Lalla, Maharaj: Kamla must go

ATTORNEY Larry Lalla and UNC activist Devant Maharaj, in separate posts on Facebook on Wednesday, continued to call on Siparia MP-elect Kamla Persad-Bissessar to resign as UNC political leader.

Persad-Bissessar was sworn in as Opposition Leader at President's House, St Ann's on Tuesday.

About a week after the August 10 general election, in which the PNM defeated the UNC 22-19, Persad-Bissessar said she would not be resigning as UNC leader. After receiving her instrument of appointment as opposition leader on Tuesday, Persad-Bissessar said her work was not yet done.

Tabaquite MP-elect and UNC PRO Anita Haynes said the party has full confidence in Persad-Bissessar as leader and elections for her post will take place in 2021.

In his post, Lalla said he supported calls from Maharaj, former UNC MP Dr Fuad Khan, former PP minister Vasant Bharath and others for Persad-Bissessar to resign as leader.

Lalla, who served as a temporary opposition senator under Persad-Bissessar, said, "After two successive general election defeats and many others on either side of those, the time has long past for there to be a change of leadership and direction in the party."

While he remained committed to serving the UNC in any way it sees fit, Lalla said, "A political leader of a party must always be a trustee of her or his party and must always put the interests of the party, it’s members and the country above self and self interests."

He said in doing what is considered the right thing, people in an organisation run the risk of becoming temporarily unpopular and earning temporary foes.

"But at the end of the day, in this short life that we have, we must try to do right, even when doing so may be difficult."

Maharaj, in his post, argued that the internal election for the UNC political leader's post should be held by the end of this year and not in 2021. He said the last UNC internal elections were held on November 26, 2017. So because the UNC leader is elected under the party's constitutions for a period of three years, that post should be up for election by the end of this year. He also argued that internal elections for the UNC national executive (natex) are long overdue.

Maharaj said the natex's lifespan is only two years and the current natex has overrun that time by a year.

"Despite this, the natex continues to hold office and make decisions without the legitimacy of an election."

He also argued that Article 18 of the UNC's constitution implies that elections for the political leader and natex cannot be held in the same year.