Moonilal eyes Opposition Leader’s position

Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal has his eyes on the job of Opposition Leader as he entered the election race yesterday, confident that he will emerge victorious as the United National Congress’ (UNC) new political leader.

Moonilal, who had been gauging party support over the last two weeks before making his decision, extended an invitation to MPs and other UNC members to join his campaign to defeat former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on December 5.

He also announced his decision to step down as Opposition Chief Whip in the Parliament, saying it would be unethical to serve in that position to his opponent in the race for leadership. 

“It is clear in our constitutional arrangement that the political leader of the party is distinct from the Opposition Leader. The Opposition Leader is chosen by those members of the House. If the majority so wish to choose someone who is in Opposition to the Government, we will first concentrate on the party but I am convinced that whoever emerges successful as political leader will indeed have very little difficulty in assuming the position of Opposition Leader once that person is a member of the House of Representatives," Moonilal said, at his Debe constituency office.

 Moonilal did not announce a slate, but said that would be revealed when he launches his campaign on November 12, at the Rienzi Complex, Couva. He also announced that the colour of his team would revert to the original colour of the UNC, which is orange and not the yellow now being worn. 

"We must allow our MPs to make up their minds, to look at the situation, to consult with their constituents, their family. I am not pushing any colleague to support me or not. I will embrace all who join me, but I will also understand those who chose not to join me.” 

Surrounded by a handful of supporters at his Oropouche East constituency office, Moonilal paid tribute to Persad-Bissessar’s leadership and dignity and her government’s ‘unparalleled record of performance,’ but he said the time had come for the party to move on.

He said many people he spoke to could not understand how the party with its unparalleled record of performance in government could have experienced such a shocking electoral defeat at the September 7 polls. 

“Almost two months after the election, many of our members are still analysing and internalising the election results.”

He said while Persad-Bissessar would have taken them to victory in 2010, along the way, many of their followers and supporters who worked hard to give them that historic victory would have been left behind.

After Persad-Bissessar led the party to five consecutive defeats, Moonilal called for the rebirth, renewal and restoration of the party, “if we are to rise again.”

“We have to foster a culture of loyalty to the party and not to individuals. We must be active, not passive. The party must be democratic, not autocratic,” Moonilal  said.

He said his decision came after extensive discussion with supporters, including party founder former prime minister Basdeo Panday, because it was not just a question of running or not running for the post.

He said the meeting discussed the state of the party, dreams and aspiration of members and helped to fashion and formulate a new vision and policy.

“Because the future of the UNC is the future of T&T. We are a critical national institution,” he said.

Moonilal said the victory of Dr Keith Rowley and the People’s National Movement (PNM) on September 7 had to do with the support he got from the membership.

“Despite Dr Rowley's shortcomings and whatever we may think of him, he had the support of a very great institution, a strong institution, well organised, well structured, functioning, the PNM that lifted what we believe to be a poor candidate for prime minister and, unless you do not build a party this way, you can have the best candidate in the world, you will not be successful unless you build the institutions.”

Kamla welcomes challenge

​Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar yesterday wished her opponent Dr Roodal Moonilal the best of luck in his bid to dethrone her.

But UNC founder Basdeo Panday predicted that Moonilal would lose the battle on December 5.

He said this had nothing to do with “whether Moonilal is good, bad or indifferent, but because I believe the elections will neither be free nor fair.

“How can the election be free and fair when the person conducting the election is also contesting the election?” Panday asked.

“Dr Moonilal came to see me and I told him the elections are irrelevant at this time because they are going to be rigged and the only way he can win is to ensure the elections are free and fair.”

Persad-Bissessar has stated her intention to have an independent election committee to oversee the process, pointing out that no member of the UNC executive or candidate can serve on that committee. 

Persad-Bissessar welcomed the challenge yesterday, saying, “We have a healthy democracy in our party. Any member is free to put in a nomination. It is their right if they choose so to do and the membership would decide at the end of the day.”

She confirmed that Moonilal called her before making public his announcement at his Oropouche East constituency office, Debe.

“I spoke with him and I wished him good luck and I hope he wishes me good luck as well. It’s a healthy democracy. That is the process and at the end of the day the membership would decide which way we go forward with the party. We are all members of the UNC family. It is a free country. I am not worried. Let the membership decide, whichever way it goes.”

Persad-Bissessar, however, reserved comments on the appearance of her former press officer Francis Joseph who chaired Moonilal’s news conference. 

Joseph resigned his position from the Office of the Prime Minister on October 8, following the defeat of the Persad-Bissessar administration and election of the Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s People’s National Movement (PNM) Government.

Joseph said he was hired by Moonilal in his capacity as an events manager. He said he was not a member of his slate or of his campaign team.

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