H.O.P.E. – The acronym standing for Honesty Opportunity Performance Empowerment. The party’s political leader Tim Hamel-Smith said: “We think of HOPE as putting down the foundation of an institution that will be here for hopefully for generations to come. Even though we’ve been around for a couple of years, we took the time to put the roots down, and the structures that we feel will stand in good stead for many years to come, for a new generation of leaders to emerge.”
The party holds it’s South Trinidad national launch on December 9, from 2-6 pm at Paria Suites, San Fernando. Hamel Smith said the party is unfazed by the established juggernauts of the PNM and UNC: “The first thing HOPE did was set down its vision, mission, principles and values, so anyone joining would be aware of these.
He said: “I think therefore that the structure of a party is very important. If all you’ve done as a party is to say ‘We want to win an election,’ I think that because it’s not easy out there. When the rains come and the storms blow, you will, as many of our predecessors have found out , flounder and sink.” Other party members include former Port of Spain mayor Louis Lee Sing, former Minister if Finance Karen Nunez Texiera and Denise Demming.