CUMUTO/MANZANILLA MP Dr Rai Ragbir is refusing to be screened by the party for re-election and has accused the United National Congress (UNC) of being transformed into a “personality cult” devoted entirely to the worship of Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
In an immediate response to the Express’ request for a response to Ragbir’s claims, Persad-Bissessar yesterday dismissed it, saying “no one cares” about his bitterness.
Ragbir issued a scathing media release yesterday to announce that he will not participate in the UNC’s screening process for re-election as the Member of Parliament for Cumuto/Manzanilla.
Ragbir entered Parliament in 2020 after winning the seat on a UNC ticket in the August 10, 2020 general election. He received 10,901 votes compared to the People’s National Movement (PNM) candidate Rodney Lochan, who got 7,557 votes. In that constituency, a total of 30,468 people were registered to vote, and 18,651 voted.
In April 2024, Chaguanas West MP Dinesh Rambally had also criticised Persad-Bissessar, saying the party’s leadership was taking advantage of “party loyalists” to “promote their own continuation in politics” and “perpetuating their own cult.” Despite criticising Persad-Bissessar and saying the UNC had no chance of winning the general election, Rambally submitted his nomination to be screened again for Chaguanas West. No decision has been made on this seat.
‘Hostility, alienation, silence’
While Rambally has faced the screening committee, Ragbir has indicated that he wants no part in it.
“I refuse to submit myself to a screening committee that includes individuals currently charged with wrongdoing, embroiled in court cases involving mismanagement of public funds at the EMBD (Estate Management and Business Development Co Ltd), allegedly linked to gang activity, and even one individual who has serious allegations of human trafficking to answer,” he said.
“Serving my constituents has been the greatest privilege of my life. But I can no longer serve under a leadership that prioritises personal loyalty over public service, a leadership that stifles dissent, rejects accountability, and has transformed the UNC from a political party into a personality cult devoted entirely to the worship of Kamla Persad-Bissessar,” he added.
Ragbir said that since he voted with the PNM last year in support of whistleblower legislation, he has been met with hostility, alienation, and silence.
The MP said that under Persad-Bissessar’s leadership, the UNC has become a “hollow shell—driven by divisive rhetoric, empty theatrics, and relentless internal purges.”
He said the UNC is no longer the party that was founded by the late former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday.
Ragbir also took issue with Persad-Bissessar’s media release in which she criticised former US President Joe Biden, as well as her embrace of Progressive Empowerment Party (PEP) leader Phillip Edward Alexander.
He said Persad-Bissessar “has allowed party messaging to be shaped by conspiracy theories, attacked a former US president in one of her many unhinged press releases, and promoted racial dog-whistles like the term ‘Oreo.’ She has further degraded the party by embracing reckless social media troll Philip Edward Alexander. These are not the actions of a serious leader—they are the desperate tactics of someone clinging to power at all costs,” he said.
Ragbir also said Persad-Bissessar has sidelined dedicated MPs such as Rambally, Mayaro MP Rushton Paray, and Tabaquite MP Anita Haynes-Alleyne, while “those accused of corruption, mismanagement, and even links to criminal elements remain untouched.”
Ragbir questioned how the UNC can demand accountability from the PNM while refusing to practice it internally.
He said Persad-Bissessar has offered no solutions to crime and the issues plaguing the country, and the UNC under her leadership remains directionless, divided, and incapable of winning power.
Last year, five UNC MPs—Ragbir, Rambally, Paray, Haynes-Alleyne and Naparima MP Rodney Charles—criticised Persad-Bissessar’s leadership and demanded the party’s internal elections be held.
The elections were held and a slate led by Paray was defeated. Charles has indicated that he will be retiring from electoral politics. Rambally, Paray and Haynes-Alleyne are hoping to be selected to defend their seats.