Senior Political Reporter
Former UNC MP Ramona Ramdial, who supports Rushton Paray, is deciding if to contest a post in the party’s national executive election on Paray’s slate or independently. She has labelled the incumbent executive officers as a “bunch of dead horses”.
“The party needs a mix of experienced and youthful new people to properly prepare for general elections. But if UNC enters the general election with the current executive, it is guaranteed to lose,” Ramdial added yesterday, after collecting her nomination form from UNC’s head office in Chaguanas on Tuesday.
The internal election for the 17 executive posts is June 15. Nomination deadline is May 25.
Ramdial said, “I support MP Paray’s positions, we all work together but I’m yet to decide on if I’ll contest as an independent or contest with his slate. I’m observing what slates emerge and my decision would arise from that.”
Ramdial was the party’s election officer from 2010 to 2015 and the director of its party school over that time. She unsuccessfully contested posts (as an independent candidate) in UNC’s Natex election in 2015. She again contested unsuccessfully in the 2022 election on former Minister Vasant Bharath’s Team Lotus slate.
She said, “An overhaul of the Natex - all 17 posts - is needed as the UNC in T&T’s interest requires a competent group of people, a mix of experience and youthful new faces to get the ball rolling preparing for general election. Current officers have more or less not been working -posts are being held but there’s no activity.”
“The proactive Natex officeholders like myself, Jack Warner, Vasant (Bharath) had been workers. The current group I’d say are a ‘bunch of dead horses’. No energy, not doing anything different to grow membership especially in marginals,” Ramdial added.
“If that team is ‘engineered’ to win or is re-elected, the party will lose general elections as many incumbents have been in charge for the past three party terms since 2015, people keep being recycled in position yet UNC’s moved nowhere. We need workers.”
On whether she’s prepared to work with political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, whose term is not up for election until 2025, Ramdial said, “Once we find middle ground and she’s open to changes that are necessary to strengthen the Natex, we can work with the leadership.”
Yesterday, Paray and colleague Anita Haynes-Allyene held a campaign meeting. Others are ahead. Sources said their colleagues, Dr Rai Ragbir, Rodney Charles and Dinesh Rambally, aren’t contesting posts in the internal party polls. They noted that was because Charles (for one) had spoken of the need for intergenerational change in politics. They expected all three are supporting Paray’s slate “behind the scenes”.
So far, it’s understood that most of the incumbents holding the 17 posts, will likely contest.
Eyes on by-elections
On another election front, the UNC’s deadline for nominations for the June 17 by-elections in Quinam/Morne Diablo and Lengua/Indian Walk closes tomorrow.
While the PNM closed nominations for the two by-elections in South Trinidad yesterday and nominees’ names are expected imminently as screening begins right after the deadline.