‘We are still talking,’ says Mark

THE Opposition United National Congress (UNC) has confirmed that discussions are taking place between the party and the NAR to contest the July 14 Local Government Elections. However it has not been determined which or how many seats each party will contest. That decision is expected to be finalised by the end of the week. But even as both parties move forward on their discussions, the Tobago arm of the NAR said it is yet to be “fully brought into the picture”. But it warns of the UNC’s “prejudicial” behaviour toward the NAR when it was put in government in 1995 as a result of the two Tobago seats. UNC Chairman Wade Mark yesterday confirmed to Newsday that there have been discussions with the NAR. He described the discussions as being “a very hopeful development”. He said a final decision should be made in a couple of days and if positive by the end of the week “you will hear something”. About reports that the UNC will contest 104 seats and the NAR 22 of the 126 seats to be contested in 14 municipal corporations, Mark said that too will be finalised at the end of the week. However the Tobago NAR in a release from its Chairman Christo Gift, said while it was told by the NAR’s National Executive of efforts to “forge an agreement” between parties in opposition to the PNM, it was yet to be fully brought into the picture.

Gift said he trust that his intimations to the political leader Lennox Sankersingh, on the matter of a UNC/NAR accommodation would not be disregarded or trivialised. He reminded his party of the 1995 accommodation with the UNC, which led to the UNC getting into government. Gift said then it was the universal expectation that “theirs would be a governance on behalf of all the peoples” of Trinidad and Tobago. He said experience had demonstrated that it was “otherwise” and indeed governance by the UNC was “decidedly prejudicial to the NAR in both Tobago and Trinidad”. He warned that the public disclosures of indictment against the UNC’s conduct should not be avoided or overlooked and to that end, the NAR’s philosophy and history in governance should not be compromised in seeking short sighted goals. Meantime Wednesday is the deadline for persons to get their names on the revised list of electors for the Elections. The advice from the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) reminds members of the public that they must be registered to be able to vote. The EBC has set up a hotline to accommodate persons seeking to clarify their registration status. The hotlines are operational during the week from 8 am to 6 pm and on weekends from 9 am to 6 pm.