UNC determined to form next govt

THE UNITED NAT-IONAL CONGRESS (UNC) “is on a determined path to form the next Government by winning the minds and hearts of the people of the country with the delivery of quality service.” So said Dr Suruj Rambachan, the recently elected Mayor of Chaguanas as he addressed a house meeting at Munroe Road Junction, Cunupia, last Wednesday night. He told the gathering, “From today, we begin the fight back — first, with ourselves and then to the country at large to take over the reins of Government which we once had to ensure that there is equality and justice in the country.” Rambachan said that he accepted the position to be Mayor of Chaguanas with “my eyes wide open only to realise one week after that four consultancy contracts that I had, were terminated.”

He said he would still continue with his radio talk show so that he could help influence the public as far as it was possible, giving the opp-ortunity to callers to express their views on issues that were bothering them. He was against any Government that “sho-wed little regard for the economic security of a large percentage of the people of the country as the PNM did with the 9,000 employees of Caroni (1975) Limited.” The Mayor added, “Just look at the daily newspapers and see the number of houses up for sale and you will understand what I mean by people who are no longer employed.” He called on the people of Chaguanas to co-operate with the police and to be their partners in solving crime as the law enforcement officers of the Central Division were “among the best in the land.” “In order to win the next election, you must also carry new ideas with you in the struggle and aim precisely at winning the heart and mind of the electorate as well as educate yourself for the challenges ahead,” Dr Rambachan said. “We will be pushing strongly to unite the nation as this was one of the main pillars of the UNC, for we understand fully that you cannot move a country forward if 50 percent of the population feels a sense of alienation and marginalisation from the mainstream of things,” the Mayor said. Ganga Singh, MP for Caroni East, said that the UNC was against the establishment of the CCJ as “we, the members of the UNC, do not mix emotion with reality.” He said the UNC could not support a move which would operate against minority groups across the region.