Free and fair elections for UNC

Barataria/San Juan MP Dr Fuad Khan has said he hopes that there would be an election for the position of leader and all the executive positions in the UNC in the near future. He stressed that once there were free and fair elections within the party, the UNC membership would determine the direction of the party and the hierarchy of the party. Khan was commenting Wednesday on statements made by St Joseph MP Gerald Yetming that the UNC had to look for a new leader. “I know that my leader deals in free and fair elections and he would allow free and fair elections for the positions of political leader and the executive positions and (that he would) have them determined by the membership,” Khan stated. Dealing with the UNC’s policy of non-cooperation, Khan said it was a sad thing that the businessmen were now calling for more legislation and saying that they were fed up with talk. “When we told them that ‘performance beats ole talk’ they didn’t listen,” he said.

Khan said it was also unfortunate that the “powers that be” did not change the Westminster system which determined the route of the Opposition. Yetming also stated that the party was haunted by corruption allegations. Khan agreed with Yetming that there was a perception of corruption hanging over the UNC. “And in politics, perception is reality,” he said, adding that the PNM spin doctors had talked so much about corruption that the “stain” has stayed with the party. But, he added, “Once corruption is proven, good men and women would determine the future course and action. One cannot make decisions based on allegations,” Khan said. But he stressed once there were free and fair elections within the UNC, one would have to abide by the decision of the rank and file. St Augustine MP Winston Dookeran said he did not like talking about what any of his colleagues said in the press. Saying that he had not yet read the newspapers, Dookeran stressed: “I don’t want to carry out a dialogue in the press.”