UNC Executive not innocent

This reminded me so much of the National Executive of the UNC, portraying themselves as being totally innocent, while painting Winston Dookeran as the one destroying unity in the party. Since in this scenario, we do not have the benefit of “instant replays”, let me remind the members of the Executive of the following:

1) At the meeting held at Rienzi Complex, the Political Leader, Winston Dookeran was humiliated by the Deputy Chairman who told him that he was not allowed to address the meeting and would not be allowed on the platform.

2) At the Mid-Centre Mall meeting, Winston Dookeran was booed by a small group in the audience who clearly came with that intention. Subsequently, no one on the Executive condemned the actions of the misguided few. Instead, Mr Panday chose to publicly ridicule Mr Dookeran calling his speech “intellectual masturbation.”

3) At National Executive meetings, Mr Dookeran is abused and humiliated and made to understand that he, the Political Leader, has to take instructions from the Executive even though the party’s constitution clearly states otherwise.

4) All members of the National Executive that are loyal to Mr Dookeran have been dismissed for frivolous reasons. It is important to note that, during the last two terms of office when Wade Mark and Kama Maharaj were Chairmen, no member of the National Executive had been dismissed. 5) All Senators loyal to Mr Dookeran have been dismissed from the Senate.

6) The Political Leader was not asked to chair the screening committee, as it is customary, but was made one of a panel as a token gesture. The clear threat was that anyone he recommends would be history.

7) When Mr Panday was forced to resign as Leader of the Opposition, this was a golden opportunity to appoint the Political Leader as Leader of the Opposition, and unite the Party. Instead, instructions were sent from prison, for MP to support Kamla. Nowhere in the world and at no time in history has a situation like this ever existed, where the Political Leader of a party is not made the Leader of the Opposition.

8) As Opposition Leader, Kamla Persad-Bissessar appoints and removes senators without consulting or even advising the Political Leader. Mr Dookeran invariably is left to find out what has transpired through the media.

The Deputy Political Leader, Jack Warner has publicly told the Political Leader to take his “jhagi” bundle and go.

10) Kelvin Ramnath has publicly told the leader to “get to hell out of the party.”

11) Members of the Executive appear on and host talk shows and use these forums to publicly denigrate the Political Lader.

12) The National Executive has moved a motion of no confidence in the Political Leader. This is possibly the first time this has ever been done anywhere or in any time in history. The list goes on and on. It is clear that certain members of the Executive wanted a puppet Leader, whose strings they could pull. The moment they recognised that they had mistaken Dookeran’s quietness and soft-spokeness as weakness, they orchestrated a plot to frustrate him to resign. Mr Dookeran has however borne their insults with courage and dignity, steadfastly trying to hold the Party together.

However, it ought to be crystal clear that with the baggage which the Party is saddled with, the UNC has absolutely no chance of winning the next elections, especially since Mr Panday will clearly be assuming a front position.

Mr Dookeran therefore has no option but to move on and form a truly national party, which I have no doubt will attract far more support than the UNC can ever command.

ROBIN SINGH

Palmiste