Griffith offers advice to UNC internal candidates: Keep it clean

NATIONAL Transformation Alliance (NTA) political leader Gary Griffith has warned opposing candidates in the UNC's June 15 internal elections, "Let us not try to win the battle at all costs but end up losing the war as a result of it."

Griffith was also a former police commissioner, captain in the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment and national security minister in the UNC-led People's Partnership coalition.

In a Facebook post on May 25, Griffith said, "I am sending this message to front-line politicians on either side of the UNC's upcoming NATEX Internal Election. Forgive me for being out of place, as I am not in your political party, so some will say that a cockroach has no place in fowl business. However, I am humbly sending this recommendation to consider that in any conflict, one must remember that winning the war is the ultimate mission, and winning a battle at the expense of losing the war is not logical."

He warned that "what is said and done in this 15 June internal election can come back to haunt the 15 June victors in the general election, as those same words, comments, and actions would come back to haunt the party and be used by your real opponent in the general election."

Griffith reminded UNC members, "Remember, there is a new day on 16 June, which would start the mission toward the general Election, and that success can be affected by what is done pre-16th June."

He expressed concern about what he described as uncalled for hostility and the most disgusting things being said by UNC members about one another as the internal election campaign has started.

"The intense mud-slinging would make it difficult to easily wash it all away after 15th June."

Griffith reminded UNC members of the collateral damage in past internal elections which has resulted in the party losing subsequent general elections.

"Going back to the worst UNC internal in 2006, which became an election civil war, with (UNC founder Basdeo) Panday's slate winning 12-3 over (Winston) Dookeran's slate. I know the damage because I was one of the three successful candidates on Dookeran's slate. But what took place after was irreparable, as the scuds targeted at both sides caused not just a fracture but amputation, leading to the party being split and the actual political opponent simply strolling into government in 2007. That took three years to mend, but it was still costly due to the damage done by that same internal election."

In 2006, Dookeran split from the UNC to form the Congress of the People (COP). The party failed to win a seat in the 2007 general election but was blamed by the UNC of depriving it of the votes it needed to defeat the PNM which won that election.

The COP joined the UNC as part of the PP which subsequently won the May 24, 2010, defeating the PNM 29-12.

The PP disbanded after its defeat to the PNM in the September 7, 2015.

Griffith warned that the outcome of the UNC internal election could jeopardise the possibility of a strategic alliance between it and any other party to contest next year's general election.

The UNC and NTA contested last August's local government elections as a coalition.

Those elections ended in a 7-7 tie between the PNM and UNC while the NTA won no electoral districts.

A UNC-NTA alliance for next year's general election has been in limbo since UNC leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Griffith fell out in February over comments Persad-Bissessar made at a UNC public meeting about smaller parties taking advantage of the UNC's resources and bringing nothing to any alliance they have with the UNC.

The NTA and UNC have each said they will field candidates in all 41 constituencies in next year's general election.

Griffith has been chosen by the NTA to contest St Joseph while the UNC is leaning towards Opposition Senator Anil Roberts to contest the seat for the party. The constituency's incumbent PNM MP is Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh.

Griffith has not ruled out the possibility of an NTA-UNC alliance still taking place.

While reiterating that an alliance of opposition parties stands a better chance of defeating the PNM, Griffith reminded UNC members that base support alone will not guarantee any party victory at the polls in an election.

"We must accept that, even though the base support is the foundation for success, it is the floating voters who eventually decide the outcome of any national election. They are indeed a sensitive lot, and many may be cautious to support an incoming government where internal hostility and false allegations and accusations were made on the victors of 15th June."

Griffith appealed to opposing sides in the internal elections to show a degree of restraint "with hard punches being allowed above the belt, because low erratic blows could cause the puncher to be victorious in the internal battle but would be used against them, causing possible disqualification to ensure defeat when the actual war commences."

He apologised to anyone in the UNC who may feel he is out of place in speaking publicly about UNC internal matters.

But Griffith said he remained confident that everyone opposed to the PNM will do the right thing at the end of the day.

"I humbly ask that we just remember the bigger picture and the actual mission."

The UNC United Patriots slate led by Mayaro MP Rushton Paray launched its campaign in Chaguanas on May 25 .

Paray and fellow MPs Anita Haynes-Alleyne and Dr Rai Ragbir are contesting the three deputy political leader posts on the UNC's national executive (Natex) currently held by Dr Roodal Moonilal, Jearlean John and David Lee.

The opposing Star slate, which is expected to include many Natex incumbents, launches its campaign in Couva at the Couva South Multipurpose Hall on May 27.

In a letter to Paray on May 25, Persad-Bissessar thanked him for inviting her to the launch of his slate but asked him why she should attend based on comments made by him and other members of his slate against her and the UNC.

She asked whether Paray's slate had any affiliation with the Patriotic Front party led by Mickela Panday.

After reiterating her views about UNC becoming stronger as a party during her tenure and her own individual political successes to justify her performance as UNC political leader, Persad-Bissessar accused Paray of doing nothing constructive to help build the party in the nine years that he has been an MP.

She reiterated her condemnation of Paray, Haynes-Alleyne, Ragbir, Dinesh Rambally and Rodney Charles for being absent from the House of Representatives on April 26, leaving the opposition short of numbers to defeat a motion brought by Finance Minister Colm Imbert to extend the time under the Exchequer and Audit Act for the Finance Ministry to submit information to the Auditor General to do a report on the public finances and to extend the time for the Auditor General to submit this report to Parliament.