In a post this afternoon, Tracy Panton also made a statement mentioning SARA in a negative light. And this morning she was on Sunup speaking about the 50 applicants for the UDP's 18 conventions. She acknowledged that there are attempts to orchestrate the convention outcomes in advance of the leadership convention:
Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition
"There are going to be these constituency conventions. There are 50 or so people who have applied. And why that is heartwarming to me is that even in the broken state that the party is in, we still have persons who want to represent the United Democratic Party."
"And I believe in a democracy, and I believe that those who wish to apply should apply. What I don't agree with is that a decision was taken by the current party leader to go get the whole next party to join the UDP, the PDM, the People's Democratic Movement, to have them field candidates in constituencies where he's trying to garner some control because the truth of the matter is that there is an attempt, while everybody understands I'm the natural leader, the next leader of the party, to control what the leader can do and not do by rigging these conventions to have a desired, a specific result. No one takes themselves to slaughter."
"I will not be shackled, handcuffed, with a noose around my neck to become the leader. And so it is a numbers game. And you have to be sure that you do the work, the groundwork, to gauge the level of support that you have internally."
"I believe I have that support. I have always betted on the people. And if I'm to wage a bet now, it will be on the people who make the delegates. I know that when I get an opportunity to speak with delegates and they understand my vision and plan for the party, that I will be able to garner their support."
