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FORMER trade minister Vasant Bharath hit the track records of the Government and the Opposition under Kamla Persad-Bissessar, whom he is vying to replace in the December 6 UNC elections.
Speaking at a virtual meeting on Wednesday night for his Team Lotus slate, Bharath said the UNC elections will influence TT’s future, hailing the courage of those on his slate for standing up against hostility and inducements.
Bharath hit the “clueless and incompetent” Government over the bungled deportation of Venezuelan migrants, which he said had made TT the object of ridicule and scorn, and in conflict with bodies such as the UN.
“Which other civilised country sidesteps the rule of law and deports desperate, hungry children and their families?” Lamenting “cold and heartless treatment” of the migrants, he said that incident was what passed for leadership.
Bharath hit crime, unemployment, education and healthcare, lamenting the many small business failures now happening without more state stimulus packages.
“The largest department store in TT is about to shut its doors in Port of Spain, even as the Prime Minister is announcing grand plans for revitalisation of the capital city.”
He lamented Government spending in the absence of procurement regulations.
TT is in the throes of a deepening governance crisis, he said, with widening inequality in the society.
Bharath said the Opposition has not properly challenged the Government over its performance, as it lacked political fire-power.
He hit the Opposition for failing to support the recent Anti-Gang Bill and performing badly in debating its own motion on crime in the House of Representatives.
“In one of the most violent places on earth, the Opposition is on the run,” he said. He asked if Opposition MPs caucus before Parliament and accept expert advice. Bharath asked when did Persad-Bissessar last engage the public with her ideas. “How will she woo the swing-voters back to the UNC?”
Bharath alleged Persad-Bissessar had focused on attacking UNC members, but not outlining any new measures to get the UNC back into government.
He claimed UNC officials have been coerced to issue statements to support her.
“The person who lives in a multi-million-dollar palace, owns a fleet of luxury vehicles and attends a Machel Montano concert in a $5,000 pair of boots has attacked me for being ‘elitist.'
Bharath said many parents wish their children to aspire in their careers.
“Which Indian father has aspirations for his daughter to sweat over a chulha on a daily basis?” Bharath said. “For those who offensively and hypocritically call others ‘knife and fork Indian,’ are they coming into Port of Spain with a bullock cart or are they driving Jaguars and BMWs?”
Bharath outlined plans to build the UNC, including procuring a new party headquarters and to explore unity with other groups opposed to the PNM. At that, he introduced former UNC chairman Austin Jack Warner to the strains of David Rudder's Ganges and Nile.
Earlier, former health minister Dr Fuad Khan spoke on the platform in support of Bharath’s candidacy for UNC leadership.
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