Candidate for the UNC political leadership post Dr Roodal Moonilal is calling on his opponents in the party’s internal election to stop bullying hopeful candidates and their supporters.
Moonilal was addressing a cottage meeting at the Cumuto Recreation Ground in Barrackpore, on Friday night. He was joined on the platform by members of his Loyalist slate. Former MP for the area Nizam Baksh also attended the meeting.
Moonilal said: “We worked too hard for people to stand up now and call us hypocrites. We are proud of the democracy in our party, we are 27 years as a party, we are an adult party now.
“You cannot be the leader of a party and be insulting the members of the party. What manner of madness is that?”
He was referring to statements made by candidates of the Kamla Persad-Bissessar Team UNC slate that he and members of his slate were hypocrites.
He said since announcing his candidacy, he has had numerous encounters with UNC members who say they were afraid to show whom they support in the internal election.
“I am making a final appeal, we cannot build a party where you harass and bully people for practising their democratic right. Do you know how many people I meet who say ‘I support you doc, but don’t tell anyone’?”
Moonilal said if elected as leader, he was prepared to stand up against the PNM Government and its attack against citizens.
“Every time we go to Parliament it is me, Roody Moonilal, who stands up against the PNM, so I must stand up now.They are attacking the citizens.”
He reiterated that his opponent for leadership, Vasant Bharath, cannot be a political leader of the UNC since he was not an MP.
“With great respect Bharath, I want to tell you, if yuh cyar bat, yuh cyar captain the team. Where will you debate with Rowley? By the Breakfast Shed?”
However, like Bharath, he also spoke of irregularities with the list of registered voters for the election.
He said despite being told by the UNC’s elections committee that the list of eligible voters would be made available to the various slates by Tuesday, there were candidates already in possession of the list.