Griffith objects to political analysts' views on UNC/NTA

NATIONAL Transformation Alliance (NTA) political leader Gary Griffith disagrees with the political analysts who questioned the impact his party's coalition with the Opposition UNC may have on Monday's local government elections.

In June, the UNC and NTA formed an alliance to contest the elections. The former is contesting 110 districts and the latter is contesting 31.

Former UNC chairman Jack Warner, who is currently fighting extradition to the US to answer corruption charges related to his time as FIFA vice-president, joined the UNC/NTA coalition last month.

On Monday, political analyst Derek Ramsamooj said the UNC/NTA coalition "is not a truly reflective political coalition."

He added, ""All of those three leaders (UNC leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, NTA leader Gary Griffith and Warner) originated in some form or fashion from the UNC."

Ramsamooj described the UNC/NTA as "a false political coalition. It's the mergers of opportunism to remove the incumbent prime minister."

Political analyst Dr Bishnu Ragoonath believed the UNC is trying to energise its traditional supporters, and added, "In a way, the NTA is giving critical support."

But he was uncertain how critical that support might be to the coalition's success on August 14.

In a response sent via WhatsApp on Friday, Griffith said he found it amazing that some people describe themselves as political analysts.

Referring to Ramsamooj's comments, Griffith said he left the UNC "over ten years ago."

He wondered how this showed a link between the UNC and the NTA.

Griffith asked how Ramsamooj would describe the Congress of the People (COP), which was first led by Winston Dookeran.

"Mere weeks before the COP was formed (in 2007), Dookeran was the political leader of the UNC."

The COP contested the 2007 general election on its own and did not win any seats.

Griffith recalled that in 2010, the COP joined the UNC, NJAC and TOP to form the now-defunct People's Partnership (PP) coalition.

Griffith claimed some political analysts are "very politically biased," and Ramsamooj has "an agenda against political parties that are forming against the PNM."

Griffith said political analysts who show biases towards any political party in making their comments "have questions to answer."

"They make these assumptions and statements without any logic."

He claimed Ramsamooj's comments could be designed to convince people who support no political party to believe the UNC/NTA coalition "is primarily UNC."

But, he said, said, "People are not going to be fooled by the desperate attempts by Ramsamooj and others who seem to have a concern that the PNM could be defeated (in the local government elections)."