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NTA political leader Gary Griffith and UNC political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar at a joint UNC/NTA political rally at SWWTU Hall, Wrightson Road, Port of Spain, in July 2023. – File photo by Roger Jacob
NATIONAL Transformation Alliance (NTA) political leader Gary Griffith says the party is still waiting for a response from the Opposition UNC about whether or not the two parties will be contesting next year’s general election as an alliance.
In a brief comment on July 12, Griffith said, “We sent official correspondence, from one political leader to the other. That was about two or three months ago and there has not been any response.”
Griffith also asked Persad-Bissessar to respond to comments reportedly made against him by UNC deputy leader Jearlean John.
The NTA and UNC contested last August’s local government elections as a coalition against the PNM. Those elections ended in a seven-seven tie between the PNM and UNC. The NTA did not win any electoral districts in any of the 14 local government corporations.
On May 31, Griffith said if the UNC did not want to form a proper alliance with the NTA to contest the next general election against the PNM, the NTA would fight both parties across the board in all 41 constituencies.
He said in such a scenario, the NTA would direct the majority of its political resources into key marginal constituencies of which the PNM and UNC must win a majority to become the government in 2025.
In February, Griffith and Persad-Bissessar fell out over statements she made at a UNC public meeting about other parties taking advantage of the UNC’s resources but contributing nothing in return.
Griffith said there were other members of the current UNC national executive who believed the party could win the next election on its own.
The NTA, Griffith continued, would not allow itself to be the victim of “domestic political violence” in an arrangement that sees the UNC contesting its strongholds and the marginals, but leaving the NTA to fight the PNM in 12-15 of its safe seats.
Any arrangement which sees UNC candidates benefiting from NTA votes with no reciprocation was unacceptable, Griffith said.
In a statement on July 9, the NTA expressed pride that none of its 31 candidates who contested last year’s local government elections lost their deposits. The party congratulated these candidates for their efforts in challenging districts traditionally held by the PNM.
“Despite the odds, our candidates managed to significantly reduce the PNM’s lead by nearly 50 to 75 per cent, making substantial inroads in these areas.”
The NTA said this shows the party has solidified itself as the “bridge constituency” for voters who support neither the PNM nor the UNC.
Griffith has publicly spoken about the importance of these voters to the outcome of any national election.
