(Trinidad Guardian) Longtime UNC stalwart and commentator Robin Montano has been critical of the United National Congress’ (UNC’s) leader staying on the job and the UNC’s Rabindra Moonan has also frowned on any vote of confidence being given to a “serial loser.”
Theirs are the latest in continuing comments on the UNC’s leadership issue following the party’s defeat by the People’s National Movement (PNM) in last Monday’s general election.
While party leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who won her seat, is standing firm with support from some Members of Parliament (MPs), recently personalities within and without the party, including analysts believe she should step down.
Commenting on the election outcome, attorney Montano said in his blog, “We have the rather glaring absence of leadership in the UNC. That party’s political leader has been missing in action with others filling in for her. Oh! We have had some press releases in her name, but she has not appeared in public since last Monday night. Now, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the only test for leadership is to lead, and to lead vigorously.”
“At a time when the followers and supporters of the UNC are understandably upset over the way things have turned out, she has been silent preferring to issue press releases and effectively to hide behind her officials and supporters.”
“Mrs Persad-Bissessar’s very hesitancy to appear in public has led to calls from various elements within her own party to step aside. Essentially, these calls can be summed up as follows: lead, follow, or get out of the way. She has so far failed to lead and she certainly isn’t following anyone. So that means that she should, for both her party’s and her country’s sake, get out of the way.”
Moonan was a former UNC senator, former Caribbean Airlines (CAL) chairman and former HDC chairman under the PP Government. He also posted comments on the leadership issues.
Moonan stated, “I read with great interest an article written by Dr Hamid Ghany entitled ‘Leadership and elections’. In a rather painstaking commentary Dr Ghany concluded that the evidence in T&T has shown that it is not the norm for leaders of parties to resign their leadership positions unless they have lost their seats in the House of Representatives.”
“It is this conclusion which Kamla Persad-Bissessar took from the article and which she gleefully posted on her Face book page, oblivious to what Dr Ghany had not written. Dr Ghany explained that Basdeo Panday served as leader of the Opposition on six occasions but did not say when he lost as Prime Minister, he was challenged by the very Kamla Persad-Bissessar who is on record of exposing his losses and virtually calling for his removal.”
“Dr Ghany, to his credit, did not mention the two consecutive losses of Kamla Persad-Bissessar when she moved the party from 431,000 votes and 28 seats to a humiliating 330,000 votes and a measly 18 seats. He did not have the time to mention her last vote count of 309,000 votes; a continuing downward slide. Dr Ghany mercifully did not expose the other multitude of losses Mrs Bissessar suffered after becoming Prime Minister in 2010, her closest to victory being a draw in the last Local Government Elections. It has to be a morbid sense of humor which will cause certain members of the UNC to give a vote of confidence to a serial loser.”
