JYOTI's sources say Dookeran was very emotional when he announced that he is giving up to party's top post but he did not endorse anyone for the leadership.
The Finance Minister will retain his cabinet post and will continue to be the MP for Tunapuna. However, he will hand over the leadership when COP elects a new leader in July.
Two candidates have so far declared their intention to run - Sports Minister Anil Roberts and Vernon de Lima, the party's vice-chairman.
St. Augustine MP Prakash Ramadhar is considering a run for the leadership but up to now had been reluctant to oppose the party's founding leader.
Like Dookeran Ramadhar is a founding member of the party and one of COP's deputy political leaders. He is also a very strong supporter of the People's Partnership and was a driving force with Dookeran to form the coalition that won the 2010 general election.
Both Ramadhar and Dookeran are former members of the United National Congress (UNC). Dookeran led the UNC for a while but resigned and formed COP, which contested the 2007 general election.
Ramadhar told media recently that he would make his intention clear before the June 12 nomination day. "Rest assured that we have worked with this party since 2007 after which most people thought it would have disappeared and become a memory," he said.
"But we worked and built this party to where it is today and that the leadership of this party is a very important thing and not to be trivialised and therefore I will take my responsibility when it comes," he added.
When Roberts announced that he would run against Dookeran he said he wants to breathe new life back into COP, which he described as a party that is "dying" and "lost its way".
He said, "The COP must return to the principles espoused by the leader Winston Dookeran of new politics, of bottom up not top down...
"We have lost our way and right now within the next six weeks the Congress of the People will find its way back to its roots with all the people who believed in the vision of Winston Dookeran and we going back there."
He claimed that COP is not connecting with the people who bought into the party's vision of new politics.
"The party is dying because the loyal supporters are feeling that their voices are not being heard. We have to bring the people back in charge, the people are in charge," Roberts said.
He said a rejuvenated COP would help make the People's Partnership stronger and he rejected suggestions that the party has not been treated fairly within the Partnership Government.
"We cannot blame others, we must look within ourselves. We have not represented our people well," he insisted.
De Lima's campaign is different. As an "outsider" who is neither elected nor sits in cabinet, he believes that the leaders of the People's Partnership should not be in government.
Such a formula would change the whole structure of government and not allow the current Prime Minister to hold the post.
He has indicated that it may be necessary for the leaders of parties in the People’s Partnership to remain outside of the Cabinet in order to avoid being silenced by the rule of collective responsibility.
“We need to have leaders outside the Cabinet who are free to observe and speak on issues as they arise in order to guide the cohesiveness of the process and work out matters,” he said.
He said being in cabinet causes a leader to be “hamstrung, virtually hog-tied” by collective responsibility. He is also campaigning on the need for the partnership to formalise mechanisms for dialogue.
Two candidates have so far declared their intention to run - Sports Minister Anil Roberts and Vernon de Lima, the party's vice-chairman.
St. Augustine MP Prakash Ramadhar is considering a run for the leadership but up to now had been reluctant to oppose the party's founding leader.
Like Dookeran Ramadhar is a founding member of the party and one of COP's deputy political leaders. He is also a very strong supporter of the People's Partnership and was a driving force with Dookeran to form the coalition that won the 2010 general election.
Both Ramadhar and Dookeran are former members of the United National Congress (UNC). Dookeran led the UNC for a while but resigned and formed COP, which contested the 2007 general election.
Ramadhar told media recently that he would make his intention clear before the June 12 nomination day. "Rest assured that we have worked with this party since 2007 after which most people thought it would have disappeared and become a memory," he said.
"But we worked and built this party to where it is today and that the leadership of this party is a very important thing and not to be trivialised and therefore I will take my responsibility when it comes," he added.
When Roberts announced that he would run against Dookeran he said he wants to breathe new life back into COP, which he described as a party that is "dying" and "lost its way".
He said, "The COP must return to the principles espoused by the leader Winston Dookeran of new politics, of bottom up not top down...
"We have lost our way and right now within the next six weeks the Congress of the People will find its way back to its roots with all the people who believed in the vision of Winston Dookeran and we going back there."
He claimed that COP is not connecting with the people who bought into the party's vision of new politics.
"The party is dying because the loyal supporters are feeling that their voices are not being heard. We have to bring the people back in charge, the people are in charge," Roberts said.
He said a rejuvenated COP would help make the People's Partnership stronger and he rejected suggestions that the party has not been treated fairly within the Partnership Government.
"We cannot blame others, we must look within ourselves. We have not represented our people well," he insisted.
De Lima's campaign is different. As an "outsider" who is neither elected nor sits in cabinet, he believes that the leaders of the People's Partnership should not be in government.
Such a formula would change the whole structure of government and not allow the current Prime Minister to hold the post.
He has indicated that it may be necessary for the leaders of parties in the People’s Partnership to remain outside of the Cabinet in order to avoid being silenced by the rule of collective responsibility.
“We need to have leaders outside the Cabinet who are free to observe and speak on issues as they arise in order to guide the cohesiveness of the process and work out matters,” he said.
He said being in cabinet causes a leader to be “hamstrung, virtually hog-tied” by collective responsibility. He is also campaigning on the need for the partnership to formalise mechanisms for dialogue.
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