THE EDITOR: When Kamla Persad-Bissessar's UNC held political office, all ministers of government, Members of Parliament, as well as UNC party officials were instructed to attend all Independence Day celebrations. At these events not only did the government attend but also the Opposition PNM. In fact, the UNC made sure it had a presence at these events to ensure that the PNM did not upstage it.

The absence of the UNC from Independence Day celebrations on Wednesday is striking, given the position of the party while in office. Now the Independence Day observance is viewed as an ideal opportunity for a holiday and escape as articulated by Dr Roodal Moonilal and Rudranath Indarsingh, who took the opportunity for personal travel as clearly that was more important.

The hallmark laziness of the Persad-Bissessar leadership only could muster a statement on the Monday Night Forum for the Independence Day observance rather than an early morning attendance of the parade at the Queen's Park Savannah.

Much like the boycott of the Agri-Investment Forum and Expo and the local government public consultation, the UNC also appears to have boycotted the Independence Day celebrations. This should not be surprising given the assertion from the political leader regarding the paramountcy of the party over country.

While the UNC showed great mobilisation skills at organising a lime in Debe earlier this month, no UNC function was similarly organised by the party given its unpatriotic decision not to attend the national celebrations for the 60th anniversary. In the party that presents itself as the alternative to the Government, the government in waiting, with dozens of potential UNC office holders lurking in the shadows, not a single person could see it fit and proper to attend the anniversary celebrations. This is the legacy of shame of Persad-Bissessar.

And while the UNC was conspicuously absent from all national Independence Day celebrations, the party officials found the time to attend the Hindu observance of Ganesh Ustav. This is a continuation of the trend under Persad-Bissessar to give lip service to national concerns while in reality focusing on communal interests and thereby investing in securing her leadership in the Opposition rather than building an opportunity for national leadership beyond the traditional base.

This is but a continuation of the failing leadership of Persad-Bissessar as leader of the UNC and the Opposition - where a lime has more importance to the party than the observance of the 60th anniversary independence celebrations. Clearly the party is not interested in the country but merely access to the national treasury.

DR DEVANT MAHARAJ

via e-mail

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