Kamla: UNC a party of diversity 

SHANE SUPERVILLE

UNC leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar says despite the party’s humble origins, it has evolved to include members and candidates from every ethnic background, and touted her team’s diversity as she made her case for re-election as party leader.

Speaking at a virtual meeting for her “Stars” team on Monday night, Persad-Bissessar said her opponent Vasant Bharath’s team lacked diversity and he could not be a leader if he did not have candidates who understood the perspectives of other demographics.

Bharath is a former minister in Persad-Bissessar’s Cabinet.

She asserted that her team featured more representation and said the UNC was a party for all creeds and races.

“Look at the composition of our team compared to the other team. There are 17 candidates in Trinidad, and out of 1.4 million people in this country they could not find one looking like Sean Sobers, or one looking like Jerlean John. You couldn’t find one for diversity looking like Clifton De Coteau?

“They boast that they are going to bring us into power. How? With 17 people looking like Vasant?

“You are sure to fail.

“ They also said they want to campaign on the East-West Corridor. Further, they don’t have one person not just looking like these guys, but there also isn’t anyone from the corridor on their team.

“We cannot win government if we remain rooted in the Indo base. We must build a national party.”

Persad-Bissessar also said while the UNC was proud of its beginnings, from gathering support from the mainly rural corners of the island, she found it disrespectful that Bharath would feature an image of a cane field at the party’s launch in Rienzi Complex, Couva.

She said while farmers were an important part of TT, the UNC’s membership had more to offer than being known as a “cane-cutter” party.

“This party is the most diverse party in this country representing every creed, race and religion that’s what we are but they believe our party is still the cane-cutter party, the rice-field party.

“Yes, we came from that and we are proud of that, but the UNC is no longer a party of cane cutters. The UNC members are in every sphere of national life through education, industry and enterprise.”

Last week Bharath, during his own virtual meeting, called on the party’s Indian members to put aside their strong loyalty and vote Persad-Bissessar out during the UNC’s internal elections on December 6.