FORMER UNC MP Anita Haynes-Alleyne is in attendance at the PNM rally, saying her presence is about "putting country first."
Haynes-Alleyne is one of many former UNC members who have turned up at PNM meetings ahead of the April 28 general elections. Others include attorney Larry Lalla and former Chaguanas West MP Dinesh Rambally.
"I have always said I will put country first and that is what I am doing here today," she told Newsday.
Haynes-Alleyne is a former Tabaquite MP under the UNC. On April 3, Haynes-Alleyne was informed by the UNC executive that she would not be chosen to represent Tabaquite. Lalla and Rambally were also at the PNM rally. The trio all sat near to former Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley.
Haynes-Alleyne released a statement to the media following her appearance.
She said, “In recent years, my commitment to advancing responsible and respectful politics has put me at odds with the UNC.”
“Nevertheless, I sought to navigate the party's internal mechanisms to strengthen the organisation and attract more citizens into decision-making spaces. I remained hopeful that, through dialogue and internal challenge, reform and renewal were possible.
“That effort was unsuccessful and the gap between my principles and the direction of the UNC under its current leadership continued to widen.”
Haynes-Alleyne said following her unsuccessful bid in the party’s internal screening process, “it has become abundantly clear that dissent is not only unwelcome – it is punished.”
She said when she entered public life, she expressed her commitment to putting country over party and promised to stand by that commitment by “refusing to be shackled by harmful party politics.”
Haynes-Alleyne said she will continue to serve Trinidad and Tobago by putting country over party and “working together as we pursue true national development.”
