Hamel-Smith, Sinnette: NTA/COP/HOPE talks continue

DISCUSSIONS between three parties – the National Transformation Alliance (NTA), Congress of the People (COP) and HOPE (Honesty, Opportunity, Performance, Empowerment) – on an alliance for next year's general election are continuing.

HOPE political leader Timothy Hamel-Smith and interim COP political leader Kirt Sinnette disclosed this on August 28.

The first hint of a potential alliance between the three parties came when NTA political leader Gary Griffith, Hamel-Smith and Sinnette made a joint appearance at the Red House on July 27 to commemorate the anniversary of the 1990 coup attempt.

In a WhatsApp reply, Hamel-Smith said, "The alliance is on stream but within next two weeks we expect a leap forward."

The former Senate president added, "Can’t guarantee the expectation but we have a lot of hope."

In his WhatsApp reply, Sinnette said, "The talks are going very smoothly."

He hinted there were other political parties interested in coming on board. Sinnette did not give any details.

In a WhatsApp comment on July 24, Griffith said no alliance had been formed between the three parties yet. But he did not rule out the possibility of this happening.

In a separate WhatsApp reply on the same day, Hamel-Smith said, "The three parties are among a network of organisations which are having discussions regarding a potential alliance. The form that will take is dependent on how the discussions develop."

He added, "The meetings we have held over the last three weeks have been very productive and we are confident that it will result in a political force to be reckoned with at the next general election."

While the possibility of an NTA/COP/HOPE alliance exists, one between the NTA and the UNC has become more unlikely after UNC political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar claimed Griffith was a failure as commissioner of police from 2018-2021.

She made this claim at a UNC cottage meeting in Chaguanas on August 26.

Griffith publicly rejected her criticisms in a statement issued on the same day.

In a statement on August 28 in defence of Griffith, the NTA said while it remains open to forming strategic alliances with other political parties, it will not "tolerate political leaders who openly attack us on a platform and then expect us to remain silent."