By RIA TAITT, Newsday/TT

The United National Congress must find a new leader. That is the position of St Joseph MP Gerald Yetming who yesterday expressed an independent position on the performance of his party and what it needed to do to rebound from its electoral defeat at the local government polls.

Yetming, who has been in Mayaro since the election, stated yesterday that the question of a new leader and a new leadership team were critical to the rejuvenation of the UNC. "And that is no scientific thing. Everybody in town know it. Everybody in town saying it. And I think everybody in town is correct," he said. And, he stressed, UNC leader Basdeo Panday, had himself been saying that. "He says he is 70 years old. He is ready to go and do other things but still be involved in the politics and in the party. That is fine. I am prepared to accept that," Yetming said. Told that Panday - who also stated after the last general election that he was ready to go (and didn't) - might not be serious, Yetming said he was prepared to accept what his leader said at face value. "I am not looking below rocks or stones...If he is saying that and meaning something else, well then, that will become clearer sooner rather than later."

In response to a question on whether corruption allegations were affecting the UNC and its leader, Yetming conceded that the perception of corruption continued to haunt the party, including its leader, and was a "major impediment." "I don't know personally how much of it [is true]....but certainly the public perception brought about by constant charges from the PNM and supported by one or two situations involving the police and the courts, none of which reveals anything of substance...But this is a strong perception that has the party very, very badly tainted...And in any rebuilding of the party, it must be recognised that that is a perception that you have to erase," he said. He said the UNC would not be able to mount an active challenge to the Government unless it was able to remove the stigma of corruption "completely, completely, completely."

Yetming also believed that the party's policy position of non-cooperation with the Government on all issues - including matters which it initiated and supported while it was the Government - hurt it badly. Saying that the UNC was not being seen as an "effective Opposition," Yetming stated that "everybody," including the private sector, the population and even people within the party were complaining about the policy position of non-cooperation. He stressed that a parliamentary caucus functioned like a Cabinet in that while not everyone may agree with a decision, once it was taken by the majority, the principle of collective responsibility applied. "Once it is a position of the caucus, a majority position, you have to live with it. But," he added, "on reflection - particularly where there appears to be widespread objection from the population - it ought to be re-examined...before Parliament reconvenes." Yetming said that along with its internal difficulties, the UNC had to contend with the PNM's unprecedented use of State resources, which was another major factor in the party's poor showing at the polls. Noting that all governments took advantage of incumbency, the St Augustine MP stated that this PNM had exceeded the actions of previous regimes. He cited the CEPEP programme in this regard. But he said: "I really can't blame them. Though I could be upset about the way the contracts were not fair and balanced."

Asked what needed to be done to deal with the leadership issue, Yetming stated that the party's Executive had to "strategise... with or without Mr Panday" who may not want to be part of the exercise. He said a lot of people were just waiting "on the sides" for something to happen. "But things don't happen just so, you have to make it happen," he declared. Asked what had happened to people like Carlos John, Jearlean John, Roy Augustus, Yetming stated that they couldn't just "jump up just so and say 'let us do this or that' because 'man' could legitamately say, 'who's he?' He said a party, like a company, required structure. Asked whether he, a non-Executive member, was going to be passive or pro-active in getting this process (of changing the leadership) going, Yetming said matter-of-factly : "I am not going to impose myself on anybody. People have to be serious...I am still committed. But you know, when there is a serious attempt at dealing with the issues, I will be ready." While emphasising that the UNC had to "re-make itself" and "revise" its leadership, Yetming however disagreed with his colleague Fuad Khan that Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj should be included in any such effort. He said while he shared many of Khan's views, he varied with his opinion that Maharaj was not a viable alternative. Yetming who missed Parliament since the election, but attended the launch of Vision 2020 with Khan, said he would be "back in town' within the next two weeks. He returned to Mayaro yesterday.