Panday-Ramesh cannot beat PNM twice

This was the view expressed yesterday by North American Caribbean Teachers Association (NACTA) pollster Vishnu Bisram. He also said evidence on the ground suggests there is no one outside of St Augustine MP Winston Dookeran in the UNC who can lead the party to victory at the polls.

Speaking with Newsday yesterday, Bisram said information which NACTA continues to gather on the ground shows the majority of UNC supporters saying Panday must depart the political scene in order to give the party a fighting chance in the next general elections which are constitutionally due in Trinidad and Tobago in 2007. According to Bisram, UNC supporters are saying that "if Panday departs, it will be the first time that TT won’t have a charismatic leader on the political scene," but this will be good for the nation as it could usher in a new brand of enlightened politics which is unknown to TT.

Identifying political future and physical security as the main concerns of UNC supporters, Bisram said the majority of these individuals view a Panday-Maharaj leadership team as the only team capable of addressing the nation’s crime problems and returning the UNC to government.

However, Bisram said this yearning was counterbalanced by an equally strong belief within the electorate that this combination will not be able to defeat the PNM again because "the party’s image has been sullied by corruption allegations."

"My analysis of the politics don’t show a victory. This can only come about if there are effective steps to reform and transform the party, giving it a clean image with new faces. The PNM is a formidable force and right now it is invincible. No party can beat it," he stated.

While Dookeran is regarded as the "Mr Nice Guy" of TT politics, Bisram said Dookeran does not have strong leadership credential. "People are looking for a strong leader, a fighter and don’t see anyone within the ranks of the UNC," he said. "They see Kamla Persad-Bissessar as strong but having a lot of baggage.

They see Kelvin Ramnath as strong but unelectable. They like Anand Ramlogan and Dr Roodal Moonilal, but see them as green and politically inexperienced to take on leadership. They would prefer Ramesh because of his strong leadership credentials saying he had proven himself both in opposition and government," Bisram stated.

On the current turmoil in the UNC, Bisram said this could provide the cleansing which the party needs but the possibility of this "latest political storm" being created by Panday so that the membership will ask him to remain as leader cannot be ruled out. "I personally feel Panday is politically tired and is sincere about leaving, but he is being manipulated by selfish individuals concerned about their own welfare.

There are people who prefer to be front benchers in an opposition than back benchers in government.

That is the problem the UNC is facing. If there is political change, a lot of the MPs will not get tickets to contest a seat and many of them don’t want to give up their safe seats," he added.

This and other information will be released in a subsequent NACTA survey.