Former UNC St Joseph MP Herbert Volney on Tuesday mandated the Alliance of Independents (AI) to put up candidates in constituencies for the general election.
"Offer candidates to the people. You can't have a AI's first public meeting at the Diego Martin community centre.
The medium-sized hall were full with some people also standing. The gathering included 50 people from Tunapuna.
Frontliners hailed by the chairman included businessman Sam Salloum, radio deejay Luis Hart, Ronald John and Omar Abdullah.
The latter dressed in traditional Muslim garb and flak jack said he represented 300,000 Muslims and sought to lobby attention to five T&T nationals detained in Venezuela on terrorism charges.
Audience members included businessmen Rocky Garcia, Reginald McClean in front rows and other Diego Martin/Petit Valley/Westmoorings residents.
Speakers included session chairman Trevor Edwards, former BWIA worker Roslyn Aimon, talk show host Gerard Small, consultant and former NAR/ONR team Unity/COP member Karen Bart-Alexander and businessman Joe Pires.
They spoke respectively of visions for youth, agriculture and voiced grouses with Government. Group founder Nicole Dyer-Griffith's address climaxed speeches which was followed by statements from floor members.
Bart-Alexander, calling for "transformation", said T&T's national conversation had denigrated to "kyat" talk and condemned what she described as the "Piss poor leadership, piss poor governance; PP: Piss poor."
Other speakers repeated the term to describe the PP, main target of their criticism. Bart-Alexander said it was time to "set up our own first class show."
Volney, fired from Government in 2012 for the Section 34 issue, admitted in 2014 to being wrong and also apologised to former attorney general Anand Ramlogan for alleging Ramlogan had anything to do with it.
At the meeting, Volney raised a hand when the chairman asked to see those who were non-aligned.
Volney said he once voted for the PNM and NAR and himself as UNC St Joseph candidate.
He said AI could be a tremendous force which could move mountains, win a majority and affect the balance of power in determining who rules and how.
Volney complained T&T was a country "without justice."
He said he wanted to see what was left of it returned and wanted swift justice for people who broke the law and to see them jailed.
He said he left his job on the Bench to try to make a difference but he and the Griffiths only received "abuse."
Volney said the PNM and UNC could not go anywhere without the AI since the parties may get 20 and 21 seats. On AI he added: "we need the interim leadership to put together a framework and have candidates for the people,"
Dyer-Griffith, who resigned from the COP after her husband Gary was removed from the Cabinet, said people felt disappointed in 2015 and needed to continue to analyse issues and the politics and advocate as Independent voters.
She alluded to, if the opportunity came for independent voters to be in Parliament or local government forums.
She said AI would be willing to work with groups with similar aims and would subscribe to the political code of conduct. She said every vote counted.
Pires said: "Even with Manning's faux pas," the PNM had 300,000 voters, the UNC 250,000 and there are 500,000 marginal voters who aren't happy."
He called for that group to voice concerns and get people to fight for T&T.
Pires, VMCOTT chairman, asked why there could not be one bus supply company or why there was not a highway from Toco to the city and why traffic lights could not be removed.
"We should have a highway patrol and police looking for lawbreakers. Why do we still own NP, the Hyatt, Hilton, a radio and TV station... these should be private sector publicly traded companies," he added.
Michael Awai, of Westmoorings, said AI had to decide what "we want" and if that was not possible then they would not have an alliance.
Rocky Garcia said he, Pires and the Griffiths worked to make the Diego Martin seats marginal yet the PP "gives us nothing."
The group served "eats" after the meeting as the COP usually does after its meetings.
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AI was scheduled to meet with MSJ leader David Abdulah yesterday, Gary Griffith said.
Abdulah, however, said any meetings with the group were strictly informal.
Louis Lee Sing, who attended the first meeting of the group, said he did not attend Tuesday's meeting since he had a prior engagement.
He could not say if he would attend another meeting since he said he remained unconvinced the group's leaders grasped the magnitude of the challenges before them.