?Prominent figures in opposition politics went into a unity meeting last night with a firm commitment to build a lasting pact.
"We are engaged in a process of building a sustainable and durable political partnership that will endure for years to come," said Ganga Singh just before the start of talks. Singh is leading a three-member Congress of the People (COP) team in talks with the United National Congress (UNC). Dr Roodal Moonilal, who heads the three-man UNC team, also expressed confidence about the success of the discussions.
Moonilal said last night: "We expect that tonight's discussions would build consensus around concrete proposals for the upcoming electoral campaigns and provide for good governance post election." The meeting at St Augustine is a precursor to a planned meeting today between UNC leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar and COP boss Winston Dookeran. Insiders on both sides say they expect that Persad-Bissessar and Dookeran will fine-tune an electoral accord.
Last night's meeting began at 9 pm and included COP's Timothy Hamel-Smith and Clyde Weatherhead and UNC's Jack Warner and Dr Suruj Rambachan. The UNC returns to St Augustine tonight for a public meeting at which trade unionist David Abdulah is expected to mount the podium. Constituency incumbent Vasant Bharath is another listed speaker.