Hosein: Smaller parties being pushed to split the vote

OPPOSITION Senator Saddam Hosein says political parties may be encouraging smaller parties to enter elections and split the vote.

He was speaking in the Senate on Tuesday on a private motion calling for more Parliamentary oversight over the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC).

Hosein recalled he met with EBC officials and was informed that there was close to 100 political parties registered in TT.

“And as the days go by we saw more and more political parties coming up. And they are trying to come up to say they are fed up with this Government. It is an indictment on the Government because clearly there is lack of representation the people of TT by the PNM.”

He added: “And we wouldn’t be surprised that certain political parties–and I am not pointing any fingers–that they may be the ones who may be encouraging these other smaller parties to come and to split the votes in any particular election. I am not casting any aspersions on any political party whatsoever.”

On the weekend Mickela Panday, former Oropouche West MP and daughter of former prime minister Basdeo Panday, launched a new political party The Patriotic Front but Hosein did not specify which parties he was speaking of. On the motion, Hosein said he was not surprised the Government has rejected a motion calling for increased accountability and transparency of the EBC.

He recalled Government Senator Foster Cummings in his contribution asked what was the mischief that the motion, piloted by Opposition Senator Wade Mark, was trying to correct and that the Opposition had not made this clear.

Hosein said the modus operandi of any PNM government was about being reactivity rather than proactive governance.

“This Government always wait for a crisis. They always wait for something to fall apart. They always wait until it is so bad then to come and address it. Why can’t we be proactive for once in order to allow for this scrutiny of this EBC having understood the importance of the mandate and the functions that it performs?”