Political analyst Dr Bishnu Ragoonath said outgoing Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar would pay the political price in terms of her continuing leadership of the UNC for abandoning her supporters at Rienzi Complex on Monday night.
Persad-Bissessar gave her concession speech at her Siparia constituency office, after being defeated 23-18 by the Dr Keith Rowley-led PNM. Thousands of loyal yellow T-shirt-clad supporters, whose demeanour changed from joy to sorrow as the results became more evident, waited for long hours to hear and see their leader.
However, around midnight, Persad-Bissessar announced she would not be heading to Rienzi as was customary for the leader of the party to do after an election.
Commenting on this turn of events, Ragoonath said he believed she should have gone to Rienzi where a captive audience awaited her.
“Everybody in her party expected her to be there. Win, lose or draw, they expected her to be there. I think she disappointed her followers in that regard.”
He said this raised the question of the UNC’s internal election, which could no longer be put off indefinitely.
He suggested, “Whenever that comes up, the membership of the party may very well hold that against her as she goes forward.”
Economist Indira Sagewan-Ali also expressed disappointment that Persad-Bissessar did not go to Rienzi.
She said the PP supporters who stayed to the end in spite of her defeat would have been as heartbroken as the outgoing PM and it would have been important for her to reach out to them.
Sagewan-Ali said obviously the campaign strategy centered around its leader failed and what future role she would play in the party would make for very interesting times ahead for the UNC/PP arrangement.