Khadijah is UNC’s Chaguanas West candidate

UNC Political Leader, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, has announced that Khadijah Ameen will contest the July 29th Chaguanas West bye-election for the UNC.

She made the announcement at a rally at Peppersauce Junction in Endeavour just before 9:30pm on Friday.

The Prime Minister noted that Ms. Ameen is a worthy selection and will represent youth and women.

“That’s the way of the future and having considered all the factors, we made a choice. Tonight I am asking you to embrace your UNC candidate and elect that UNC candidate on July 29th. On Monday I told you to vote party. I am proud to say you have a great party and you will have a great candidate to vote for on July 29th. This candidate is a loyal and dedicated soldier of the UNC. This candidate was arrested when she stood up for people’s rights, for the squatters. Your UNC candidate will represent youth and women. Your UNC candidate did not land into the pit today, didn’t come into the gayelle today. That candidate has been a loyal, dedicated member.”

Ms. Ameen, is the Deputy Chairman of the UNC and the Chairman of the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation. In 2010, at 29 years old, she became the youngest Chairman in all the Regional Corporations when she was appointed Chairman of the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation. She also worked as a Local Government Councilor in her earlier years.

She emerged as the UNC Screening Committee’s choice after they met eight nominees, including former MP Jack Warner, at Rienzi Complex, Couva on Tuesday night. Former Chaguanas MP, Manohar Ramsaran, was rejected in the screening as he belonged to the COP.

During her speech at Endeavour, Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar lamented that while the bye-election was not her doing, or that of the constituents who voted overwhelmingly for the People’s Partnership in 2010 and gave the party a mandate for five years, she urged them to keep the seat in the party.

She told the people of Chaguanas West she was sorry that they had to go through a bye-election on the eve of a constitutionally-due Local Government elections.

But she resolved that this bye-election will take the party to victory after victory after victory – from the Local Government polls and General Elections in 2015.

The Prime Minister also cautioned constituents about voting for the Opposition PNM and reminded them that the Central community was neglected under the PNM.

“The PNM has chosen one of your children from Felicity to fight against your party. He has made the wrong choice in standing as a soldier for the PNM. Tonight, I ask you to show him the error of his ways and vote against him, vote against the PNM on July 29th. Instead of standing for what is right and what is best for Chaguanas West and Trinidad and Tobago, he chose the side of oppression and neglect. He embraced those who subjected you and him to the worse forms of abuse and discrimination. That is why you have to fight against the PNM candidate.”

Mrs. Kamla Persad-Bissessar urged supporters to remain loyal to the United National Congress and the People’s Partnership Government, and not an individual.

She reminded them of January 2010, when they chose her as the new Political Leader of the UNC over the party’s founder, Mr. Basdeo Panday.

“Time, circumstances they change so much. So that there may come a time when you have to shift your loyalty from an individual and remain loyal to an institution in order to stay true to the principles upon which that institution was built.”

Former Chaguanas West MP, Mr. Jack Warner, who resigned as the area MP in April, was seen in the crowd at Endeavour.