Moonilal, Tewarie: Opposition gives itself a B plus

Moonilal told Newsday, “The first year for any Opposition leaving Government is challenging. There is a mood of disappointment and the need for policy and personnel cohesion.” Moonilal admitted that while the Opposition is not yet, “firing on all cylinders, we are getting there.” Moonilal said dissatisfaction about the PNM’s performance after a year in office meant, “we have been able to highlight their incompetence and corruption.” He gave the PNM a grade F.

Tewarie said, “The current Opposition, when we were in Government was a high performance government committed to development of the entire country.” He said evidence of this can be seen in the schools built, roads constructed, hospitals completed, health centres built and refurbished sports facilities. To prepare itself to return to government, Tewarie said the Opposition needs to make changes in its front-line personnel, deepen its reach to party members in re-engaging and to win back jaded support and broadening its appeal.

He said citizens must have a renewed faith that as a government, the Opposition, “will listen better, respond more meaningfully, account faithfully and honour the openness and transparency that is their hope and aspiration.

Tewarie said the Opposition is getting there but it takes time. “I have no doubt that we will get there...and I have no doubt that as a nation, we will find a way to save ourselves, so that subsequent generations can have a viable future,” he said.