Senior Reporter
kay-marie.fletcher@guardian.co.tt
Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar continues to draw fire from her own members.
Twenty-four hours after filing his general election nomination papers on Thursday, Chaguanas West MP Dinesh Rambally yesterday held nothing back as he publicly called for the resignation of Persad-Bissessar as party leader and a restructuring of the UNC, raising several concerns about how decisions are made in the party and the lack of transparency with the party’s funds.
During a media conference at the Divali Nagar in Chaguanas, Rambally slammed Persad-Bissessar for turning the UNC into a party associated with “curry duck, rum and roti”, condemned its cult-like culture and said the party will not win the next general election under Persad-Bissessar’s leadership.
Rambally said, “The UNC’s inability to win the next elections or any elections stems from the continued failure of the leadership of Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar… Curry duck, rum and roti are no longer the main fare at family events only... These fanfare events have made their way into the party’s modus operandi.
“We must not for one moment underestimate our present leadership, which collectively has years of experience under their belt but which seems bent on perpetuating their own cult, seemingly under vanity, in this process they are wreaking havoc amongst the trusting UNC party supporters. I, Dinesh Rambally, will not stand for that.”
Joining Mayaro MP Rushton Paray in demanding internal elections be called when due, as he said the party desperately needs restructuring, he said, “UNC in its present form cannot win any election and certainly not the next general election. The party has to be revamped, reorganised and revitalised.
“If the UNC is allowed to be destroyed by leadership which is only concerned about propagating its own cult of personality and in remaining in its position to enjoy its trappings, then the future of the UNC and our nation is in grave danger.”
Rambally also listed several internal issues he said Persad-Bissessar failed to address. This includes how the party’s funds are spent, lack of communication before debates and her tardiness.
“Do you know MPs donate part of their salary, monthly salaries, to the party with no accountability whatsoever to how these monies are being spent... We are unaware whether the party is in debt,” he said.
“One never knows what is the proposed agenda of any proposed meeting. Nothing starts on time or runs on time and you all know everything is nocturnal. There are post facto debates of bills in the parliament caucus. As a matter of fact, very rarely do we meet before debating bills or matters affecting the party as a whole, so we are unable to properly caucus positions which we are required to do.”
He added, “Parliamentary debates on government policy that require in-depth analysis are often neglected, with little or no coordination before debates on key bills. In more than one instance, my colleagues and I have debated bills, including the anti-gang legislation, without knowing how the party intended to vote until the time to vote. This is simply not how a party serious about winning government conducts its affairs.”
He also said party loyalists have been taken advantage of and many of them have complained that they do not know what’s going on but are forced to blindly follow Persad-Bissessar.
Rambally admitted that speaking out would cause him to have a bigger target on his back, but said he only wants what’s best for the party.
Asked about the possibility of being reselected as the UNC Chaguanas West candidate, Rambally said he had no confidence in the selection committee or Persad-Bissessar. However, he said whether or not he was selected, he would continue to stand up for what is right and he always be a UNC member.
Rambally had a few dozen supporters on hand yesterday, including MP Naparima Rodney Charles, Dharmacharya of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) and UNC founding chairman Pundit Dr Rampersad Parasram, Imam Rasheed Karim, and SDMS president general Krishna Rambally.
But Persad-Bissessar hit back yesterday, as she said she’s the one who has been unable to trust some within the party.
Responding to Guardian Media hours after Rambally’s statements, Persad-Bissessar said his rants in the public domain will only help the Government and steps had been taken to ensure some MPs did not know what was happening within the party for a while now.
Persad-Bissessar said, “These public rants by a few only help this oppressive Government … Precautions were taken with the sharing of information internally after three UNC MPs voted against the UNC nominee, Israel Khan, in the vote for the election of the president. Those precautions were made to protect the party so some members and MPs will not be aware of all the activities occurring within the organisation.”