Ragbir: Kamla engaging in racial fearmongering

CUMUTO/Manzanilla MP Dr Rai Ragbir says UNC political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar is engaging in racial fearmongering.

He made this claim in a Facebook post on February 21.

"It is truly regrettable that after a decade in opposition, Kamla Persad-Bissessar has allowed bitterness and cynicism to consume her, to the point where she is now resorting to one of the most dangerous tactics in politics—racial fearmongering.

Ragbir said, "Her recent statements on the PNM’s candidate selection are not about fairness or inclusion; they are a calculated attempt to divide our people along racial lines for political gain."

Within the UNC, he continued, three non-Indians currently hold safe seats.

Ragbir said, "Yet, instead of celebrating diversity, the UNC has spent the past few months waging a hate campaign against two of these MPs, disparagingly referring to them as the 'PNM B Team'."

He claimed the reason for this is because these people "dared to contest the UNC’s internal election."

Ragbir did not say who these people are.

He said if Persad-Bissessar truly believed in inclusivity, "she would not be actively seeking to isolate and discredit the few non-Indian MPs in her own party."

Ragbir added Persad-Bissessar would not remain silent while UNC online trolls harass and intimidate those who offer an alternative vision for the UNC.

"The hypocrisy is glaring."

Ragbir said, "As someone who has dedicated my life to service, I cannot stay silent."

"She can send her online trolls to spread lies and even incite violence against me. But I will not be intimidated, because I am speaking out for a better UNC and a better country. "

Ragbir said, "The UNC that Basdeo Panday built was a party of progress and unity. It rejected racism and embraced the best minds, regardless of race or background."

That UNC, he continued, no longer exists under Persad-Bissessar’s leadership.

"Today, she weaponises race to cling to power, even if it means tearing the country apart in the process."

Ragbir said all citizens, regardless of political affiliation, must reject this toxic brand of politics.

"We must rise above hate, above fear, and above the small-mindedness that seeks to keep us divided. Trinidad and Tobago’s future depends on unity, not division."

Ragbir prayed Persad-Bissessar "finds the strength to free herself from the bitterness that has consumed her."

He said the country needs leadership, not division.

"Let us choose vision over fear, unity over hate, and build a future where every citizen is valued—not as a political pawn, but as an equal in our democracy."

Ragbir is one of five UNC MPs who have publicly questioned Persad-Bissessar's ability to lead the party to victory in this year's general election.

The other MPs are Rushton Paray, Anita Haynes-Alleyne, Rodney Charles and Dinesh Rambally.

Charles is not standing for re-election.

Ragbir was scheduled to appear before the UNC's screening committee, chaired by Persad-Bissessar, in Chaguanas on February 14.

But in a statement on February 13, Ragbir said he would not participate because he could not align himself with "a party that has abandoned its principles, rewards mediocrity, shields those accused of wrongdoing, and punishes integrity."

He cited Persad-Bissessar's claims of a racist political plot in relation to issues raised in an ongoing legal matter with the Estate Management Business Development Company (EMBD).

Before screening at UNC headquarters in Chaguanas on February 19, Persad-Bissessar was unfazed by Ragbir's criticisms of her.

She was confident the UNC would retain Cumuto/Manzanilla without Ragbir because it is a safe seat for the party.

Opposition Senator Damien Lyder was one of the people screened for this seat on February 20.