The Opposition United National COngress (UNC) advises Prime Minister Keith Rowley not to think about running for President of thecountry in 2023, arguing that political leaders should stick to the Parliament.
President Paula-Mae Weekes’ five-year tenure is coming to an end in January, and a new president will be chosen.
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A new president will be chosen by the Electoral College on January 20, 2023, according to a notification published in the TT Gazette on December 23 by Bridgid Annisette-George, Speaker of the House of Representatives and chairman of the Electoral College.
“Dr Keith Rowley is clearly one of the least competent public office holders to have ever occupied the Office of the Prime Minister…His policies have been flawed…
“Dr Rowley ought not to be considering himself. It will undermine the Office of the President for an incumbent prime minister to move from the seat of prime minister to president.”
The opposition will ” defy that and stand up in the defence of the right of citizens to have proper and fit office holders in the highest office in the land,” according to Moonilal, if Rowley tries to do this while taking “God out of his mind.”
Additionally, Senate President Christine Kangaloo has also been mentioned as a potential candidate for president, according to Moonilal.
Although Moonilal did not “cast aspersions” on the role of the Senate President, he stated that it would be inappropriate, ” for us to be looking at raw, naked, at times obscene politicians in the political sphere.
“The place for politicians is clearly in the Parliament, it is not in the President’s House, it is not in the Judiciary…”
He stated that the presidential candidates should be impartial, unbiased, and “have some professional background.”
When asked by Newsday what he would do if a UNC member expressed interest in running for president, Moonilal said that he was mostly making references to Rowley and Kangaloo.
When asked if the UNC would make its choice public, Moonilal responded that Kamla Persad-Bissesar, the leader of the opposition, would decide.
In contrast, the party must “caucus to determine (its) consensus” which will be accomplished in early January, according to opposition MP Dave Tancoo.
Rowley and Stuart Young, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, were called by Newsday, but no one returned their calls or messages.
According to Newsday, Symon de Nobriga, minister of communications, he will not lend credence to “this latest flight of fancy from the UNC.”
“I would suggest that you interrogate the UNC’s sources as I’m concerned that this recent claim, like most, if not all others, is devoid of any semblance of fact/reality.
“I am even more concerned that these attempts by the opposition to waste both your time and mine may take root or worse, bear fruit.”
However, he expressed optimism that they will stop making such statements if people start holding them responsible for their erroneous statements.
“I think that when you interrogate the source before seeking confirmation or denial, the news product and the consuming public by extension, would be better off for it.”
