UNC Activists Caught on tape
Worried About Padding Voter Lists
From: Sunday Express
October 15, 2000
AN audio tape of two United National Congress (UNC) activists admitting to padding voting lists in the marginal constituencies was delivered to the Sunday Express last Wednesday.
The delivery of the tapes followed the announcement by Opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) leader Patrick Manning that the party had acquired substantial evidence that the UNC was attempting to pad the electoral lists in the marginal constituencies of San Fernando West, Ortoire/Mayaro, San Juan/Barataria, Tunapuna and St Joseph.
Sunday Express investigations have identified the voices as belonging to a former employee of the UNC’s Party and Administrative Support Unit (Voice 2) who is also a close relative of a Government Minister, and (Voice 1) a public servant attached to the Ministry of the Attorney General who was among the UNC nominees for the Nariva seat.
Voice 1: You have to talk about it, yuh should talk to Rodney (Charles, UNC communications director) and Susan (Seepersad, UNC chief executive) and dem. Yuh have to be careful with this thing, boy.
Voice 2: Well you doh know ‘bout this but I no longer at PASU (UNC Party Administrative Support Unit).
Voice 1: Yuh left PASU?
Voice 2: Yeah
Voice 1: So where are you, yuh home now then?
Voice 2: Yeah.
Voice 1: Yuh back in the business?
Voice 2: I back in my business. It is because of the s---that...... the field co-ordinators down there doing. Initially I was in charge and I knew what was going on. But they have canned the exercise and they are the ones who continued with the individual s---.
Voice 1: Yeah because what I realise is that it is.....humh.... Now, I have no problem with people doing dat eh because everybody does do dat. PNM does do that too, right? But it was apparently being done in an obvious kinda way.
Voice 2: Well the reason that it was done in that way was because of who dey had doing it. Initially part of the responsibility was mine but when they realise that the exercise was not going fast enough (named high ranking UNC official) and dem bring in other people into it and they decide to do it as if is a fish market.
Voice 1: Well leh meh tell yuh what happen. Let meh tell yuh how glaring it is. Ah was talking to a fella from the AG constituency (Couva South)... apparently dey take a whole street and they move de whole street to San Juan/Barataria. Now dat is glaring. If the EBC investigate dat, that is very glaring. I understand that there are houses in San Fernando where 30-40 people living in a house.
Voice 2: Dat’s (Government Minister) and dem do dat s---?
Voice 2: Once dey do dat, UNC in s--- yuh know. We in real s---, we in real s---. The only thing to save we is if we have control over the Commissioner of Police and ah want to feel dey have a certain degree of control over him where he could just delay the investigation until after the election.
Voice 1: If he delay it until after and dey have evidence.
Voice 2: They could charge members of the party. They could annul the elections.
Voice 1: They could, they could and yuh realise what Panday is doing already? You know Panday, you know what Panday will do when this thing hit the fan he will deny any knowledge. He will say ‘I was busy running the Government. Dem fellas running the party doing dey own ting. I would not know’ and he will distance himself. So if it is yuh out, I glad yuh out.
Voice 2: Yeah I out.
Voice 1: Yeah, yuh right. Anyway ah just thought I would call yuh nah because.....
Voice 2: Yeah, I knew about it. In fact I was in control of it up to the beginning of last month, (Senior UNC official) took it away and devolve authority onto two other people. I did what I had to do.
Massive fraud Voter transfers well financed says Donaldson
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UNC loyalists are talking about the pain of neglect, of a leader’s betrayal of the people, of a fresh and growing wave of cynicism in the party, of men desperate to hang onto power by whatever means and of a leader’s unhealthy penchant for turning his back on the people.
Party supporters riled against the Group of 13 or G-13 as it is known within the party. The G-13 which meets almost every Wednesday night at the Prime Minister’s residence comprises: Panday, Works Minister Sadiq Baksh; Public Utilities Minister Ganga Singh, newly-appointed Local Government Minister Carlos John; Duprey, Warner, Steve Ferguson, Ish Galbaransingh, Ameer Edoo, Rodney Charles, Susan Seepersad, Angostura executive Patrick Patel and UNC general secretary Fazal Karim.
