THE EDITOR: Mayaro MP Rushton Paray would be fooling himself to believe that UNC leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar will select him or any of his United Patriots comrades to contest the 2025 general election.

The signs are pellucidly clear. They have been effectively debarred from all party activities and perhaps surrogates have already been assigned to oversee their constituencies.

There was a subtle threat by Paray that if the UNC leader interferes with the ten-year-old representation arrangement in Mayaro the seat could be up for grabs in 2025.

Frankly, she does not care. Ask Collin Partap and he would tell you that when the Cumuto/Manzanilla executive threatened to walk away in 2015 if he was not selected, her response was, “I prefer to lose government than nominate him!” She lost government. So, my friend Rushton, your passionate appeal will go for nought.

In fact, Persad-Bissessar has already counted 25 seats in the UNC column for next year. I am sure she did not factor in Paray when she included Mayaro in that list. Or is the goodly lady forecasting a 25-seat PNM win?

NTA leader Gary Griffith is in a similar bind. Persad-Bissessar has ignored all Griffith’s attempts for reconciliation. Instead, she has snatched his party colours and left him politically naked. But, poor fellow, he remains persistent, extending an olive branch begging for a seat at the UNC table.

As we get closer and closer to the general election it is obvious that the PNM remains the only stable, organised and capable political entity to hold the reins of government.

In my view the UNC, despite its change of colours, is fractured by internal dissent, making it a non-viable alternative. There is also the question of trust. And the leader’s flip-flop on continuing support for parliamentarians facing the court adds to the lack of trust.

Like the chameleon, change of colour does not change the animal.

HARRY PARTAP

former MP

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