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Former United National Congress MP Dr Fuad Khan has questioned the political thinking behind the creation of new municipal corporations, arguing that the strategy resembles a system of grassroots mobilisation previously used within the UNC. In a video posted publicly, Khan said people have been trying to understand why the Government has moved towards creating new boroughs and changing the local government structure. Khan pointed to the period between 2015 and 2020, when he himself served as the UNC MP for Barataria/San Juan. Parliament records confirm that Khan represented the constituency as an Opposition MP during the 11th Republican Parliament. Trinidad and Tobago Parliament He claimed the UNC leadership at the time recognised the political influence of councillors and aldermen and used those local government representatives to mobilise support during the party's internal political battles. According to Khan, councillors and aldermen provided a much larger grassroots network than Members of Parliament because they operated directly within communities across numerous electoral districts. He argued that this allowed local representatives to mobilise supporters at community level even when some MPs were pushing for changes within the party. Khan described that strategy as “weaponising” councillors and aldermen, saying the leadership had recognised the influence local government representatives could exercise over the wider electorate. He then connected that experience to the current restructuring of local government, suggesting the approach now being pursued follows a political model that had already been tested through the UNC's internal elections. Khan did not provide evidence in the video establishing that the Government's changes were designed for that purpose. His comments represent his interpretation of the political strategy behind the restructuring. The former Barataria/San Juan MP has previously been involved directly in UNC leadership politics. In 2022, he challenged Kamla Persad-Bissessar for the position of political leader of the party. Article and image source: facebook.com
Former United National Congress MP Dr Fuad Khan has questioned the political thinking behind the creation of new municipal corporations, arguing that the strategy resembles a system of grassroots mobilisation previously used within the UNC. In a video posted publicly, Khan said people have been trying to understand why the Government has moved towards creating new boroughs and changing the local government structure. Khan pointed to the period between 2015 and 2020, when he himself served as the UNC MP for Barataria/San Juan. Parliament records confirm that Khan represented the constituency as an Opposition MP during the 11th Republican Parliament.
Trinidad and Tobago Parliament He claimed the UNC leadership at the time recognised the political influence of councillors and aldermen and used those local government representatives to mobilise support during the party’s internal political battles. According to Khan, councillors and aldermen provided a much larger grassroots network than Members of Parliament because they operated directly within communities across numerous electoral districts. He argued that this allowed local representatives to mobilise supporters at community level even when some MPs were pushing for changes within the party.
Khan described that strategy as “weaponising” councillors and aldermen, saying the leadership had recognised the influence local government representatives could exercise over the wider electorate.
He then connected that experience to the current restructuring of local government, suggesting the approach now being pursued follows a political model that had already been tested through the UNC’s internal elections. Khan did not provide evidence in the video establishing that the Government’s changes were designed for that purpose. His comments represent his interpretation of the political strategy behind the restructuring. The former Barataria/San Juan MP has previously been involved directly in UNC leadership politics. In 2022, he challenged Kamla Persad-Bissessar for the position of political leader of the party.
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