UNC members will continue to join COP: Dookeran

Winston Dookeran believes there will continue to be migration of members of the United National Congress (UNC) to the Congress of the People (COP).

The COP leader made the statement at his party's monthly national council meeting Sunday at the COP Operations Centre in Charlieville.

Dookeran said the COP would survive because unlike other parties, it an all-inclusive party that does not operate on the basis of racial allegiances. He said COP's mission is the total reconstruction of Trinidad and Tobago.

he dismissed the idea that the change of leadership in the UNC would diminish COP's membership, which originally came from the UNC due to the rejection of former leader Basdeo Panday.

Dookeran said recent developments in the UNC will see another 25 per cent of its membership joining COP without explaining the rationale for his prediction.

And he said COP would continue dialogue with all parties opposed to the governing People's National Movement (PNM).

He wants to hold unity tals with the National Joint Action Committee (NJAC) on the reformation of this country's politics. In this regard he has sent both parties COP's “Fixing the Politics” document.

He spoke about the end of the Panday era in and said there is still time to fix the politics in Trinidad and Tobago.

He said, there is now an opportunity "remove ourselves from the imprisonment of the gatekeepers that have kept our modern politics in a state of siege.”

COP is contesting the Local Government elections and will resume its Meet-the-Constituency visits from February 22.

It will hold its national executive elections on Sunday, June 6. All the posts except that of political leader will be open. The political leader holds his post for three years, and his term expires in 2011.