AZP News Commentary
DR Rai Ragbir’s actions over the past year reveal a clear pattern of betrayal against the United National Congress (UNC), its Political Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, and the entire opposition caucus in Parliament.
His refusal to participate in the party’s screening process is nothing more than a desperate attempt to rewrite history and deflect from his own disloyalty.
His public attacks on the UNC leadership, after benefiting from the party’s platform and support, expose him as a bitter politician with a personal vendetta, not a man of principle.
Dr Ragbir’s betrayal was laid bare in June 2024, when he broke ranks with the opposition and voted with the PNM government on the Whistleblower Protection Bill.
This was not a simple act of independence, it was a calculated move against the UNC, undermining the collective stance of the opposition caucus in Parliament. His justification, citing alleged corruption at the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation, was a weak smokescreen that conveniently lacked any substantive evidence.
Rather than raising concerns within the party structure, he took his grievances to Parliament in a manner that publicly embarrassed the UNC, playing straight into the hands of the PNM government he was elected to oppose.
His actions did not go unnoticed. His decision to side with the PNM was widely condemned by party members, yet instead of acknowledging his misstep, Dr Ragbir doubled down.
He later aligned himself with a failed faction within the UNC that sought to challenge Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s leadership.
This proved that his loyalties were never with the party, but with his own ambitions. His bitterness only deepened after this faction’s overwhelming rejection in internal elections, which makes his current attacks on the UNC nothing more than the sour grapes of a politician who overestimated his influence.
Now, instead of facing the screening committee like every other prospective candidate, Dr Ragbir is throwing a public tantrum, painting himself as a martyr while taking cheap shots at the very party that gave him a political career.
His claims that the UNC has become a “personality cult” are laughable coming from someone who willingly accepted the party’s support when it suited him. His decision to walk away from the screening process is not about principle. It’s about his ego.
Neil Gosine is an insurance executive, sometimes a temporary Opposition Senator, an ex-treasurer of the UNC and a former chairman of the National Petroleum Marketing Company of Trinidad and Tobago (NP). He holds a Doctorate in Business Administration, a Master’s in Business Administration MBA, BSC in Mathematics and a BA in Administrative Studies. The views and comments expressed in this column are not necessarily those of AZP News, a Division of Complete Image Limited
The proverbial “Scorned Woman” who is rejected and her responses are filled with bitterness. This rejected Cumuto MP displays all the characteristics of a scorned woman. He has been sent to his political grave where all failed politicians will join the NTA and possibly the Patriotic front