THE national executive, women's and youth arms of the Opposition UNC have all expressed their support for the stance taken by Opposition and party leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar for the launch of an "October Revolution" after its unsuccessful motion on October 21 to have the Electoral College impeach President Paula-Mae Weekes.
The college – the combined membership of the House of Representatives and the Senate – rejected the motion by a vote of 47 against to 25.
Persad-Bissessar had called for the appointment of a tribunal to consider the removal of the President in accordance with Section 36 of the Constitution. The motion was in relation to events that led to the collapse of the Police Service Commission (PSC) last month and the failure to send a merit list of candidates for a commissioner of police (CoP) to the House for consideration.
Under Section 36, the UNC cannot re-file the motion during the current parliamentary session. Immediately after the defeat, Persad-Bissessar declared the matter was not over.
"This matter will be kept alive long after October 21 until the truth is revealed, we will take it to the people as an 'October Revolution' when our Constitution was defeated."
Coinciding with public protests in some UNC-controlled constituencies Saturday, the party's national executive, women and youth arms, in separate statements, all endorsed the position taken by Persad-Bissessar and UNC parliamentarians before and after the college's vote.
The national executive said, "This is how democracy and human rights have always been fought for. They are not negotiated in tea rooms and cocktail parties, but fought in heated battles. In other countries the common and excluded masses have had to resort to violence. Our parliamentarians are committed to non-violent struggle,."
The women's arm said, "It must be noted that only in democracies can the rule of law protect individual liberties from state intrusion! It is only in democracies that systems of public accountability can monitor and circumscribe emergency Government powers, and terminate them when they are no longer needed."
The youth arm said it is "immensely proud of the Opposition’s behaviour as we must never forget what the parliament is there for."
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