No Patriot sould Support the UNC in its Current Composition

Today, I stand before you not as a politician, not as a partisan voice, but as a son of this soil, a patriot who bleeds red, white, and black. I speak to you with a heavy heart, for the soul of our nation is at stake. I ask you—can any true Trinidadian patriot, any lover of this land, ever think of supporting the United National Congress in its current form? I say no, and I say it with conviction, because the evidence of their betrayal stares us in the face. The UNC, as it stands today, is a shadow of what a political party should be—a vehicle for progress, not a haven for those tainted by corruption.

Let us cast our minds back to 2010-2015, when the UNC led the People’s Partnership government. They came to power promising change, transparency, and a break from the past. But what did we get? A litany of scandals that shook the foundations of our trust, scandals that saw public funds—our money—treated like a personal piggy bank by those who should have served us. And worse yet, many of those linked to these allegations still hold high rank in the UNC today, unapologetic and unchallenged. How can we, as patriots, stomach this?

Let me remind you of the rot we witnessed. Take the Piarco Airport corruption saga, a festering wound that bled into their tenure. Businessmen Ishwar Galbaransingh and Steve Ferguson, major financial backers of the UNC, faced charges in the United States for bid-rigging and money laundering tied to the airport’s construction. During the UNC’s time in power, a controversial piece of legislation—Section 34 of the Administration of Justice Act—was rushed through in 2012. This law, suspiciously proclaimed on Independence Day, created a loophole that could have allowed these men and others to escape prosecution for crimes over a decade old. The public outcry was deafening, and the government scrambled to repeal it, but the damage was done. The stench of favoritism lingered. Can we trust a party that bends justice for its cronies?

Then there’s the Beetham Wastewater Treatment Plant scandal. Under the UNC’s watch, millions were poured into a project that ballooned in cost, with allegations of inflated contracts and kickbacks swirling around. Reports at the time pointed to questionable dealings, yet no one was held accountable. Our hard-earned tax dollars vanished into a black hole, while the party’s leaders shrugged and moved on. Is this the stewardship a patriot can endorse?

Take the EMBD scandal, a dark chapter under the UNC’s watch. The Estate Management and Business Development Company, tasked with rural development, became a cesspool of corruption. Contracts worth hundreds of millions were inflated, handed out to favored companies with ties to party insiders. But it wasn’t just money that was lost— Dana Seethal murder may have been linked to this and the lifesport scandal, liFe snuffed out in the shadows of greed. She paid the ultimate price, yet the UNC has never fully answered for this. Those who oversaw this era still walk among their leadership. Can a patriot support a party stained with such blood?

And who can forget the LifeSport programme? Launched with noble intentions to curb youth crime, it became a cesspool of corruption. An audit revealed that $400 million was mismanaged—payments to ghost companies, unaccounted funds, and contracts handed out like candy to connected insiders. The programme was shut down in 2014 amid public fury, but the architects of this fiasco faced no real consequences. Some of those implicated still sit comfortably in the UNC’s ranks today, their hands unwashed of the mess they made. How can we, as patriots, reward such reckless disregard for our nation’s wealth

Let’s not overlook the Chaguaramas Development Authority (CDA) leases. On the eve of the 2015 general election, the UNC government hurriedly approved questionable land deals, leasing prime property to party loyalists at rates that defied logic. It was a last-minute grab, a betrayal of public trust, as they faced the prospect of losing power. This wasn’t governance—it was a fire sale of our patrimony. And yet, the masterminds of these deals still wield influence in the UNC. Can a patriot stand by this?

These are not mere accusations—they are scars on our nation’s history, left by a party that promised better but delivered betrayal. From 2010 to 2015, the UNC showed us their true colors: a government where corruption wasn’t an exception, but a pattern. And today, they dare to present themselves as an option, with the same faces—unrepentant, untouched by accountability—still leading the charge. Kamla Persad-Bissessar, their leader then and now, presided over this era of shame. The likes of Anand Ramlogan, a former Attorney General charged with money laundering and corruption in 2019, remain tied to the party’s inner circle. These are not leaders; they are liabilities.

Trinidad and Tobago deserves better. We are a nation of resilience, of pride, of potential. Our patriots—our fishermen, our teachers, our steelpan players, our everyday citizens—work too hard for their dreams to be sold out by a party that shelters the corrupt. To support the UNC in its current form is to turn a blind eye to our values, to spit on the sacrifices of those who built this country. It is to say that integrity doesn’t matter, that loyalty to party trumps loyalty to nation. I refuse to believe that any true patriot can make that choice.

So I call on you, my fellow Trinidadians: reject this UNC. Demand a party that purges its ranks of those who plunder, not one that promotes them. Let us build a future where corruption is a relic, not a reality. Let us stand as patriots, united not by party, but by principle. For the love of this land, for the sake of our children, let us say no more to the UNC as it stands today. Our nation’s honor demands it.

Thank you, and may God bless Trinidad and Tobago.