Leader of the Independent Party, Mark Benschop has defined his political strategy as building a new grassroots movement across the country which will charge into the next general elections either with a combined opposition and or as a single party keen on securing parliamentary seats.
Benschop said he is interested in coalition politics and plans to merge with the opposition parties, but he is still to be approached. Talks have commenced without him, Benschop said, noting that no opposition party should be excluded from what could be “a major turning point” in the country at the next general elections. He believes there is still time for every stakeholder in the opposition to sit down and map out an effective plan of action.
Benschop’s Independent Party was formed a few months ago with the intention of contesting the local government elections, but he told Stabroek News in a recent interview that the focus has changed somewhat. He has no desire of run for President and stated frankly that party members are also against such a move. However, he is ready to take over City Hall. His party has been registered to contest the municipal elections and according to him, it has representatives from all 15 constituencies.
The government and opposition parties are still working on legislative reforms that are to be put in place prior to the holding of the municipal polls, but Benschop feels he has something to do with the delay saying that word has been out for some time now about the potential reach of the Independent Party in the capital city. “We are on the move and they are aware, and I know they are afraid of a Benschop-led City Council,” he stated.
To date the Independent Party has some 3,000 registered members, Benschop said and it continues to reach out to people. “I don’t just want to trumpet here that we have a large membership, it’s a matter-of-fact that we do and we cut across all ethnic groups,” he said, noting that many people, particularly young women have been volunteering across the city, and in other places as well. He said people want a change in the city and that they have been calling for a new mayor for years, adding he was strongly encouraged to run.
But his ambition to provide leadership in Georgetown is currently on hold because the party has shifted focus to the general elections. He said the party is seeking to be part of a system at the national level where change is happening. “Are we ready to contest the elections on our own? Not yet, but we are prepared to be part of the next administration in an opposition coalition,” he stated. Still, he declared that the party is not willing to work along with people who appear to have only self-interest, adding it will also have to consider joining forces with those who have political baggage. Coalition is the only way forward, Benschop posited, and he stressed that the opposition coalition is craving a presidential candidate who has a clean slate and no hidden political agenda.
The Independent Party is a force to be reckoned with Benschop stressed and he charged that it could be the deciding factor come next general elections. He reiterated that no one has engaged the party in coalition talks as yet and called this a mistake, adding that his support base his growing outside of the actual membership.
Benschop said his party has been reaching out to people across the country for years through the Benschop Foundation. “I thought if we could do that with pennies, imagine what we can do if we are in power and have access to resources to really help people in this country. I decided to get into politics and it is because people asked me to,” he stated. He repeated that he was approached many times to take up politics.
Benschop declared that government’s increased focus on single parents and youth in the country was a page from his book. He said the record would show when his foundation started its work and who has been benefiting. According to him, the party is pulling in the support of the grassroots people in the country; support he said the two major parties are losing. He dismissed the Alliance for Change (AFC) as an “elitist party”.
Local government elections
In a Benschop-led City Council, he said citizens can expect transparency and a more democratic style of governance. He said people will have a greater say in how the city is run, adding that the residents in Georgetown deserve better. “We have to be accountable to the people,” he noted.
Benschop said scores of persons are registered with the party from Agricola to Cummings Lodge and more are likely to join. The Independent Party has persons in the background and others working directly in the forefront, he said, disclosing that the Acting General Secretary of the party, Ronald Backer has defected from the People’s National Congress (PNC). The party’s Public Relations Officer has been identified as Sheena Fernandes and Benschop said that another woman who prefers to be called simply “Denise” is the party’s Communication Specialist. He would only release those names.
People who support the Independent Party for the municipal elections have a genuine interest in seeing a new breed of leadership in the city, Benschop said, noting that for years too many wrongs have been perpetrated on the residents of Georgetown. He observed that most streets are without adequate lighting while playground facilities are lacking in numerous communities.
City Council officials have mismanaged the funds over the years, Benschop said, noting that the city and its residents have been made to suffer as a result. He also addressed the current leadership at City Hall saying it is time for them to leave office. “Mr Hamilton Green has been there way too long, he seems outdated in his views and I mean him no disrespect to him, but his time is up. We can give him a stipend at the end of the month if he so wishes to be an advisor for us, but it is time for all of these guys to go. Robert Williams, all of them need to pack up and go,” he stated.
Benschop opined that people who have been in politics for decades now are “part and parcel” of the problems in the country. He said those who feel they have a “God-given” right to rule the country and are not stepping off the scene also ought to be blamed and charged that he will be a no-nonsense mayor. He said the city needs restoring. “We have a lot of plans for this city, so many things are wrong.”
He noted that the Mandela dumpsite is first on the agenda for a complete shutdown. The dumpsite simply “has to go”, he noted and said too that it has been extremely hazardous to the residents in the community. He said also that Regent Street and Kitty market are also on the agenda for a fresh set of ideas to be executed. He hopes to have a good working relationship with central government.
Benschop opines that an upset is looming at the municipal elections and he insists that the big political players in the country have a sense of this. He charged that the government and the main opposition party are equally afraid of going to the polls with his party in contention. “People in Georgetown support me. I know this and they know also it,” he added.
To his critics who say he is controversial and a disruptive element in the society, Benschop said it depends on what people deem controversial, stressing that his fight is focused on defending the rights of citizens. “I see it as a badge of honour to fight against an unjust system,” he added. He quoted from the bible, Ephesians 6:12, thus: “We fight against not flesh and blood but against principalities and wicked forces in dark places.”
