POLITICAL Leader of the National Transformation Alliance (NTA) Gary Griffith has clarified the reason the focus of its attention in this election is on the UNC and not the PNM. He says it is because the "PNM-till-I-die voters" could not be convinced to switch allegiance.

Griffith said even though the current PNM government was the worst the country had ever seen, the NTA had trained its attention on wooing the 350,000 plus floating voters - the independent thinkers - to vote for the NTA.

'In 1986, the PNM was at its worst and still acquired over 180,000 votes.'

In 2010, he said, even though the government functioned at its lowest, some 300,000 voters still cast a vote for the PNM.

'After 10 years and obviously the worst government the country has ever seen, you think what we say now is going to change the minds of those 300,000 'PNM-till-I-die' voters?

Griffith said his party was targeting the independent voters who were outside the influence of the PNM, hoping to convince them that the NTA, and not the UNC was the more viable option for TT.

"The option here is really for that 350 000 who are going to vote for the UNC or the NTA. And we have to show to the country we are the viable option and also to show the country the UNC is not...

"We have to make sure there would never be a repeat of the Reshmis, the Life Sport, Colour Me Orange, Hoop of Life. (We have to) revive people like Dwayne Gibbs and bring Stephen Williams. We have to make sure you make the right choice."

Griffith and the NTA bandwagon moved into San Fernando on April 9, for its first major meeting held at its Lord Street office, in support of candidate Dr Kevin Saran.

Saran is contesting the San Fernando West seat which Griffith said was a strategic battleground and a key marginal seat for a general election, just like St Joseph which he is contesting.

Griffith said the NTA had selected 16 strategic seats to contest because, unlike some parties, it could not field 41 candidates since it did not possess the $100 million campaign fund which had come from major contractors.

Saran asked why when billion-dollar projects were happening in San Fernando West, unemployment among the constituents were still so high.

'Economic activity is happening, but you don't see people from the community working on these projects.'

Even if the contention is that they do not possess the required skills, there is also an unskilled category that can accommodate them, he suggested.

'Everybody seem to be eating a food in Sando West except the people,' he said. Stating that when he became the MP, he would push labour requirements to employ at least 25 per cent of the work force from the community on such mega projects.

Still on the San Fernando Waterfront project, he queried the recent award of a $300 million contract for the construction of 300 houses adjacent to the waterfront.

'I ask the question, why use prime commercial land that could generate an income, to build houses that would give us no revenue.

'Is it really for housing, or stacking