(Trinidad Express) The United National Congress (UNC) and the Congress of the People (COP) have finally reached an agreement and will join forces to battle the People’s National Movement (PNM) in the May 24 general election.
The political accord was, however, not signed on Friday by leaders Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Winston Dookeran, but they both stressed unity was definite.
After three hours of discussions at the Double Dragon restaurant in Couva, Dookeran and Persad-Bissessar held a joint news conference.
“I am very happy to say that after discussions with our various parties and Mr Dookeran and myself, that we have reached an agreement on the way forward for both our parties,” Persad-Bissessar said.
When pressed with questions as to what accommodation or arrangements were reached with respect to who and how many seats would be contested by each party, Persad-Bissessar said they did not want to “reveal their strategy to the enemy (PNM).”
“What I wish to say is that I give the assurance that we are committed to working together,” she said.
Sources told the Express it was agreed that the UNC will contest its safe seats, with the exception of the St Augustine seat, which was handed to Dookeran on a silver platter if he wishes to contest it.
Dookeran, under the COP, was defeated by UNC’s Vasant Bharath in St Augustine in the 2007 general election.
Sources further told the Express that under the agreement, which is still being finalised, the COP will have the opportunity to fight for some of the marginal seats, such as Tunapuna and San Fernando West.
Persad-Bissessar said both parties will continue their screening processes.
By next week, there will be joint platforms and teams from the both parties will be working on a common manifesto, she said. A united slate of candidates comprising COP, UNC and TOP members will also be presented to the public.
Said Dookeran, “Once we come to a firm understanding as to how we proceed with the campaign itself, we shall move in that direction with a force and a determination and a passion that this country has never seen before, because the moment of history is upon us and we must rise as a people.”
Persad-Bissessar added, “May 24 is exactly the date I wanted for the general election. On January 24 I was elected as the leader of the United National Congress, on February 24 I was inaugurated as the Opposition Leader, and on May 24 we will face the grandmother of all elections.”