It’s been more than a decade since Terrence Deyalsingh snatched the St Joseph seat from the People’s Partnership for the People’s National Movement following a 2013 by-election.
But now, former police commissioner, National Transformation Alliance (NTA) leader, Gary Griffith, has signalled his intention to defeat Deyalsingh and win the St Joseph seat.
Speaking to reporters on this challenge at the San Fernando General Hospital yesterday, Deyalsingh replied in song.
Singing the Stylistics’ 1970 hit Break up to Make up, Deyalsingh said the song refers to a “game for fools”.
Deyalsingh then said, “They are playing the fool and they are taking the people of St Joseph for fools. We are not going to be fooled by the shenanigans of Gary Griffith and Kamla Persad-Bissessar.”
Deyalsingh replaced former UNC MP Herbert Volney, who resigned from the UNC in September 2013, leaving his seat vacant. Volney had won the seat from the PNM’s Kennedy Swaratsingh in the 2010 general election with over 10,000 votes, approximately 3,000 more votes than Swaratsingh.
But when Deyalsingh won in 2013, he had 6,356 votes compared to the UNC’s Ian Alleyne with 5,577 votes. The Independent Liberal Party’s Om Lalla obtained 1,976 votes, losing his deposit, independent candidate Errol Fabien won 300 votes and the Democratic National Assembly’s Michael Lopez won five votes.
In a statement yesterday, Griffith’s NTA announced his candidacy, saying the party has been screening potential candidates for various constituencies across the country for the past few weeks.
The NTA said Griffith was born and raised in St Joseph and lived almost half his life in the constituency. The party also said Griffith served in the T&T Defence Force for 17 years, receiving an efficiency medal from the president for his unblemished service.
The NTA said Griffith also served as a military attaché to two prime ministers and a president, national security advisor, minister of national security and most recently, commissioner of police.