UNC political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar. - File photo by Angelo Marcelle
UNC political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has rejected claims from Naparima MP Rodney Charles that there is no transparency in the party's screening for general-election candidates.
Persad-Bissessar, who is also Opposition Leader, also rejected Charles's claims that she is more interested in preserving her position as UNC leader than in good governance.
Last year, Charles announced he would not stand for re-election in 2025 when the next election is constitutionally due.
Charles is one of five UNC MPs who have publicly questioned Persad-Bissessar's ability to lead the UNC to victory in the next election.
The others are Rushton Paray, Anita Haynes-Alleyne, Dinesh Rambally and Dr Rai Ragbir.
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The UNC invited nominations for election candidates last December and closed the process in April.
Paray, Haynes-Alleyne, Rambally and Ragbir have all filed nominations to stand for re-election in their respective constituencies of Mayaro, Tabaquite, Chaguanas West and Cumuto/Manzanilla.
The UNC has not officially started screening yet.
In a statement on November 11, Charles said Persad-Bissessar "needs to focus more on good governance for TT and less on preservation of her leadership within the UNC or else 'crapaud smoke all ah we pipe.'
"The delay in progressing to candidate selection is raising serious concerns. Our supporters and the people of TT deserve transparency and decisive action. For months, we have waited patiently, but now is the time to step forward with clarity."
Charles, who was election campaign manager in 2015, said the UNC's approach to candidate selection seems to be "selecting a host of OJTs (on-the-job trainees) with a sugar-coated smattering of acceptable candidates."
He added this strategy saw the UNC lose the 2015 and 2020 elections and said the party will lose next year's election if it uses this approach again.
He said the PNM is far ahead in terms of selecting several candidates "in a very transparent process where we often know the views of party groups, the party’s leadership, constituency executives and even constituents."
The UNC by contrast, Charles continued, "and presumably in this instance, uses a process entirely dominated by the political leader, shrouded in secrecy and finalised only on the morning of nomination day."
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He said it is Persad-Bissessar's prerogative to select new candidates for Mayaro, Tabaquite, Cumuto/Manzanilla and Chaguanas West if she has no faith in Paray, Haynes-Alleyne, Ragbir and Rambally.
But he added that she must publicly announce "in a timely manner who her selectees are, so that they can work the constituencies and the population can judge their capabilities."
The PNM, he pointed out, has already announced and mobilised candidates for all four constituencies, even Naparima – his own constituency.
Charles was concerned that Persad-Bissessar was putting her political survival abovegood governance by not selecting candidates "who will champion the values of integrity, service, and accountability."
He said this was necessary to address problems such as crime and economic challenges.
In response, Persad-Bissessar said via WhatsApp, "It is difficult to comprehend how anyone can seek to question the UNC's strong democracy and conveniently turn a blind eye to the rot that pervades from the highest offices. "
She questioned how Charles could claim the PNM was more transparent in selecting candidates than the UNC.
"Our screening process is ongoing. The nomination booklets are 23 pages long and are very comprehensive. We have also held multiple meetings with constituency reps which is also part of the process.
"The in-person interviews are just another part of our screening process and really are just to clarify any questions or discrepancies that may arise from the information submitted in the nomination booklets."
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She attributed Charles' comments to the disappointment some UNC members felt after the party's internal elections in June, which were won by the Star slate she endorsed.
The United Patriots slate (of which Paray, Haynes-Alleyne and Ragbir were members) failed to win any posts on the UNC's national executive (natex).
Persad-Bissessar's post was not up for election in June but will be next year.
She claimed questions over the postponement of the PNM's annual convention and internal election, originally scheduled for November 17, show the UNC "remains the strongest political vehicle in TT that stands ready to rescue this nation from the depths of darkness."
A daily newspaper reported on November 3 that the Prime Minister rejected claims made about PNM chairman Stuart Young being favoured to succeed him as PNM political leader and this was why the party's convention and internal election had been postponed.
Dr Rowley said he had no power to anoint a PNM leader and still had to decide on his own political future.
On October 18, after a general council meeting, general secretary Foster Cummings said the PNM's constitution grants Rowley, as political leader, authority over the party's political direction and the council had ratified the leadership's decision to set a new convention date.
Young, on the same day, said the posts of political leader, chairman and general secretary are not due for re-election until 2026.
He added, "The PNM is strategic and does not make decisions impulsively. The council trusted the leadership's decision and I won’t disclose specific PNM strategies."
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In an interview on October 21, PNM lady vice-chairman Camille Robinson-Regis said claims of the party being in turmoil because of these events were greatly exaggerated.
Persad-Bissessar rejected the notion implied by Charles of secret political cults operating inside the UNC.
She remained certain the UNC will win the next election.
"The people want a leader who cares about them. The population will vote for the safety of their children, for prosperity and peace.
"I have always said that I put God in front and walk behind. Vox populi, vox dei (The voice of the people is the voice of God)."
