NTA wants international observers for local government elections

LEADER of the National Transformation Alliance (NTA) Gary Griffith has joined the call for international observers to oversee the upcoming local government elections and is chastising the Prime Minister for what he said is hypocrisy in denying the request.

In a media release on Thursday, Griffith said Dr Rowley’s refusal to have international observers contradicts his 2015 call for the same to be done leading up to the general election that year.

Griffith said Rowley requesting international observers when he and his political party are not in power is “delusional at best.” He added that “the very tenet of democracy” was that rules and conventions must apply to all, equally.

“It is very disturbing as well, since there is no logical reason to not have observers, unless he has something that he wants to hide. And given that he was literally forced into calling elections by the recent Privy Council ruling, one would think that Rowley would be more concerned about allaying the fears of those citizens who might feel his postponement of the elections in the first place was undemocratic.”

Griffith added that Rowley’s position mirrors that of dictators, which he claimed has gotten worse over the years. For this reason, he said, the NTA was supporting the UNC’s call for international observers.

“It’s the right, decent, morally correct, and democratic thing to do.”

At Monday night’s UNC weekly meeting, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar said she wrote to Rowley asking him to invite international observers. She said her party does not trust the People’s National Movement with conducting fair elections.

Speaking at a breakfast meeting at the Trinidad Hilton and Conference Centre on Wednesday, Rowley said he was not adhering to the request.

“Some of our colleagues are telling me I must call in foreigners to observe our local government elections. No! What is it they expect to happen in a local election that we have to invite foreign observers? They’re free to come if they wish, it’s a free country.

“We’re always selling ourselves short. You know what we do? We send people from TT from our Elections and Boundaries Commissions to observe other people's elections, because they see us as super strong in that way.”

In response to the refusal, Persad-Bissessar said she was disappointed adding that Rowley had blanked the people of the country and not the opposition.

“Just as he disrespected the people of our nation by the callous manner in which he attempted to stall the local government elections by a year, Rowley is now again contemptuously disregarding the need to reassure the public that these elections will be free and fair and free from fear.”

She said there is no logical reason for the refusal adding that there is a desperate need for observers going forward.

“I also want to remind Rowley that in 2015 while as Opposition Leader he also called for international elections observers, for which I obliged, viewing it as part of my duty to the citizens of our nation. I again repeat my call for the Government to do the right thing for the people and allow international election observers for the incoming local government elections as well as the 2025 general elections.”