UNC supporters on election footing

UPDATED:

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar says the United National Congress (UNC) is in election mode. At a political meeting at the Plum Mitan Presbyterian School on Sunday, she said the party will establish campaign teams early in the new year to better prepare for local government and general elections.

She said the teams would be formed to assist members of the party’s national executive (natex).

“People have been asking to be on the national executive. But there are only so many positions,” she said.

“If you are willing to work and serve the party, then we will have a space for you. My intention is, immediately after we finish this election and go through our toy drives and Christmas, in the new year, we will form campaign teams to prepare for elections.

“So, we will set up several campaign teams and those who do not actually become members of the Natex will be working with it in a campaign team of one kind or another. In that way, we can involve more members,” Persad-Bissessar said.

The Opposition Leader, who is seeking to retain her position as UNC political leader in the party’s November 26 internal election, gave an example of how the campaign teams would operate.

“At the moment, our party’s constitution has a north-west co-ordinator and a north-east co-ordinator.

“When you start from northwest, which is in Diego Martin, and come down to Toco/Sangre Grande, you see how many constituencies we are talking about along this Corridor...too many for just two people.

“So I would want to suggest to our executive, when that new executive is formed, that we pull additional people to co-ordinate seats along this long East-West Corridor.

“You will have the co-ordinators through the constituencies, but you also have others working so we can cluster the constituencies.”

Former St Augustine MP Vasant Bharath and current Cumuto/Manzanilla MP Christine Newallo-Hosein are challenging her.