Smaller TT parties agree on coalition

SOME of TT's smaller parties including the COP, MSJ and NSA have agreed to form a coalition to contest this year's general election. UNC founder Basdeo Panday on March 7 said, there would be a meeting of leaders of these parties to discuss a coalition arrangement for the election. On Thursday, COP political leader Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan confirmed this meeting took place. She said Panday asked her to co-ordinate the meeting.

Seepersad-Bachan said the leaders who were present, agreed to a coalition arrangement rather than coalescing into a single political party. She said Panday wanted a single party as opposed to a coalition. She disclosed there will be a subsequent meeting of the parties to work out the logistics of how the coalition will work. Seepersad-Bachan added that Panday was free to join with them if he wanted.

She said this would not be an arrangement similar to the PP. Seepersad-Bachan added that a subsequent meeting will be held to discuss how the coalition would work. Panday confirmed the parties did not agree to fighting under a single banner. He said history has shown the coalition arrangement is ineffective.

Panday said he will discuss the parties' decision with a steering committee, that was formed when discussions were initiated with the parties about a coalition, about the way forward.

Seepersad-Bachan said MSJ leader David Abdulah and National Solidarity Assembly (NSA) leader Nirvan Maharaj were unable to attend Monday's meeting. But she said both men preferred a coalition arrangement over a single party. On Wednesday, Abdulah said the MSJ is continuing its preparations independent of Panday's dialogue with leaders of other small parties in TT about an election coalition. Abdulah said his information was that no decision has been reached about those parties on an election coalition as yet.

Progressives Party leader Nikoli Edwards said his party attended two meetings with other parties about a coalition for the elections. Edwards said in the absence of a clear plan and direction or difference of opinion and positions, "We shall retain our position of going it alone."

In February, UNC political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar said she was confident that a coalition of small parties could not affect the UNC's chances to win the election. Last year, Persad-Bissessar said the UNC would not form any coalition with any political party for the election. In February, she was non-committal about meeting with Panday when asked by the media at her annual Kiddies Carnival event in Penal.