Undeterred by UNC upheavals

UNC political leader Winston Dookeran said he has “dug in” for the long haul to change the politics of Trinidad and Tobago and is undeterred by problems in his party. Dookeran bared his political heart for all to see as he addressed the Port-of-Spain Central Rotary Club yesterday at a luncheon at Cascadia Hotel.

“The state of our politics is at an all time low,” he sombrely declared, recalling the political woes of Haiti, Guyana and Argentina.

To save this country from political failure, he said, he is committed to forming a new government which would free the country and its politics from all forms of criminality.

In addition, he wants the elimination of discrimination and poverty and to help “restore public trust in the leadership of our nation where the principles of ethics and hard work will always remain supreme.”

To realise these goals, he said, he would not just be a spokesman or presume to prescribe for the nation.

“Rather I was and am still prepared to dig my hands and heels in the trenches and deep waters of our politics, for that is where the problem is.” He acknowledged the difficulty of breaking from the comfort of an old political order where power served people’s own personal gain.”

Instead, since he was elected UNC leader six months ago, he has been working to transform the party.

“The fact that I have been challenged in that task is not to be unexpected and although it may sometimes be frustrating, it will not deter me in my own determination.”

Rather, he will continue to work for the political and economic future that this county so badly demands.

“It is a traumatic time of transition and uncertainty but it is a time in which dedicated citizens of this country must not surrender and give way to the political forces that have kept us in this state of division, despair and sometimes desperation.”

He recalled the heckling that had met his speech at a Mid Centre Mall rally where he had called for all citizens to come together to build a united and strong nation. Rejecting the politics of race, in favour of true economic, political and social development, he concluded, “I urge you all to join in that journey.”