National Transformation Alliance (NTA) political leader Gary Griffith says his party’s doors are open to current and former members of the United National Congress (UNC) who may have become disillusioned by that party.
“Rushton Paray, Anita (Haynes-Alleyne), Rai (Ragbir), (Dinesh) Rambally, Rodney Charles, the doors are open and the seats are there for you to be part and parcel of the NTA,” Griffith said, calling out UNC MPs that won their seats in 2020.
Earlier this month, Ragbir resigned from the UNC, describing it as a personality cult.
Paray was rejected by the UNC screening committee for Mayaro. He had opposed UNC political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar in the 2024 UNC internal elections and questioned her ability to lead the party into government.
In February, Rambally withdrew his candidacy for Chaguanas West and criticised the party for its “divisive racial rhetotic.”
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Haynes-Alleyne was part of Paray’s unsuccessful slate while Charles had set quite early – in December 2023 – that he would not seek re-election.
Griffith was speaking at the NTA’s candidate presentation and media conference at the party’s headquarters in Mt Lambert on March 30.
While Griffith said he did not want to call names, he made clear reference to the UNC as he criticised actions within the party’s leadership.
“I try not to get involved in the bacchanal of other political parties because we don’t have that here. But democracy is one when you as a political party member have the right to participate in an independent democratic process to be in a national executive.
“Any time somebody is upset because you have now exercised that right to be in a national executive and you are removed as a member of parliament, it shows that your political party is no longer a democratic one...That is why they are leaving by the thousands.”
Griffith also expressed his desire to debate with leaders of opposing political parties.
“I would love to have a debate with Prime Minister Stuart Young and Kamla Persad-Bissessar, if she gets up. I would love to have that debate but they won’t do it. You want to be a Prime Minister but you are afraid to have a debate with political leaders.
“...I would challenge UNC to match us and debate with our individuals, we will beat them hands down. But they will not do that, they’re afraid.”
With only 12 confirmed candidates among the 41 available seats, Griffith said a lack of financial resources was the main reason for the party’s limited candidates. But he maintained that the NTA would rather forgo funding than partake in “corrupt” campaign financing practices of other parties.
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“Had there been financiers who would provide ten-million dollar cheques, which I really do not want, because when you accept that you’re going to be indebted to them.
“We don’t want to have to pay back to anyone when we become part of the next Parliament. Other political parties will gladly take that five- and ten-million dollar cash and put it in their back pocket and then there’s going to be payback. That has always been a problem that has been an avenue and a catalyst toward corruption in our country.”
During the conference, the NTA confidently presented three new candidates to contest the Point Fortin, La Horquetta/Talparo and Port of Spain North/St Ann’s West.
Media personality and comedian Errol Fabien was selected as the candidate for Point Fortin.
Fabien, who is no stranger to electoral politics, said, “I have a passion for Point Fortin and for service. Most of my life I’ve been involved in the service to TT so it’s just a continuation of who I am and what I do.
“...Point Fortin is a place that has been insulted, taken for granted and disregarded in so many ways by the successive regimes throughout the time that TT has been independent. And it’s time for the people of Point Fortin to feel as though they’re earning what they’re putting out their labour on.”
NTA’s Port of Spain North/St Ann’s West candidate Richard Thomas said he wants to focus on programmes for youths so they don’t “look for mischief.”
He said his political journey started at local-government level and he just continued.
“I’m excited about the challenge. I wanna bring representation – change. I grew up in Belmont, some of the things I see there, have been there for decades, things that need to change.”
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He said youths in the community are going astray.
“There is not a choice for them; the community, they kinda engage with the wrongdoing and the wrong people in the community and they just continue that.”
He said access to pipe-borne water remains an issue for many people in the community who have to go back to toting water.
