Pushback on Kamla – New election coalition forms without UNC

A new political coalition has emerged to contest this year's general election.

A statement issued on social media on February 24 identified this coalition as the People's Alliance.

The members are the National Transformation Alliance (NTA), Honesty, Opportunity, Performance and Empowerment (HOPE) and the Community Reformation Network (CRN), a non-governmental organisation which works in Chaguanas, Cunupia and parts of East Trinidad.

The alliance will be launched at Mt Lambert, Eastern Main Road, on March 12 at 6.30 pm.

In a WhatsApp comment on February 24, NTA leader Gary Griffith said UNC leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar's actions to date had "made our recruitment drive much easier."

Since 2006, he continued, the UNC has been split down the middle by the arrogance of some people who did not want the party to expand.

Griffith said this is what caused then party leader Winston Dookeran to form the Congress of the People (COP) in 2007.

He added Persad-Bissessar is now scrambling to solidify the UNC's base support.

Griffith said this is why she is talking about racial discrimination and profiling.

"That is what usually happens when you are in quicksand."

Griffith said Persad-Bissessar is causing "many (voters) who are on the threshold...who are on the outside...who are on the edge of being UNC supporters...to now leave.

He cited as an example the resignation of attorney Larry Lalla, a longstanding UNC member, from the party.

Griffith expected members of the UNC to attack Lalla as they would any other UNC member who disagrees with Persad-Bissessar.

While the NTA are not poachers, Griffith said the party has no problem meeting with former or disgruntled UNC members who share its principles.

"We would be free to have discussions and embrace them."

In a separate statement, HOPE chairman Steve Alvarez said the party has been working with the NTA, a number of other parties and patriots "to present a viable alternative to what is offered to the electorate as their only set of choices."

He hoped the launch of the alliance will encourage the population to support "a viable alternative to the two major political parties (PNM and UNC)."

Since last July, the NTA, HOPE and COP had been in talks to form a coalition. The three parties signed signed a memorandum of understanding last year. Kirt Sinnette was interim COP political leader at that time.

Prakash Ramadhar withdrew the COP from this arrangement when he was reappointed its political leader this year.

The alliance will be the second coalition contesting the election.

On December 12, Persad-Bissessar met with representatives of the Progressive Empowerment Party (PEP), Movement for National Development (MND), COP , Oilfields Workers Trade Union (OWTU), Public Services Association (PSA), Postal Workers Union and the Fire Services Association to discuss a coalition against the PNM.

A subsequent "coalition of interests" (COI) was established between the UNC, PEP, Laventille Outreach for Vertical Enrichment (LOVE) leader Lennox Smith and some members of the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM).

The OWTU has presented two candidates, Ernesto Kesar and Clyde Elder, to contest La Brea and Point Fortin under a UNC logo.

PEP and LOVE may contest constituencies in west Trinidad and Laventille respectively under a similar arrangement.

On February 23, Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) political leader David Abdulah said Kesar and Elder had resigned from the party to contest the election as part of the COI.

In January, Abdulah said the MSJ would not participate in the election as it was focusing on rebuilding.

Persad-Bissessar has said the UNC is prepared to work with all parties except the NTA because Griffith insulted her party's executive.

Griffith dismissed this claim, saying he questioned the strategy being offered by UNC deputy leader Jearlean John for the party's election efforts.

The NTA and UNC had an alliance for the August 2023 local government elections, which ended in a 7-7 tie between the PNM and UNC.

Griffith, Persad-Bissessar's former national security minister in the now defunct People's Partnership (PP) coalition government and a former commissioner of police, fell out with her last February after she accused the NTA and other smaller parties of doing nothing to help the UNC and piggybacking off its resources.

Relations further deteriorated after Persad-Bissessar publicly criticised Griffith's performance as CoP from 2018-2021.

The role of the COP in the election remains to be seen.

In January, Griffith said Ramadhar's decision to withdraw the COP from the MOU with the NTA and HOPE was part of a plan for Ramadhar to persuade the UNC to give him a safe seat to contest in the election, in exchange for creating the illusion of a UNC-COP alliance, convincing non-partisan voters to indirectly support the UNC through the COP, help the UNC win 21 seats and then disregard the non-partisan voters once the UNC forms the government.

Ramadhar has rejected Griffith's claims of a secret deal between Persad-Bissessar and himself.

Persad-Bissessar has admitted to speaking with Ramadhar before and after he returned as COP leader. She said the COP is not part of the UNC's COI.

The Tobago People's Party is also not a part of the COI. But Persad-Bissessar has not ruled out the possibility of the UNC seeking a coalition with the TPP, led by Tobago House of Assembly Chief Secretary Farley Augustine, depending on the election results.

To date, the UNC has selected eight of 41 candidates.

The PNM has selected 40.

The NTA and the Patriotic Front, led by Mickela Panday, are at different stages of selecting candidates.