Mixed response to UNC Independents

BARATARIA/San Juan MP Dr Fuad Khan says he has been getting mixed responses from constituents to his decision to become an Independent. “Some are for... some are not for,” said Khan, who last week broke ranks with the Opposition party and, along with UNC MP Gillian Lucky, announced plans to operate as an Independent in the House of Representatives. Khan and Lucky admitted that they did not consult their supporters before making their decision to split with the party’s Whip. However, Lucky said the issue should not be about whether or not they got the blessings of their supporters.

Rather, she said, the focus should be on integrity. The two MPs spoke to Sunday Newsday during the tea break at Friday’s sitting of the Lower House. When the sitting adjourned for tea, St Augustine MP Winston Dookeran was seen speaking to both MPs for about ten minutes. Sources say third parties are attempting to mediate between the renegades and the UNC. Khan said that he has no problem with rejoining the party’s collective once he is assured that “the initial philosophy of the party, which is integrity and rule of law” reigns within the party’s structure.

Khan dismissed claims that he split from the party’s Whip because he was upset about possibly being replaced as the candidate for the Barataria/San Juan seat in the next election. He revealed that he was not even considering another term as MP. “I had already made a decision to leave.” He said he made the decision to become an Independent because “when Gillian took her stand” he could not let her do it alone.