-Carberry
The PNCR says it does not believe its individual campaigning efforts undermine its commitment to align itself with the Joint Opposition Political Parties and civil society groups to contest the 2011 general elections.
At the party’s weekly news briefing yesterday, Chief Whip Lance Carberry was asked if public expressions that the party could win without collating presented mixed messages as it seeks the alliance, an idea he rejected. “I would be surprised and I’d be very disappointed if any member of the PNC feels that the PNC can’t win an election. But the fact is the party as a party has committed itself to joining an alliance with people who subscribe to certain principles in order to contest the 2011 elections and those discussions are ongoing.”
PNCR parliamentarian Clarissa Reihl, who was also present at yesterday’s briefing, drew reference to the Trinidad and Tobago scenario where the then opposition UNC collated with a smaller opposition party and civil society groups to form a winning coalition at the general elections in May.
“The UNC they said it could have won an election on its own and I’m sure when they went about campaigning they indicated to people that ‘we have strength and we can win.’ It’s the thing that parties do,” she said. According to Reihl, she does not believe that saying the PNCR can win on its own would do them any “damage.”
Meanwhile, Carberry added that the alliance’s presidential candidate would have to be agreed to by consensus among the signatories to the Statement of Principles which would guide the grouping. “There is no guarantee who will be the presidential candidate. The presidential candidate will obviously have to be accepted as a consensus candidate by the alliance and in that case the alliance will then have to support that consensus candidate,” he said.
Addressing the issue of voter turnout, he added that it was the responsibility of parties like the PNCR to motivate their supporters to go to the polls. “Political parties cannot be complacent, they cannot take the voters for granted, political parties have got to go out and appeal to the voters to com out,” he stated.
He added that the majority of the registrants for the 2011 general elections are people below the ages of 35, many of whom have not voted before and may not have an understanding of the electoral system. It is up to the parties, Carberry said, to put in the time to ensure that they are properly educated and motivated to vote.
As to how the party intends to win the youths to its cause, Carberry said they would have to find a way to make them believe that they could have a brighter future with the opposition in power. According to him, many youths feel a sense of hopelessness and are just waiting to migrate and he added that the policies to better their lives would have to be put in place, even as he acknowledged that there was only one way the opposition could do so.
“Obviously if the party is out of office, the party can’t do the things that we feel should be done and therefore we have to appeal to them and motivate them to put the party in office so the party can do those things which are necessary for their wellbeing,” he stated.
According to Carberry, the party has already started reaching out to young people and is encouraging them.