While earlier you heard from the PM, last night, the leader of the opposition appeared on UnCut. In the first segment on the show, Patrick Faber was challenged on his colleague John Saldivar's apparent countrywide political tour.
Pictures showing him with other standard bearers and former area representatives meeting with the UDP mayor of the twin towns surfaced on social media. To the public, it may seem like Saldivar is gunning for the party leader's seat, since he had fought hard for it twice last year. But to Faber, it's simply an unsanctioned meeting between party members.
Jules Vasquez "This is the man who challenged you for leader, beat you once, came very close the second time all things considered what he'd been through, and we're seeing now John Saldivar is on tour… we're seeing now that he's on tour and he is having all these former standard bearers, these former representatives, all of them are with him and you are not there and this is clearly an attempt – how it comes across is this clearly an attempt to say we are a movement…"
Hon. Patrick Faber - Leader of the Opposition "He wasn't meeting with any PUP's right?"
Jules Vasquez "No."
Hon. Patrick Faber "This is the UDP."
Jules Vasquez "But sir where are you? Did you sanction this?"
Hon. Patrick Faber "There is a freedom in our party for people to operate."
Jules Vasquez "Sir loyalty is the organizing principal of political parties."
Hon. Patrick Faber "And we will get to that stage. Loyalty is not a stage it's a foundation. At this point, our main focus is to rebuild the party, that is my focus."
Jules Vasquez "Are you concerned that they want to undermine or challenge your leadership?"
Hon. Patrick Faber "I don't think that is the case."
Jules Vasquez "Sir how can you see those numbers and not think, bwai, it look like they man dih come fih me. Because that's how it looks to us."
Hon. Patrick Faber "And in the larger scheme of things, they are just persons who support the UDP who go out on these missions if you say so, I don't know, you are saying so, to do what they think is in the best interest of the party. Are the meeting sanctioned by the leadership of the party? No but that is if people believe they can do something to help in terms of the rebuilding purpose and it's not an official part of what we do, fine, then wherever it becomes problematic to that point where we think it can create or that it is counterproductive to our overall efforts to rebuild then we will deal with those matters internally. I don't think that we're there, I think they have good intentions to try and keep our party strong."
