By Sue-Ann Wayow
POLITICAL leader of the Progressive Empowerment Party (PEP) Phillip Edward Alexander entered the United National Congress (UNC) camp on Monday with a team of his supporters.
The UNC held its Monday night cottage meeting at the Macaulay Community Centre in the Pointe-a-Pierre constituency.
About halfway through the meeting, the PEP supporters clad in orange arrived and walked straight into the crowded hall while UNC Senator Wade Mark was speaking garnering much attention from the UNC supporters.
UNC political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar had not yet arrived.
Upon her arrival, she greeted supporters and in her feature presentation, she acknowledged Alexander’s presence along with his team, mentioning his name several times while she spoke.
Alexander listened intently to her speech, applauding and nodding his head in agreement to some parts, especially when she spoke about crime.
Upon leaving the location, Persad-Bissessar took the opportunity to greet and speak with him.
She told the media that she was not expecting to see PEP there at that meeting and when asked if she was happy that Alexander attended she responded: “Of course!”
Alexander’s presence follows his public statements that the PEP was supporting the UNC in the next general elections. But, he later said that he was not going to be a part of any partnership with political leader of the National Transformation Alliance (NTA) Gary Griffith. The NTA had teamed up with the UNC for local government elections.
Speaking at a political meeting in St Joseph on Saturday, Griffith said, “I give you the promise with one thing – I’m not going to sell my soul to get into government, and you’d have seen that. I’ll stand by certain principles. We saw what happened from 2010 to 2015—let’s be honest about it”
During her speech, Persad-Bissessar said her party was gearing up for the general election due next year although the date has not yet been announced.
She mentioned that she will continue to fight for her party and welcomed anyone who wants to be a part of it.
Persad-Bissessar pledged that should the UNC form the next government, her first order of business would be to amend the Children’s Life Fund Act and open the Couva Hospital for children which was its initial purpose under the UNC.
She announced to all UNC members that the closing date for submission of the general election nomination forms would be on April 11, 2024.
Candidates would be selected based on merit and she told supporters, “We have held together for nine years, we only have a few more months to go.”
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Nothing has changed with this party from the Basdeo Panday era his first I could recollect was the split in the Opposition with Raffique Shah in 1971, the NAR colation in 1987, latest was 2010 fall out with the minor parties MSJ then COP now you see in less than yr NTA have serious issues. Let’s wait an see with PEP if they make it to the General Elections in 2025