Lucky quits as COP member

Gillian Lucky has resigned as a member of the Congress of the People (COP) without giving any reason for her surprise decision, except to say that the time has come for her to leave the party.

"I believe that our country is unable to achieve its maximum potential because of the ill-effects of a political divide that continues to widen," she stated.

"I remain committed to my God and my country and shall be willing to continue to serve in whatever capacity and at whatever level, provided it does not compromise my stated principles," she said.

Lucky is a controversial former Cabinet minister who has served in Parliament as a member of the United National Congress (UNC), representing the constituency of Point-a-Pierre. She left the party following a disagreement with its leader, Basdeo Panday.

The problem developed over Lucky's refusal to toe the party line with regard to the findings of a parliamentary probe into the infamous teacup affair involving UNC MP Chandresh Sharma and his PNM parliamentary colleague, Dr Keith Rowley.

Panday famously stated that politics had a morality of its own.

When Winston Dookeran formed the Congress of the People (COP), Lucky was one of the UNC MPs who sat with the party on the opposition benches. Others included Gerry Yetming, Ganga Singh and Manohar Ramsaran.

Lucky did not run in her Pointe-a-Pierre constituency in the Nov. 5, 2007 general election, opting instead to face off in St Joseph against the UNC Alliance's Dr Carson Charles, who was a former MP for the constituency, and PNM rookie, Kennedy Swaratsingh, who won the seat.

She was one of the front line COP members who joined a chorus of discontent with the party recently when Gary Griffith openly challenged the leader, suggesting it was time for a leadership review since Winston Dookeran had proved to be ineffective and incapable of moving the party forward.

See related story: COP meets to review operation,s leadership issue
Read Jai Parasram's commentary: COP bickering exposes vulnerability of opposition politics

That view was shared by another founding member, Gerry Yetming, although the former UNC cabinet minister did not go as far as suggesting that Dookeran quit. The COP hushed up the internal bickering but the party has not been able to maintain any strong momentum since the election, when it got 148,000 votes but didn't win any seats.

Yetming complained that the party seemed dormant and did not display the organization needed to build on its early success.

There were also strong rumours that Winston Dookeran was planning to leave the party and emigrate to take up a teaching assignment in Canada. During the internal chaos, Dookeran spent some time in Canada teaching.

Lucky's departure leaves many people guessing about her next move. She has been a fierce critic of the governing People's National Movement (PNM) and also the UNC and the UNC Alliance. So it's unlikely that she will be involved in any of the existing political parties for now at least.

But she has stated over the years that her primary interest is in nation-building and in moving Trinidad and Tobago forward. This, coupled with her statement that she remains committed to "my God and my country" is a clear indication that the country has not yet heard the last word from this politician.

Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan, deputy leader of the Congress of the People, said Lucky's resignation would not affect the party. She said the COP is continuing with its strategic planning, noting that Lucky had never participated in these activities.

Seepersad-Bachan said COP has been trying to do exactly what Lucky is talking about - uniting the people and representing everyone, regardless of race or religion.

Lucky obviously disagrees.