Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has formally kicked off the United National Congress (UNC)’s campaign for re-election by calling on party members to submit nominations for candidates.
This process begins tomorrow at Rienzi Complex, Couva, where prospective candidates can collect their forms and offer themselves for screening.
At present the UNC holds 18 seats in Parliament and speculation is rife as to who will return to face the 2015 poll and who will be axed.
Some key names are being bandied about as potential candidates, including Daren Ganga for San Fernando West, Kevin Ramnarine for Cumuto/Manzanilla, and even former UNC minister Reeza Mohammed for Princes Town.
While the candidates remain a mystery, UNC chairman Khadijah Ameen gave the assurance that the process by which they would be selected would be an organised one and the party was ready to begin the screening process.
Ameen, speaking with the Sunday Guardian, said the nomination forms were available to party members and no one would be excluded from the process.
“Persons who are interested in filing nominations can collect the forms and have them filled out. The closing of nominations will be announced subsequently. Of course, nominations should come in before the closing date in order to be accepted. Part of the requirement of the nomination form is that they must be nominated by persons who are members and who are in good financial standing from within the constituency of which the nominee wishes to contest,” Ameen said.
She said any sitting MP was free to file nominations, including axed ministers Chandresh Sharma and Dr Glenn Ramdharsingh.
However, Ameen reminded, “It is for the screening committee to decide on whether they will be the candidate or not.”
She said forms would be available from 8 am and at the close of nominations the UNC secretariat would ensure that all of the nominations received were arranged by constituency and the screening process would begin. This, she said, would of course require the nominee to come for an interview and “a number of factors will be taken into consideration.”
The party chairman said nominations were open for all 41 constituencies.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, she said, would head the screening committee, which would comprise a youth representative and a women’s representative “because our party has made it a policy approach, a practice to ensure that our slates are balanced in terms of gender and age, in addition to other factors.”
What is the party looking for in a candidate?
Asked exactly what the party was looking for in a candidate, Ameen said, “There are a number of categories that the candidates can fall into. There are very organic candidates who can be very rooted in the constituency. There are candidates who can have a national profile and a community person, someone who is very rooted in the community and may or may not have a national profile. But certainly one of the things that would be expected is the ability to perform within a government.”
Mindful of the partnership
She said as the party embarked on its election preparations, it had to be mindful of its partnership and the sharing of seats.
Ameen said in the case of seats allocated to another party within the partnership, the selected nominee to contest that seat would be expected to continue to work with the party.
She could not say, at this point, how the seats would be shared among the partners.
“I think it would be premature at this time to make any speculation. The fact is that the members of the partnership have worked together in government and I am sure that those are things that the parties will consider when coming to the table. There are other issues with regards to the shape of the government and so on that we want to take into consideration, in addition to, of course, the most critical part which is the representation of the people within the constituency,” she added.
As for her own aspirations to contest a seat, Ameen said, “I am focused on the party right now and the process rather than individual candidates [or] myself. We have to ensure that our focus is beyond 2015 and the Prime Minister has a second term to continue certain key projects towards the development of T&T.”
UNC MPs
The race is on for nominations in the UNC and while some sitting MPs are yet to decide if they are willing to face the electorate again, others have already indicated that they have no intention to call it a day in politics.
Ramona Ramdial
Couva North MP Ramona Ramdial has expressed a desire to offer herself for re-election. She said she had solid support in her constituency.
Ramdial, via WhatsApp, said she would be filing her nomination papers tomorrow (Monday).
She also added that she would not be going alone to file her papers.
“I will be carrying a posse, tassa, fanfare, the works,” Ramdial said.
Stephen Cadiz
For Chaguanas East MP Stephen Cadiz, contesting his seat is a decision he would take if asked to return.
“When the screening of the UNC begins and it is felt that I am deserving of going back up I will offer myself. If there is another plan, well, I have absolutely no problem with that. I think that we have done well,” he said.
Cadiz, who received poor marks from his constituents, admitted that there were always complaints and “you can never, never satisfy all communities. There is always going to be an issue.”
He said like everywhere else there were issues of resources and “obviously we do not get every single thing that we want so there is a resource issue.”
In fact he said, “You have to fight, even though I am a member of the PP (People’s Partnership), you still have to go and lobby and fight for your constituents. But all in all I think Chaguanas East, at the end of the day, is a better place than when we met it in 2010.”
Roodal Moonilal
Dr Roodal Moonilal, leader of government business and UNC deputy political leader, confirmed his decision to seek re-election.
Moonilal, via text message to the Sunday Guardian, said, “It is my intention to file nomination papers for the constituency of Oropouche East and seek the nomination of our screening committee to offer myself for a mandate from the people to be returned as their member of parliament for a fifth consecutive term.”
Tim Gopeesingh
Caroni East MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh said he would definitely be seeking re-election.
Chandresh Sharma
Fyzabad MP Chandresh Sharma reminded the Sunday Guardian that he was the longest serving member having been elected in 1991 and six times subsequently thereafter.
This, he said, was “simply because the constituents are very supportive and I have been working and I will make myself available.”
He said over the years some 50 nominees would have applied for the seat and he welcomed more nominees to apply as “it is very healthy and encouraging when more persons apply and hopefully the best person is elected.”
Sharma, who is also the UNC’s party organiser, echoed the call of the Prime Minister for party members to offer themselves for selection.