Ramesh to launch new political party

TEAM Unity leader and former Attorney General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj yesterday announced he was launching a new political party. Maharaj made the announcement yesterday at the Naparima Bowl before scores of cheering supporters, saying neither of the two leading parties were capable of taking the country forward. “A new party is necessary, if  you don’t have a new party then things will not  succeed, you must have a national party,” Maharaj said. Maharaj expressed that both the PNM and UNC were unable to provide the leadership the country  needed at this critical stage.

As for the UNC, he commented, “it can only be effective and credible if re-invented, reformed and restructured.” He said his one request to UNC was that in building a new party, they must be reformed. He blamed them for their downfall saying, “If the UNC listened to us, they  would have been reformed by now,  people would not support an unreformed UNC.” Maharaj conceded that his current party — Team Unity — was not able to grow as a national party. “What is needed is a new party with a new culture. Politicians from all walks of  life are speaking to me, most polls in the last six months show people want a new party.” There are plans for drafting statements of policy for the new party and Maharaj said more would be revealed in the next six months. Though no name has been given to the new party, Ramesh joked it may just go by that name “New Party.”