MSJ opens election nominations

MSJ political leader David Abdulah announced on Thursday that the party has opened nominations for candidates for this year's general election.

He made the announcement at a news conference at the party's headquarters on Lord Street, San Fernando.

Nomination forms are available at the MSJ's headquarters and online from its website.

Abdulah said the MSJ's executive council decided just before Carnival to contest the general election . He also said it comes at a time when the PNM has opened nominations for 25 of the 41 constituencies and the UNC has closed nominations for election candidates.

Asked whether the MSJ will concentrate on key marginal constituencies instead of PNM or UNC strongholds. Abdulah said, "No. We have not come to any such conclusion."

He recalled that in last year's local government elections, the MSJ fielded candidates in districts which were stronghold PNM and UNC seats as well as marginal ones.

He said this would not be a factor in determining which seats the MSJ will contest.

Abdulah has not decided which seat he will contest. But he said he will be a candidate, since it is an established tradition that the political leader of any party must contest a constituency in a general election.

While disclosing he has spoken with UNC founder Basdeo Panday, Abdulah said the MSJ has not been involved in talks between Panday and other small parties about a possible coalition. He said the MSJ is aware of what is happening but as of now, no decision has been made on a coalition.

Abdulah was concerned that campaign finance legislation, which the PNM promised in the 2015 election campaign, will not be passed in Parliament before this year's election. He was also concerned this would give the PNM and the UNC an advantage over other parties in terms of the finance they will be able to attract for their campaigns.

"We are absolutely certain that those parties do get large amounts of money, and we are absolutely certain that those parties get it from questionable sources," Abdulah said. He also said there must be party financing law, which ensures political parties are not only registered with the Elections and Boundaries Commission but also with an independent body which can examine their financial statements.

Abdulah said advertisements from government ministries and state agencies should be banned during an election campaign. He claimed this involved taxpayers' money being used to garner support for one political party.

He also claimed the non-implementation of new public procurement legislation could create a situation where political investors "who put money into a party...get contracts thereafter."

In January, Finance Minister Colm Imbert said amendments to the Procurement Act will be laid in Parliament in February.