By Prior Beharry
INCUMBENT Mayaro MP Rushton Paray is confident he will receive the nomination again for the constituency he has served for the past 10 years.
He was one of the five so-called dissidents on the United Patriots slate who challenged United National Congress (UNC) political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s Star team in the internal elections held last June and lost.
The Star team swept the polls, leaving Paray, Chaguanas West MP Dinesh Rambally, Naparima MP Rodney Charles, Tabaquite MP Anita Haynes, and Cumuto/Manzanilla MP Dr Rai Ragbir to deal with defeat and ostracism within the party.
The UNC, while starting its screening process, has not completed it. Last Friday, candidates for the Chaguanas West and Naparima seats were screened. Rambally offered himself again, but Charles has opted out of electoral politics. No candidates have been named as yet.
Confident Paray
Contacted for comment on Monday about whether he was confident of once again getting the nomination, Paray said, “I am confident that I am the best candidate based on my track record in Mayaro. I have tremendous support from our activists, our UNC supporters, and even the PNM voters. As long as the focus of the service delivery is for the people of Mayaro, then all should be well.”
The internal election challenge
While Paray did not directly challenge Persad-Bissessar in the internals, since the post for leadership was not up for grabs, he and his team had called for national executive elections that were constitutionally due last year.
Asked if he felt this would affect his chances, he replied, “I and a team of 16 UNC members offered the wider membership what we felt was a better way forward. Unfortunately, we were not successful. We accepted the results, and we moved on.”
Independent candidate?
Would he run as an independent candidate if he was not given the nod by the UNC? Paray said, “At this time, my focus is on continuing the wonderful work that my team in the Mayaro constituency has done over the past 10 years – under the banner of the United National Congress.
“It would be unfortunate if I am not returned as the candidate since I do believe that I have a contribution to national development still to make. There are several options available to me, including non-political options. That’s a decision that I will make with my family and close advisors when that time comes.”
Speculation about Kevin Ramnarine for Mayaro
Regarding speculation within UNC circles that former energy minister Kevin Ramnarine will be the UNC’s choice to contest Mayaro, Paray said he has spoken to Ramnarine on two occasions, who said he has no desire to enter representational politics at this time.
Paray said, “Kevin is a decent man, and I will not question his honesty on this matter. That being said, I am prepared to support any candidate whom I believe is a winning horse in the race to government in 2025.”
When contacted, Ramnarine indicated that he had been a member of the UNC for the last 30 years and would be happy to help the party in 2025, especially considering that the energy sector would feature as a major campaign issue.
