Opposition parties working the ground

Despite the country being in Carnival mode for the past few weeks, several opposition parties, including the parliamentary opposition UNC, have been working to build their respective support bases in anticipation of either local government or general elections.

UNC chairman Peter Kanhai said there is “tremendous” interest in the party, as people have been collecting nomination forms for local government elections as well as those parliamentary constituencies not represented by the party.

The nominations were declared open by UNC political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar in late January.

Meanwhile, both the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) and the National Solidarity Assembly (NSA) have held cottage meetings and walkabouts in several areas, including the Prime Minister’s Diego Martin West constituency.

In a telephone interview yesterday, Kanhai said no closing date has been set, as neither election has been announced by the PNM administration.

“The collection of nomination forms has been going pretty well," he said. "We haven’t set a closing date as yet for it. That will be ongoing because we don’t even have a date for that elections as yet, but what we did, we opened the nomination process very early in all local government districts, and for the 21 constituencies (where) we do not have an MP or representative.

“In terms of what happening with the party, Carnival or no Carnival, the party has been on the ground doing its work. The party is working very hard, the momentum is building, the interest in the party is growing and generating all the time and we continue to do the work we have to do on the ground in all areas and all constituencies.”

Asked whether the party is targeting specific areas for its Monday night forum meetings, he said, “We try to take them across the country. The last one we had, just before Carnival, was in the La Horquetta area. The next one will be in Tunapuna.”

The UNC’s next Monday night forum is carded for March 18 at the El Dorado West Secondary School, Tunapuna.

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"Opposition parties working the ground"

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