PARTY organiser of the United National Congress (UNC), Sadiq Baksh, has distanced himself from the recent “extremely ill advised” posture adopted by the UNC executive, and hammered his fellow UNC executive members for wasting time on meetings to discuss the colour of shirts worn by embattled Political Leader Winston Dookeran.

In a terse letter to Fazal Karim, general secretary of the UNC, Baksh lamented “recent developments” within the party, and admitted there is a perception that the UNC executive is designing its own demise.

“… According to the media, steps are now being taken to discipline the Political Leader Winston Dookeran for, among other things, the colour of his shirts and for speaking at cottage meetings without the approval of the national executive,” Baksh stated.

SADIQ BAKSH ...
“party is on a
witch-hunt.”

“Really, I am at a loss in trying to figure out the motivating reasons for this move. We are all fully aware that the issue of approval for meetings of this kind has never arisen in the past.

“I have worked with the previous Political Leader Basdeo Panday and previous executives and never has there been such an attempt to stifle democracy in the party by the placement of power solely in the hands of a small group.

“In accordance with Article 27 and precedents, I have organised consultations and meetings for the Political Leader in the past at his request.

“The accusation is the Political Leader is spearheading the formation of a parallel organisation with the intention of ‘hijacking’ the support base of the UNC to build another organisation.

“I simply cannot understand how the acceptance of a speaking invitation issued by two constituency executives, duly recognised by both the national executive and the party’s constitution could be seen as an attempt to form a parallel organisation.”

Baksh went further, saying the executive needs to look at more important issues than Dookeran’s series of cottage meetings, such as why does the executive continue to exclude Political Leader Dookeran from its public meetings?

“… As a member of the national executive myself, I wish to point out that these meetings hosted by members of the executive are often organised and sanctioned outside executive meetings, so I am at a loss to understand the sudden need for executive sanction of party meetings organised by party organs,” Baksh declared.

“Have we not been twice down this road?

“Have we not learnt anything from the past?

“While the government of the PNM is being allowed to virtually run rampant by bending and breaking every convention and rule of democracy and good governance, the political executive of the Opposition is holding a marathon meeting to discuss the colour of a man’s shirt, his ‘verbal and non-verbal’ actions and baseless accusation of parallel organisations?

“Crime has worsened.

“Public healthcare has worsened.

“The socio-political environment has worsened.

“Infratsructure has worsened.

“Economic management has become even more roughshod.

“Children are being butchered in our country and the Opposition is going after its Political Leader -- the only person who can lead the party to victory against the PNM in the next general election -- on a witch-hunt.

“My personal view is that my work continues, as party organiser and as servant of the people.

“I will continue to execute my functions in just as efficient a manner as my record clearly shows and I will continue to consult with the duly elected Political Leader of our party on issues of political and national importance in accordance with our party’s constitution.

“I encourage all members of the UNC and, in particular, my colleagues on the executive and in the Parliament, to do the same as we continue the journey back in-to government.”