Bitter Cumuto/Manzanilla MP Rai Ragbir bows out of UNC race

DR RAI RAGBIR, Cumuto/Manzanilla MP, will not seek re-selection for the UNC for the general election, according to a post on his Facebook account on February 13.

He expressed his "deep disappointment."

"After careful reflection, I can no longer align myself with a party that has abandoned its principles, rewards mediocrity, shields those accused of wrongdoing and punishes integrity," he said in the post.

Ragbir said he refused to submit himself to a screening committee that included individuals charged with wrongdoing.

"Serving my constituents has been the greatest privilege of my life. But I can no longer serve under a leadership that prioritises personal loyalty over public service, a leadership that stifles dissent, rejects accountability, and has transformed the UNC from a political party into a personality cult."

Asked for her comment on this development, Opposition Leader and UNC political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar said in a WhatsApp message: "NO ONE CARES."

Ragbir said his vote to support whistle-blower legislation had been met with hostility, alienation and silence.

"This legislation was about basic accountability, yet accountability is not welcome in Kamla's UNC."

Ragbir alleged the UNC has become a hollow shell – driven by divisive rhetoric, empty theatrics and relentless internal purges.

"Dissent is met with smears, back-room sabotage and expulsion. Instead of building a team based on competence, she has surrounded herself with sycophants – yes-men and yes-women whose only qualification is slavish devotion."

Ragbir lamented Persad-Bissessar's attack on former US president Joe Biden and her embrace of "a reckless social media troll." He said these were the desperate tactics of clinging to power at all costs.

Ragbir said the party's best MPs – Mayaro MP Rushton Paray, Tabaquite MP Anita Haynes-Alleyne, and Chaguanas West MP Dinesh Rambally – were sidelined, while people with questions hanging over their heads remain untouched.

"The hypocrisy is staggering. How can the UNC demand accountability from the PNM while refusing to practice it internally?" he asked. He claimed Persad-Bissessar had refused to take responsibility for her two election defeats.

Under her, he added, the party had no vision for crime, economic recovery or rebuilding public trust.