Beckles: PNM quality in Parliament beats UNC quantity

OPPOSITION Leader and PNM political leader-elect Pennelope Beckles says the UNC has already made the mistake of believing it will be in government for a long time.

Beckles said this underscores the importance of the PNM to rebuild and be ready to step back into government again.

She made these comments at a meeting of her One PNM slate at San Fernando City Hall Auditorium, Harris Promenade, San Fernando, on June 14.

Beckles reminded PNM members about the UNC's general election mantra – when UNC wins, everybody wins.

"People are beginning to realise that was just to mislead you, so that they could get into government."

She said the population is quickly beginning to see through that political illusion.

Beckles said the conduct of UNC MPs in the House of Representatives on June 13 provided clear evidence of this.

"When you looked at the television last night (June 13) and you saw the UNC behaving in a manner as they believe they could talk to people anyhow and that they feel they are going to be there for the next 20 years."

Beckles told PNM members, the UNC has no control over how long it stays in office.

"That is all up to us (population)."

She said people watching the June 13 sitting would have seen the 13 PNM MPs show that quality defeats quantity every time.

Beckles recalled the PNM's most devastating electoral loss of 33-3 in 1986 to the now defunct National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) which the UNC later emerged from.

Those three PNM MPs were Patrick Manning, Muriel Donawa McDavidson and Morris Marshall (all deceased).

Beckles said, "They made more noise than the other 33."

The UNC won the April 28 general election by claiming 26 seats. PNM got 13 and the Tobago People's Party earned two.

Beckles said, "There are those of you who may have some concerns about the 13 of us (PNM MPs) versus the 28 of them (26 UNC MPs and two TPP MPs)"

There is no coalition arrangement between the UNC and TPP.

"Watch last night. Pay attention and you are going to see that you are going to have a very powerful opposition...both House and Senate."

Beckles again defended her selection of former PNM MPs Faris Al-Rawi and Foster Cummings as opposition senators, despite losing in their respective San Fernando West and La Horquetta/Talparo constituencies on April 28.

She recalled former prime minister Dr Keith Rowley unsuccessfully contested the Tobago West constituency in the 1986 election, but then opposition leader Manning made him a senator.

Beckles identified Renuka Sagramsingh-Sooklal, Clarence Rambharat and Avinash Singh as examples of PNM candidates who unsuccessfully contested elections many times and were appointed as senators.

She said Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar's claim that Al-Rawi and Cummings should not be senators because they lost at the polls makes no sense.

"Say what and why and how I cannot make Foster Cummings and Faris Al-Rawi senators."

The UNC also has a history of appointing defeated candidates to the Senate.

The party currently has four unsuccessful candidates (Dominic Smith, Kenya Charles, Phillip Edward Alexander and Dr Natalie Chaitan-Maharaj) who are in the Senate.

Referring to comments made by Al-Rawi earlier in the meeting, Beckles said people who are employed in URP, Cepep or who had contracts with government ministries before the election "are beginning to get stressed and frightened and frustrated because they know that sooner or later many of them are going to lose their jobs."