FORMER UNC MP Anita Haynes-Alleyne has described Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s Independence message to party supporters as inappropriate and worded in a way to cause division in the nation.In 2024, Haynes-Alleyne was among a group of five UNC parliamentarians, labelled “dissidents”, after publicly calling for internal elections and greater democracy within the party.The group challenged the leadership of Persad-Bissessar, arguing that the party needed greater transparency and accountability.In a telephone interview with the Express yesterday, Haynes-Alleyne said she took note of the PM’s message to the “UNC family” on Independence Day.“Personally, I thought it to be inappropriate for the occasion. Trinidad and Tobago has been, I think, anybody with eyes and ears can see that we are at a crossroads in the nation, which requires all leaders to put all hands on deck for a united front going forward.“And I thought that the message to UNC supporters solely was not only inappropriate but worded in a way to create a division in Trinidad and Tobago,” she saidHowever, she noted that despite this, there was a bright future for the nation.“We just need to continue to persevere as a nation with a united front,” she said.Speaking to the Express yesterday, political analyst Dr Winford James said the PM’s message to the UNC membership could be seen as narrow-minded by many.“People are going to say that she’s the Prime Minister of the nation, but she’s focused on the ethnic group to which she belongs, especially after she said after she won the election that she’s the Prime Minister for everybody,” he said in a telephone interview.He pointed to the Prime Minister not saying anything bad about Afro-Trinidadians.“She says that she has come from ancestors that were treated very poorly in indentureship. She’s saying that when they were brought to Trinidad, they were made to grovel and perform all the menial jobs, and she’s saying that she doesn’t want that to happen again. Her parents, grandparents sacrificed so that the offspring will not carry on the same. Of course, that is not going to be read that way,” James said.He urged caution in approaching such topics.“We’ve been living here for a long time, and we’ve been living here in peace, and we don’t want to do anything that would cause that peace to be shattered,” he said.He lamented that after 64 years of independence, the nation was unable to change the circumstances in which the major ethnic groups lived.Also speaking to the Express was political analyst Dr Indira Rampersad.She said she saw no issue in the Prime Minister’s statement yesterday.“She was speaking to party supporters and I think it was quite appropriate. It was very positive. She highlighted their achievements. I didn’t see anything wrong with it really,” Rampersad said.Asked about whether there was a divisive undertone in the Persad-Bissessar’s message, she said: “People would give their suggestions based on their own political orientation, to some extent. I fail to see what the problem is and what is divisive. I don’t feel it is that way.”