NTA: No surprise in announcement of election date

Very few people in the political sphere are surprised at the announcement that the general election will be held on April 28, saying an election date is what many have been calling for.

A press release from the Office of the Prime Minister on March 18 said Prime Minister Stuart Young advised President Christine Kangaloo to dissolve Parliament with effect from midnight on March 18, that Nomination Day was April 4 and Polling Day was April 28.

National Transformation Alliance (NTA) political leader Gary Griffith told Newsday he actually anticipated that exact date since January and his party was prepared.

“That is why we have been announcing our candidates constantly. I think other political parties may have been caught off guard because they didn’t expect it. They kept asking for it, so be careful what you ask for because you may get it.”

He said some politicians would try their best to cause division, hatred and bitterness based on race, ethnicity, location and party, and asked that public not allow that to happen. He said they should remember that the next day, everyone would just be citizens of the country.

“I would ask everyone to take a deep breath and let us work hard to support your political party, but let us not have persons who are not in your political party be deemed as an enemy. They are nothing other than political opponents.”

In a video posted to Facebook on March 18, Patriotic Front political leader Mickela Panday said her party and its 14 candidates were ready for the election.

Former independent senator Paul Richard pointed out that the date of the election was the sole remit of the PM.

“We move forward with what has, fortunately, been traditionally a peaceful, productive election process in the Republic of TT. We are holding our democratic principals and values, and I’m hoping this process is peaceful and dignified, and we, as a country, follow the rules, laws and regulations and elect the next government of TT.”

He said he believed the election date would either be early in the year or in September, and last week a credible source told him the election will be on April 28 so he was not surprised.

Former Independent senator: Election date a calculated move

Former independent senator Sunity Maharaj said it was clear Young calculated the election should be called early to build on the momentum of his appointment. She said since the election date was not constitutionally set, all administrations used the date to their advantage.

“He has calculated, whether he will be proven right or not, that making the time (to the election) short and making that sprint is a good strategy for dealing with the main opposition party. You don’t have to go to Parliament and answer all kinds of questions.

“Also, all the parties are thrown into election mode. If there are differences and divisions in any party, a lot of it tends to disappear under the pressure of supporting the party at the polls. Suddenly people say, ‘After we win we will deal with those things.’”

She added that the date was not surprising as there were school exams in May, people travel for the July/August holidays and parties generally did not want elections close to the national budget.

Maharaj believed Young’s repeated calls for unity at the presentation of the People’s National Movement’s 41 candidates at Woodford Square, Port of Spain, on March 16 was directed to the party’s members.

“And if you look at the Cabinet appointments, the selections for certain offices are strategic. There are political resonances to the appointments that has to do with internal politics of the party. Whether this Cabinet will be the cabinet if he wins the election, that is another story. But what we got yesterday (March 17) is an election cabinet.”

She said she was looking forward to some great music and fun but hoped people focused on the issues rather than personalities. She hoped, with all the turbulence in the US where people were “operating in fear,” that TT had a safe election in which freedom of expression was respected and politicians were challenged on their policies and plans.

Anthony Vieira, former independent senator said he too anticipated the dissolution of Parliament and the general election would happen soon.

He said as independent senators were not elected, nor did they lobby for their position, he did not know what the future held for them but he was grateful for the opportunity to serve as well as insights and experiences he gained.

“I have nothing but admiration and gratitude for having worked alongside my dedicated colleagues on the independent bench. I don’t think they have been fully appreciated but I know they have given a lot of their time and effort, and made many personal sacrifices.”

He added that he already drafted his resignation as chairman to the Standing Negotiating Committee on air service agreements.