Bharath a true stalwart

THE EDITOR: In a recent letter, Rajiv Hemant said the UNC has no fresh face to offer but stale bread because Vasant Bharath was invited back to join the UNC.

If that was a fact, Kamla Persad-Bissessar would not have invited him to “join hands to rebuild” the nation together. He is an astute jurist who has integrity and knowledge and a career in both law and politics. Th UNC leader's decision is not a fallacy or a misconception, it is admirable.

Nor is this a surprise to us. Remember Jack Warner's and Persad-Bissessar's separation? Warner had nothing pleasant to say about her. However, he has been welcomed back home.

I believe that Bharath's academic qualifications as a qualified economist, a graduate of the University of the West Indies and a man who has worked immensely with Persad-Bissessar in the past as a former minister of trade and industry makes him a stalwart.

Nonetheless, I think politicians make strange bedfellows and, furthermore, to quote the late Basdeo Panday, “politics has its own morality.” It simply expands the horizon to enlist and encourage old friends and foes to unite.

I see absolutely nothing wrong with the decision to bring back Bharath or Fuad Khan or, for that matter, anyone who is deemed essential and qualified to reinforce the pack; it is Persad-Bissessar’s prerogative to do so.

It is not stale bread but more like our bread and butter is at stake and the move could attracts suitable candidates to join the UNC, especially those who have experience and can bring something to the table without a quid pro quo.

True, Bharath had challenged Persad-Bissessar for the political leader position of the UNC, but I don’t think it is a violation nor improper to do so. This is a fundamental principle of democracy.

JAY RAKHAR

New York