NACTA: PNM, UNC internal elections unfair to challengers

THE public is generally dissatisfied with the internal election processes of the PNM and UNC, saying the scales are heavily tilted in favour of the incumbents.

However, the public believes that the PNM’s internal election is more transparent than the UNC’s. While many voters remain disillusioned with the politics of both parties, the consensus remains that the PNM will retain power unless a viable political alternative to the UNC comes forward.

These were some of the findings of a North American Caribbean Teachers Association (NACTA) survey, which was released on Tuesday.

Referring to the UNC's internal elections earlier this year and the PNM's upcoming elections on December 4, NACTA said respondents to its survey believe that the constitutions of the PNM and UNC give the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar enormous power, and little chance to potential challengers to their positions.

Persad-Bissessar defeated former health minister Dr Fuad Khan as her Star Team slate scored a landslide victory in the UNC's internal elections on June 26.

She polled 11,554 votes to Khan's 644. Khan subsequently described the UNC's election process as being unfair.

"The results are what they were expected to be, and it was done deliberately to make sure that Kamla and the Star Team got a convincing win to look good in the eyes of the public." While remaining a UNC member, Khan said he will retire from active politics. He sees no future for the party while Persad-Bissessar is its leader.

Dr Rowley is being challenged by former government minister Karen Nunez-Tesheira, Ronald Boynes and Junior Barrack for the post of PNM political leader, which he has held since 2010.

On the PNM internal elections, NACTA said, "The general feeling among those polled is that Dr Keith Rowley will handily win re-election because of the advantages of incumbency."

NACTA added the PNM's membership will not want to risk changing leader mid-term of the party being in government.

While noting public concerns by Nunez-Tesheira about the voting process and security of ballots, NACTA said,"Barring that caveat, respondents in the survey say that the electoral process to choose executives in the PNM is more open and democratic than in the UNC..."

The public, NACTA continued, believes that the PNM's leadership makes greater effort to incorporate party opponents and that "challengers are not seen as enemies of the leader or party."

But NACTA said, "The public feels that the process in both parties is biased and unfair against challengers."

NACTA added that many UNC supporters and ordinary people still question whether the result of that party's internal election was "a true reflection of the will of the members."