By Newsday Reporters Saturday, April 17 2010

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COP leader Winston Dookeran and UNC leader Kamla Persad- Bissessar have reached anagreement to fight the PNM as a united party in the May 24 General E...

THE UNC and COP yesterday came to a final agreement over the parties’ strategy for the May 24 general election.

Sources yesterday reported that after marathon talks between both parties, involving UNC political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar and COP political leader Winston Dookeran, it was agreed that the UNC would contest 23 of the 41 seats. The COP would contest 16 seats. Neither party would contest the two Tobago seats, for which the UNC has come to an agreement with the Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP).

As such the UNC and COP will not compete against each other in the battle for individual seats, meaning in each seat either the UNC or the COP will battle the PNM.

Word of the agreement trickled out yesterday evening, but details such as who would contest the St Augustine seat once held by Dookeran and later the UNC’s Vasant Bharath, remained unclear.

Earlier, Persad-Bissessar had to bring an early end to the UNC’s screening of nominees for candidates at Rienzi Complex, Couva to meet with Dookeran and the two parties’ negotiating teams at Dragon Boat Restaurant, to reach a final agreement on how to proceed as one opposition force against the PNM.

Sources said the two leaders had to resolve a stalemate in the talks among the negotiating teams.

Reports said there were challenges over five seats but after three-hours of intense negotiations these have been resolved. A document is being drafted by COP attorney Christopher Hamel- Smith on all aspects of the agreement.

Persad-Bissessar later went to the UNC’s political meeting at Emerald Plaza, St Augustine where she said an accord had been reached.

“Negotiations were concluded between the UNC and the COP,” she told cheering supporters.

Persad-Bissessar said the party was now moving to finalise talks with other opposition groups.

“Last week we concluded talks with the TOP in Tobago and tomorrow we will conclude negotiation with the Movement for Social Justice, NJAC and other opposition groups,” she said.

Dookeran last evening presided over screenings at the COP headquarters at Charlieville. He declined requests for an interview with Newsday.

Earlier after their meeting at Dragon Boat, Dookeran assured reporters that “the COP together with the UNC would walk the total road to ensure we win the general elections on May 24th.”

He said while they reached an agreement the parties were “not yet in a position to sign an accord because we will have to talk to other parties on this matter...we would also have to work out some nitty gritty issues.”

They declined to give details of the agreement which Persad-Bissessar said will be disclosed during the course of the campaign.

The COP team was led by attorneys Christopher Hamel-Smith and Clyde Weatherhead and Ganga Singh, while the UNC had on its team Dr Suruj Rambachan, Jack Warner and Dr Roodal Moonilal.

Pressed after the Dragon Boat meeting on what were the issues discussed, Dookeran said they were mainly in relation to the campaign structure and how that would work.

Persad-Bissessar added there were details as to the policies, platform and campaign strategies.

When reporters again asked for more details, Persad-Bissessar said, “We don’t want to give ammunition to the enemy, which can be used against us...as they say politics is a civilised form of war.”

Questioned as to whether he would be contesting a seat, Dookeran said that also is yet to be worked out.

As for the UNC’s screening exercise yesterday, nominees Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj (Tabaquite), Vasant Bharath (St Augustine), Subhas Panday (Princes Town) together with their supporters were told to return today to face the screening panel.

Political neophyte Shane Mohammed who comes up against Subhas Panday and Magistrate Ramraj Harripersad said he was not upset by the postponement.

“Maybe it has happened for a good,” he told Newsday.

Other persons to be screened yesterday were nominees for the St Ann’s East seat, attorney Allana Rivas, Jewan Ramdeen and Cassimir Joseph and former Senator Jennifer Jones-Kernahan for Toco/Sangre Grande.

Present for screening yesterday were Anand Ramlogan and Ravi Ratiram (Tabaquite), Kadijha Ameen (St Augustine) and Ramraj Harripersad (Princes Town).

On one occasion, Persad-Bissessar had to intervene to cool the tempers of the St Augustine supporters of Bharath and Ameen.

Holding placards, clapping and shouting “We want Vasant” and “We want Kadijha” and “No Kadijha, no vote”, supporters from the opposing camps carried on a noisy demonstration as they shouted accusations against each other.

Their protests mirrored similar action taken by PNM supporters of Pennelope Beckles and Anthony Roberts who were not chosen to contest the Arima and St Ann’s East seats respextively.

Persad-Bissessar called on the protesters to conduct themselves peacefully.

“We must win this election, we can’t cuff down each other. The only people we have to fight is the Manning people. You can support the person of your choice, together you can raise your voices, but at the end of the day we have to make a decision.”