DESPITE losing the general election, political leader of the United National Congress (UNC) Kamla Persad-Bissessar remains a winner in the hearts of party supporters.
On Monday night, Dr Bhoendradatt Tewarie who won the Caroni Central seat for the party said there was no question as to whether Persad-Bissessar should resign in the face of defeat.
He was speaking to the media at UNC headquarters at Rienzi Complex, Couva after the People’s National Movement (PNM) declared victory.
When asked if he believed the leadership of Persad-Bissessar could be sustained at this time, Tewarie replied: “I don’t think the question arises now at all. I don’t think it is something even under consideration. I think we will all have to rethink how the Opposition will function but I am committed to the Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar now as Opposition Leader and more than that, we are committed to the partnership that we have built with the parties that is to say the COP (Congress of the People), the UNC the NJAC.”
He added: “And whatever I can do to solidify Partnership and to strengthen the Opposition forces and to build a national capacity beyond what we have created so far, we will continue to do and Kamla Persad-Bissessar is my leader.”
Defending his leader Tewarie said: “This lady, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar had the roughest period of five years. As a Prime Minister and she did not receive any kid’s glove treatment from the males in the society and in my estimation she was a very, very courageous leader. She was a formidable leader and she was a compassionate and caring Prime Minister. The country will have to make their own judgements about other Prime Ministers. “
Speaking about his own victory, Tewarie said that while he was happy he won his seat, he was disappointed the People’s Partnership was not re-elected into Government.
Tewarie said: “I feel good about my constituency but I feel very bad that we are not continuing in Government in the sense that I feel there is so much that we have to offer and so much that we had to go, so much that the country needs done with a philosophical perspective that we brought to the business of Government which was inclusion and equity and development as focused on people.”
“And more than that with a sense that what we are trying to do is really to take the country from what you call the middle income country trap to a place where it could be much more secure in the world system but the population has spoken,” he added.
He said: “This is a democracy. We did the best we could, the Prime Minister was absolutely magnificent as a leader and put everything she had into it, every sinew of her body and the population has chosen and therefore we will abide by that decision and proceed to do the best we can going forward. ”
Tewarie said he was not sure what would have convinced the electorate to sway towards the PNM this time.
“I don’t know that anything went wrong, that anything went right,” he said.
And Tewarie said: “I feel that the population had a choice and they made a choice and they must live with the choice and we must live with the consequences of that choice. We are now in a situation which we must manage our position as the official Opposition of the country to deal with what is the new Government and we will do that as responsibly as we can.” (Express)
