The people's united party today celebrated it's 54th. Anniversary. Born out of the colonial struggle in 1950, the PUP found its original power base in the labor movement, and was led by John Smith, with Leigh Richardson, George Price and Phillip Goldson. Today 54 years later, the party gathered at a national party council to take stock, and celebrate. True, the passage of half a decade has changed much, but struggle and discord have been constants, and that's where the divided PUP finds itself today, recovering from a historic cabinet split on August 12th. Today party leader Said Musa acknowledged that his party is at a cross roads, but said he is determined to forge forward:
Hon. Said Musa - PUP Party Leader
"Undoubtedly the party is going through a… some kind of soul searching. I believe that the so called demise or weakening of the PUP has been greatly exaggerated. I think it is healthy when we have robust debate withing the party and I have no doubt that this party will grow from strength to strength and we'll continue to have successes in the PUP so long as we keep to our basic philosophical principles of what we are committed to."
Alfonso Noble
Q: "Is this point of transition, will it be recorded as a sore point in the party, a blight in your long history?"
Hon. Said Musa
" I wouldn't consider it a blight. I would say we went through a difficulty but we've overcome it, I believe, and now the whole question is for us to ensure that the things that unite us must always be greater than the things that divide us."
Alfonso Noble
Q: "Deputy party leader is out of the country at this moment, you all are going to be having a central party council meeting today, if I am not mistaken. Our information is that today. And that at this meeting he will be ousted as the deputy Prime Minister: your response to this."
Hon. Said Musa
"First of all the Deputy Prime Minister is representing me as the Prime Minister at a commonwealth finance ministers meeting in St. Kitts. Secondly: today is the birthday of the People's United Party it is a meeting of celebration of the party. The national party council has no intention, or has no power for that matter, of ousting anybody from the party. Whatever changes are made in a party are done at a national convention. This is not the time for a national convention. And I don't understand of there to be any move afoot to oust the deputy prime minister certainly no such thing is going to take place today."
Alfonso Noble
Q "At any point in time?"
Hon. Said Musa
"I'm not aware of any such thing. I don't know… I think there is some people who have this thing as some wishful thinking. And there are some people who are just trying to create mischief."
Deputy party leader John Briceno was not in the country for today's national party council meeting, which we are told went without event. All eyes now turn to the PUP national convention, no date for which has yet been set.