Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley was made a victim by the last People’s Partnership administration through its No Rowley campaign and this caused people to embrace and comfort him.
So said Vasant Bharath at a Preysal public meeting Thursday night. He is one of three people contesting the post of UNC leader in the party’s December 5 general election.
Addressing a small group at the Preysal Community Centre, Bharath exposed some of the “strategy mistakes” of the last administration, which he said caused the PP to lose the September 7 general election.
One major mistake was the No Rowley campaign launched in July 2015.
Bharath said he was communications minister at the time and warned the former government the campaign would hurt the party.
“But they carried on with gay abandon. Rowley became a victim and the people embraced him to comfort him, even who did not support him.”
Bharath also made indirect reference to Rowley’s removal from Parliament in May 2015 after a government motion calling for his censure and suspension from the House was passed by 24 government MPs.
He said the PP used its parliamentary privilege to pass the motion and gave the impression the government was dictatorial.
However, although he said he was not in support of the No Rowley campaign, according to media reports, Bharath went along with it when it was launched in July 2015.
He and Naparima MP Rodney Charles launched the campaign at the Hyatt Regency.
A July 21, 2015, Guardian article quotes him as saying, “To emphasise the clarity and importance of the choice T&T faces, today we launch a campaign that will show why Keith Rowley is such a poor choice to become our prime minister.”
Citing other strategy mistakes of the last administration, Bharath asked what madness could have compelled the political leader (Kamla Persad-Bissessar) and those advising her to announce candidates for must-win marginal seats a mere weeks before the general election.
“We had five years to plan for the general election. Mere weeks before the election I had to almost start from scratch in St Joseph.”
Another mistake was the neglect of the party’s election machinery in constituencies.
“Very few constituencies had properly functioning party groups.” Constituency executives had little or no say in who was chosen to represent them, he said.
Bharath said Persad-Bissessar “happened to be in the right place at the right time” when she won the May 2010 general election.
“But we squandered the good will of all those who supported us and we are back in Opposition.”
Bharath’s Slate includes:
Stephen Cadiz-deputy political leader
Stacy Roopnarine-deputy political leader
Garvin Nicholas-deputy political leader
Fuad Khan-chairman
Shane Mohammed-deputy chairman
Prakask Williams-elections officer
Rishi Ramkissoon, an accountant- treasurer
Rishi Tripathi-regional coordinator, central
Aleem Wazir-party organiser