DR DEVANT MAHARAJ

THE PROPOSED coalition under Kamla Persad-Bissessar's leadership is nothing more than a blood-lust for political power, a politically charged chimera, a desperate ploy to fool a weary and disillusioned electorate into believing that a fractured and hostile alliance can lead the country to salvation.

Persad-Bissessar's brand of leadership, riddled with contradictions, has failed to unite her own party, so how then can she possibly hope to unite an unstable coalition of smaller parties and trade unions, all of which have little more in common than a shared hatred for the ruling PNM?

Persad-Bissessar's refusal to acknowledge the growing fractures within her own party speaks volumes. She has dismissed concerns from within the UNC's ranks - MPs like Rai Ragbir, Rushton Paray, Anita Haynes-Alleyne, and Dinesh Rambally - who have publicly questioned her leadership and her ability to lead the UNC to victory in the upcoming election.

What has happened to Vasant Bharath, Ganga Singh, Kevin Ramnarine, etc who were all rejected by Persad-Bissessar post 2015/20. Yet, in the same breath, she is forging alliances with the very unions and political factions that are no more than an uncomfortable alliance of convenience, united only in their opposition to the PNM and not by any shared belief, ideology, or policy.

The fact that Persad-Bissessar cannot even unify her own party, which she claims is the beacon of hope for Trinidad and Tobago, while entertaining alliances with labour leaders, speaks to her utter inability to lead a cohesive political force.

Under her tenure the UNC's coalitions have always ended in failure, marked by infighting, betrayal, and bitter divisions. The 2010 People's Partnership, though it briefly captured the public's imagination, collapsed under the weight of infighting and personal ambitions. The Congress of the People (COP), abused and refused by Persad-Bissessar, is now once again grovelling to return to power by prostituting itself.

Persad-Bissessar now again seeks to revive the same doomed formula by welcoming the likes of Ancel Roget and his union-led gang into her fold. What exactly does she offer in return for their support?

Will it be more of the same empty promises, or are we to expect an even more chaotic political environment, with conflicting interests and priorities competing for dominance? How will Roget saddle with the likes of Ravi Ratiram, Khadijah Ameen, Arnold Ram, Damian Lyder, Vanadana Mohit, etc.

The simple truth is that the present Persad-Bissessar alliance is not built on any substantive vision for the country's future. It is based purely on opportunism and the desire to defeat the PNM at any cost. In the end, this coalition will fall apart in the same way every coalition has in the past.

Without a unified ideology or coherent policy agenda, it is only a matter of time before the factions start to cannibalise one another. In fact, we might as well call it what it is: a political turkey farm - an assembly of factions with no clear d