“When I actually was elected leader of the party, I received
more calls from all the people of this country, saying ‘create
the new day and the new dawn that we have been looking forward to’.
“And today, when people read what they read in the Express
and on the Guardian, about the expected action of the national executive,
or the cabal group within the executive, that they intended to take
on me tonight, I received calls not only from Trinidad and Tobago,
but throughout the world from North America, Canada and the United
Kingdom, thousands and thousands of calls saying ‘stand up
Dookeran, stand up Dookeran, this is your time’.
“And when I heard a few minutes ago of the sad deliberations
on the part of the executive, and the attempts and decision to ‘deal
with me’, and to deal with me by moving a vote of no confidence
in me, I know that the hearts of the people are with me and you
are the only ones that can provide that confidence.
“People have already lost confidence in the executive.
“How can we today allow a group like that to move such a motion?
“My brothers and sisters, this is but the beginning of our
road to take on the responsibility to become the government of this
land.
“We must not lose faith.
“We must not allow those who wish to divide us and those who
wish to bring the UNC into disrepute and those who wish, for personal
reasons, to attempt a coup in the UNC to get away with that.
“The last time anybody attempted a coup in this country, I
stood up in Parliament with my colleagues to make sure it did not
succeed.”
Dookeran urged the gathering to move the country forward, because
of the abject failure of the PNM administration, and said it is
up to the UNC to take the necessary steps to put a new government
in place.
He also dismissed the notion that the UNC is divided and gave the
assurance that the UNC membership is held tightly together by a
common goal.
Dookeran added: “When I went through the trials and tribulations
and endurance issues in the party, of which you would have heard
a bit, people used to tell me ‘hold on’.
“Recently they started telling me ‘move on, Dookeran’.
“What do you want?
“Do you want me to move on? Do you want me to move on?
“Well, I want to tell you here now, not only shall we move
on, but we shall begin the battle of the century in this country
-- we shall move on and fight!
“We shall move on and fight!
“The party is not divided!
“The rank and file of this party have one common vision.
“All the people I have met who belong to the party want to
see one thing happen.
“They want to see a new government in place in this country
and they want to see themselves participating in that government.
“The door remains open to some of my colleagues who feel they
must go their own way.
“But I want to tell you here today, from now until we arrive
in government, the door will always be open to those who are willing
to join us in the fight to form the government of this country.
“Recently, I read on the newspaper that one of my colleagues
in Parliament, the Honourable Member of Parliament (Kelvin Ramnath)
I believe for this area, said that he wanted Dookeran’s head!
“I say, I will give him my head, provided he does not give
me his.” |
