PARAY WANTS TO BE UNC CANDIDATE IN 2025

CCNTV6

The Opposition MP for Mayaro tells TV6 News that he is confident he can win that constituency again in the upcoming General Election.  So what does he think are his chances of doing so, given that his slate lost in the UNC's internal elections this year?  He spoke with Juhel Browne on the matter.

Transcript

00:00I am satisfied that the work that I would have done over the last nine and a half years

00:04makes me the ideal candidate to return.

00:07I've done the work as a sitting member of parliament, as an opposition MP.

00:11Maro MP Roshan Paré speaking with TV6 News while he attended day one of AmCham TNT's

00:17HSSE conference at the Hyatt Regency on Tuesday.

00:21Just one day earlier, outgoing Naperima MP Rodney Charles issued a statement calling

00:26for transparency in the UNC's process for the selection of candidates for the general

00:31election due next year, 2025.

00:34Opposition leader Kamala Bissetta said the UNC is the only political party that has held

00:39transparent democratic internal elections when due, and also the only party that has

00:44a properly elected and functioning national executive.

00:48There's a screening exercise, I've done it twice, to comment on whether it's any single

00:55person's decision of who sits in a seat.

00:58I will go with what I understand to be the process.

01:01There is a committee.

01:04I would have submitted my application for a renewal since December last year.

01:10I suspect that I should be treated like everybody else.

01:14MP Paré led a slate in the UNC's internal elections earlier this year, which lost to

01:19the slate endorsed by the opposition leader.

01:22I remain committed to the United National Congress.

01:24I still believe that the UNC is the best vehicle to governance.

01:27There are leadership issues that I think if we don't address going into 2025 and preparing

01:33for a general election, it's going to make it more difficult.

01:36Waiting for the PNM to collapse is not going to help us.

01:40Winning election is one thing, governing is another issue.

01:43Do you think that should happen under the leadership of Mrs. Bissetta, the present leader

01:48of the UNC and present opposition leader?

01:50Well, she is the leader.

01:51She is the de facto leader until the party decides otherwise.

01:56She is the leader of the party.

01:57She is the leader of the opposition.

01:59However, there is a team that must advise appropriately.

02:03I do not believe that she's been advised appropriately.

02:07That was the nature of the constitutional election.

02:11The framers of our party's constitution gives you a two-year window as a leadership team.

02:17And if the membership of the party feels that you're not doing the right thing, there is

02:21a window for an election, which is what we did in June of this year.

02:25The opposition leader said on Monday that the UNC's screening process is ongoing.

02:30So what if Mr. Parry is not selected by the UNC's screening committee?

02:35What would you do if you still want to seek to contest the constituency as a candidate

02:41for the next general election?

02:43Well, what I can tell you now is that there are several ways of serving outside of the

02:46parliament, right?

02:48I served my community as a businessman prior to 2015.

02:53I have an option to go back there.

02:56Whether my worth is seen by the UNC at that point in time, I can tell you during the campaign,

03:03I had the position that the United National Congress umbrella must be open to everybody.

03:10And there must be conversations by everyone because to fight the PNM, you need a solid,

03:16you know, united team.

03:18Mr. Parry also hinted at another option if he is not selected to be a UNC candidate in 2025.

03:26I do believe if my vote is there, somebody else might see it.

03:30But I remain hopeful that the United National Congress values the work that I have done.

03:35They will go into the constituency, they're going to ask about it, and they'll do some

03:39assessment and they will make a decision on that.

03:41So just like everybody else, I don't have a crystal ball, but I can tell you my work

03:45in national development is not done and it's not finished by any, any, anywhere close.

03:52Mr. Parry said he and the other opposition MPs who were on his slate in the UNC internal

03:57elections will be attending the next sitting of the House of Representatives on Friday.

04:03Jule Brown, TV6 News.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended