Kamla Persad-Bissessar remains unequivocally resolute she is still the best person to lead the United National Congress, and will not step down as long as she has life and the mandate to lead from the membership. She also believes if anyone wants to unseat her, there is a democratic process to do so.
Rushton Paray’s public request for internal elections to be called has led to fresh calls for Persad-Bissessar to step down as leader of the UNC.
However, in an exclusive interview with Guardian Media at the party’s headquarters in Chaguanas on Tuesday, Persad-Bissessar said, “If I take on the few of the mutterings and murmurings, I should probably just disappear from the face of the Earth, but I am very strong, very committed, and I will not let down the membership who gave me that role to guide them for the next three years and right up to the next general election.”
The UNC leader added, “You want to find out about my health? Both mentally and physically, I am totally confident of my ability to lead my party to a victory in the next election. I have health issues. Years ago, I revealed to the whole country that I have diabetes. Since then, people said I lost ten toes, ten fingers, I saw that I was in a coma in hospital. And mentally, I feel very confident we can gain a victory in the next election.”
Asked if she were to lose her third general election in a row if she would consider stepping down, she said, “I cannot predict the future and I have no intention of losing the next general election. Why should I speculate on something that may or may not happen? Why should I say, ‘Kamla if you lose, go’ I am saying ‘Kamla when you win, we are still going.’”
Persad-Bissessar pointed to the overwhelming support she receives whenever the position of political leader is contested. Recent challenges by Dr Fuad Khan, Dr Roodal Moonilal and Vasant Bharath have resulted in landslide victories for the Siparia MP. She said to step away now would be an insult to those who voted for her.
“I think I will be letting down my members if I put up my hands in the air and say, ‘take it and go.’ That will be wrong based on the trust the membership has placed in my hand, and I will not abandon them. As long as I have life in me and breath in my body and strength, I will not abandon them.”
Asked if she has considered preparing a successor for leadership among her ranks, Persad-Bissessar said it does not work that way.
“Look it’s not a cow, Mr Panday would always say you don’t just say take the rope and lead it, it’s not a goat, it’s the party and the membership who have to vote. This is not a dynasty, the party is not a dynasty, it is not a monarchy, so you don’t hand down succession. No, I am not grooming nor training anyone, I do not see the party as something you hand over, it is not a crown that you take off and hand over. The party is a democracy, and it is the membership of the party who will vote.”
However, she said there are positive signs that some of her members will one day be ready to take up the mantle.
“What I have done for succession planning … the young ones, bringing them in at all levels of the party, every single level we have been giving that training experience and they at the end of the day, several will emerge, and the membership will make that decision,” she said.
Persad-Bissessar also disagreed that there has not been a firm and legitimate challenge for political leader in the past few years.
“It’s like when I challenged Mr (Basdeo) Panday, he was there for so long and the people thought nobody could remove him. Ramesh Maharaj, I fought a leadership election, I was a newbie, I was green in a sense, and I fought him as well, before I became prime minister. So, I do not agree that I did not have firm challengers, some people spent a lot of money to campaign, which I did not have,” she answered.
Asked if this means the next leader will have to take the position from her, as she did with Panday, the Opposition Leader said, “No, no, no. There are two sides of the coin. One is that I give it to them, the other is that they take it away. Again, I say that is not for me to predict, it is for the membership of the party to make that decision, it is also in the hands of the Lord. I may not be here tomorrow morning, someone may rise up and take it forward.”