning.While Panday and his supporters are kicking a big fuss about the cards, the chairman of the party's elections committee said people did not require their party cards to vote.
And according to local media reports, some of the people whose names are the cards produced by officials at the party's headquarters say they voted despite not having a card. And others, who cards were allegedly "hidden away" said they received ballot notices in the mail and were able to vote.
Panday's latest position raises questions about whether the new leadership will be installed as planned on Wednesday afternoon. He told the media he did not receive any invitation for the event.
But a spokesperson for the new executive confirmed that invitations were sent to Panday and Tabquite MP Ramesh L. Maharaj, who was the other leadership candidate in Sunday's elecion.
The executive, led by leader-elect Kamla Persad-Bissessar and chairman-elect Jack Warner, is due to be sworn in Wednesday afternoon.
Persad Bissessar and Warner won landslides in Sunday's election and the party has certified the results.Panday has also said the matter of who is opposition leader is a non-issue since there is no vacancy for the post.
Under the constitution the MP who has the support of the majority of opposition members is the leader of the opposition.
Up to now Panday has the support of the majority but that could change if some MPs who originally supported Panday decide to defect and support the Siparia MP.
Oropouche East MP Dr Roodlal Moonilal has been elected one of the three deputy leaders of the United National Congress (UNC) based on a recount of votes from Sunday's internal election.
Senator Wade Mark has initially been declared the winner but after the recount election officials gave the nod to Moonilal, who is the sole member of the Panday team that won a position in the new 18-member executive.
Kamla Persad-Bissessar won a landslide, taking more than 13,000 votes while the incumbent leader, Basdeo Panday polled just over one thousand. In the race for the chairmanship St Augustine MP Vasant Bharath suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Jack Warner.
Moonilal is one of three deputy leaders. The others are former Chaguanas Mayor Dr Suruj Rambachan and Sen. Lyndira Oudit.
Mark told reporters Tuesday he is a servant of the people and is prepared to work with any leader. His appointment to the Senate can be revoked by the leader of the opposition who is Panday.
The parliamentary convention is for the leader of the opposition party to become the opposition leader but the formula is based on whether the person has the support of the majority of MPs. the opinion of senators does not matter.
Some MPs are firmly behind Panday and they have said the issue of the leadership of the opposition has not come up since they have not lost confidence in Panday's role in that position.
But others have said they will support Persad-Bissessar since she is the new party leader. If seven members support her and make representation to the president, Panday could be fired and replaced by the new UNC leader.
Those who support Panday as the opposition leader say he holds the post on the basis of the result of a general election in which 194,000 people voted and therefore he should not be removed on the basis of less than 16,000 members of the party.
Final results published by the United National Congress in the party's Internal election held on Sunday January 24, 2010:
1. Political Leader:
Number of ballots cast for Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj 729
Number of ballots cast for Basdeo Panday 1,359
Number of ballots cast for Kamla Persad-Bissessar 13,493
I declare Kamla PersadBissessar as the winner.2. Deputy Political Leader:
Number of ballots cast for Shama Deonarine 1,801
Number of ballots cast for Rupert T Griffith 2,742
Number of ballots cast for Wade Stephen Mark 2,959
Number of ballots cast for Roodal Moonilal 3,087
Number of ballots cast for Lyndira Oudit 9,306
Number of ballots cast for Surujrattan Rambachan 10,648
I declare Surujrattan Rambachan, Lyndira Oudit and Roodal Moonilal as the winners.3. Chairman:
Number of ballots cast for Vasant Bharath 2,744
Number of ballots cast for Jack Austin Warner 9,195
I declare Jack Austin Warner as the winner.4. Deputy Chairman:
Number of ballots cast for Tim Gopeesingh 2,693
Number of ballots cast for Fuad Khan 11,526
I declare Fuad Khan as the winner.5. Policy and Strategy Officer:
Number of ballots cast for Winston McKenzie 213
Number of ballots cast for Collin J Partap 10,875
Number of ballots cast for Hamza Rafeeq 2,513
I declare Collin Partap as the winner.
6. Education Officer:
Number of ballots cast for Perry Eddison Bowen 1,868
Number of ballots cast for Daphne Ethlyn Phillips 11,487
I declare Daphne Phillips as the winner.
7. Research Officer:
Number of ballots cast for Arnold Ram 10,986
Number of ballots cast for Ved Seereeram 2,164
I declare Arnold Ram as the winner.
8. Elections Officer:
Number of ballots cast for Amarnath Jaggasar 718
Number of ballots cast for Ramlochan Panchoo 2,230
Number of ballots cast for Ramona Ramdial 10,302
I declare Ramona Ramdial as the winner.
9. Treasurer:
Number of ballots cast for William Archie 10,257
Number of ballots cast for Shahnaaz Bissessar 2,009
Number of ballots cast for Elizabeth Mohammed-Ali 595
Number of ballots cast for Sunil Sharma-Maharaj 373
I declare William Archie as the winner.
10. Party Organiser:
Number of ballots cast for Rudy V Narinesingh 2,097
Number of ballots cast for Venosh Sagewan-Maraj 11,207
I declare Venosh Sagewan-Maraj as the winner.11. International Relations Officer:
Number of ballots cast for Shane A Mohammed 10,524
Number of ballots cast for Chandresh Sharma 3,077
I declare Shane Mohammed as the winner.12. Regional Representative Tobago:
Number of ballots cast for Hilford Clarence Phillips 3,757
Number of ballots cast for Junior Barrington Thomas 4,310
I declare Junior Barrington Thomas as the winner.13. Regional Representative East:
Number of ballots cast for Yvette Richards 10,139
Number of ballots cast for Taran B Sooklal 987
Number of ballots cast for Prakash Williams 2,131
I declare Yvette Richards as the winner.14. Regional Representative North:
Number of ballots cast for Cassandra Samuel 4,008
Number of ballots cast for Don Sylvester 4,495
I declare Don Sylvester as the winner.15. Regional Representative Central:
Number of ballots cast for Rasheed Azim Karim 4,126
Number of ballots cast for Sylvester Peter Ramquar 4,339
I declare Sylvester Ramquaras the winner.
16. Regional Representative South:
Number of ballots cast for Shanty Boodram 10,877
Number of ballots cast for Glen Ram 2,618
I declare Shanty Boodram as the winner.Dated this 26th day of January 2010
(Signed) Kemchan Ramdath | Chairman of the Internal Elections Committee
As I write this note, my hand still trembles after the great political earthquake which struck Reinzi Complex, shattering the old structure allowing winds of change to blow through, an let the sun shine once more. I am no hypocrite, I have told many of you that I voted for Panday on Sunday. This was expected by many of you, but this vote was not because I viewed Kamla Persad incapable, or didn't want her to be leader, it was just an act or sentiment which I expressed in return for the great role Basdeo Panday has personally played in my life.
But today is a new day, new beams of light shine from the sun, younger if not brighter ones.
History has been made, what Kamla Persad Bissesar has done is quite remarkable, she has broken down the walls of nostalgia, she has caused and led individuals to be stronger and stand for what they believe and what they want, all in a effort to remove the PNM.
This can be seen in the monstrous avalanche of votes for her compared to the minute amount for Bas, which I was part of.
Mr.Panday I would always love you, I have proved that to you by voting for you on Sunday, going down with the sinking ship, while all those I knew voted for Kamla.
But the people have spoken, it cannot be any louder or clearer, they want Kamla, and the voice of the people is the voice of God. So let no man, no woman, let no object that is of this world stop Kamla from having her moment in the sun, and in control of the party of the rising sun.
This was not given to her as it was to Dookeran, so it is not anyone's own to take back. She has toiled hard, year upon year and this is her reward.
It is her thanks for hard work, it his her time.
Therefore, as a member of this great party, a former member of the UNC executive of Arima, a former Platform speaker for this party, a recipient of an award of this party and Basdeo Panday supporter, I endorse Kamla Persad Bissesar as the leader of the opposition. She needs this time, so she could show the public the grit and ironed will person she is.
As I say I am no hypocrite, I supported Panday on Sunday out of sympathy and sentiment, I have never viewed Kamla as incapable. In fact I am positive she would do a great job.
She would be a vision of hope, inspiration, especially to our young women, and to many of you who know me well, you would know this is a cause which i have championed through my various youth groups. I have not written this note to pave the way..to suck to anyone ..to cover my tracks, it is a note meant to give credit where credit is due. A note to give support and strength to those who are now in place to defend us. On Sunday night after the results many of you may have seen I was leaving politics, it was not of disappointment, but out of fear.
There were those who were high up in the Kamla campaign, knowing I was supporting Bas telling me to leave politics if Kamla won, one even said "don't come and ask for no position".
But I would not leave this great party, neither poltics, I am strong and no one would dictate to me what I should do. I have never received anything based on favoritism, but for my track record and on merit. When I made debut on the platforms I did not speak only of the greatness of Basdeo Panday, but of all others and Kamla herself....when I tried to get support for this party, it was not only for Panday but for all other members even Kamla.
When I crossed party lines to work with the COP the "Axe the tax" campaign, I did it because Kamla was doing it. So I have always worked with all the members of this party and Kamla, and now she is at the head she has my full support. I would protect her, strengthen her, and serve her as I would my mother, my sister, as I would do for a wife and even a daughter. Thus ensuring she realises her potential.
Bas boi, I would love you to the end, but allow us to move on. GIVE KAMLA WAT IS DUE TO HER. YOU would never be forgotten, but I endorse Kamla for opposition leader.
Nicholas Morris
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.
