Griffith: No manifesto from NTA

Political leader of the National Transformation Alliance (NTA) Gary Griffith says the party and its coalition will contest 15 or 16 seats in the April 28 general election.

The candidates will be presented officially in the next week or two, the former commissioner of police said.

Speaking to members of the media while on a walkabout along the Aranguez Main Road on March 22, Griffith said the seats were strategically selected by the NTA; Hope (Honesty, Opportunity, Performance and Empowerment) and Community Reformation Network (CRN).

The NTA will present 11 or 12 candidates, while Hope, led by Timothy Hamel-Smith, and non-governmental organisation CRN have also selected their candidates.

He said a third party could win a seat in a general election, as proved by Jack Warner who won Chaguanas West with his Independent Liberal Party in a 2013 by-election.

“I have a world of respect for both political leaders (UNC and PNM). I wish them well. I ask this election to be one that is clean, and above board. But again, there's strong hope and belief that the country is ready for a change, a positive change, a third option.”

He said that UNC leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar was “scampering” to get other political parties to join the UNC a month before the election was a sign that her “cut-tail book.”

“We don't need to be begging anyone. We are standing firm. We are standing on principle. We have seen third parties being used, abused and sidelined. We have no intention for political domestic violence, whilst, at the same time, we will always be willing to speak and communicate with all political parties.”

Dressed in a blue T-shirt, short pants and sneakers, Griffith shook hands with and took pictures with people along the Aranguez Main Road and side roads. People in their cars honked their horns or slowed down to wave, give him a thumbs up or shake his hand.

Some shouted encouragement saying, “Gary we want you back, Ah like yuh legs, and Yuh doing good.”

Griffith said his party had no manifesto which he described as a document full of empty promises since there was usually no indication of expenditure or how the party planned to gain income. He said it was impossible to fix every drain, road and lighting issue, so the NTA would not make such promises.

“What we are doing is not going to give a manifesto. We are putting a road map towards the transformation of TT. We are going to show how we intend to get income, how we intend to have expenditure, and how we are going to account for each and every cent in this country. What we are going to show is a difference. We are going to show transparency. We are going to show accountability, and we are going to measure performance.”

Griffith said he was bringing a degree of honesty and patriotism to politics. And just as he was able to transform the police service with his team, he and the NTA would improve the standards of the public service.

He said the current PNM administration failed so the public wanted change, therefore, the choices were between the NTA and the UNC. But, he said, if people were concerned about national security and the safety of themselves and their families, the NTA was the one to choose.

He said when he was not the minister of national security, from 2010-2013, the UNC cancelled the purchase of two Offshore Patrol Vessels, shut down the Special Anti-Crime Unit of TT, sold the airship or blimp, hired analyst Reshmi Ramnarine as head of the Strategic Services Agency, fired commissioner of police Dwayne Gibbs and replaced him with Stephen Williams. The party also declared a state of emergency because they couldn't handle crime and arrested 500 young men.

He said when he was national security minister there was the highest reduction in serious crime in 31 years, the party established the National Operations Centre, the Community Comfort Patrol, a Rapid Response Unit, the National Security Special Operations Group, the National Security Training Academy and people felt safe.

“When it is you are making a vote, voting blindly for a political party is not going to reduce the possibility of your wife being raped, your daughter being kidnapped, your son being killed. I am asking you (to) make the choice based on looking at the people, the policies and those people who have the political will.”

Griffith planned to be on the ground every day in his prospective constituency as well as those of the other candidates in the coalition.

Claiming to be the only person in public service to ever give out his phone number to the public, he said the people wanted accessibility – to see someone who was, not only on the ground during the election period, but someone they had access to after the election, even if that person could not fix everything.

He said serving, not leading, was something he made sure all of the NTA candidates understood.

“They want to know about honesty. They want to know that public servants, especially politicians, can be transparent, that they can be loyal to the country, that they can be patriots to the country and make sure that there's great accountability, that if that person does not work, does not perform, we have the capability to have them removed.”

He added that it was difficult trying to balance “everything” with the illness of his wife, former senator Nicole Dyer-Griffith who had surgery to remove a tumour in her brain on March 14.

Dyer-Griffith previously announced she was diagnosed with stage three inflammatory breast cancer in April 2024, and in a video post on March 14 said her cancer had spread to her brain.

Griffith thanked the media and the public for their concerns and support.

He said former prime minister Dr Keith Rowley, his successor Stuart Young and most of the PNM MPs and Cabinet Ministers expressed their concerns even though they were political opponents. He said that showed class and maturity.

“I wish to thank them, even though my job is still to have you removed. The fact of the matter is that we can be political opponents, but not enemies.

“Interesting though is that Nicole Dyer-Griffith was a senator in the UNC government, of which Kamla Persad-Bissessar was in charge. Kamla Persad-Bissessar and no other member of the UNC has sent a message, other than Dave Tancoo. It says a lot about class or lack of it. It speaks about humanity. It speaks about the individuals that are in the UNC.”

Confirmed NTA candidates

Aranguez/St Joseph – Gary Griffith

Tunapuna – Savita Pierre

Diego Martin West – Marsha Walker

Diego Martin Central – Russell Chan

Chaguanas East – Norman Dindial

San Fernando West – Dr Kevin Sarran

Arima – Jairzinho Rigsby

Arouca/Lopinot – Nicolene Taylor-Chinchamee

Toco/Sangre Grande – Christine Newallo-Hosein