Prakash Ramadhar is standing firm on his demand for the removal of Marlene Coudray as mayor of San Fernando, stating that the United National Congress (UNC) has hijacked his Congress of the People (COP) and taken control of the San Fernando City Corporation.
The COP political leader met on Sunday with top party officials, including MPs and COP councillors. One MP, Sports Minister Anil Roberts, refused to attend the meeting at the party's operations centre in Charlieville, Chaguanas.
Ramadhar told reporters, "Our position has been made clear from day one and really it is nothing other than the restoration of the trust that the people gave all of us in the People's Partnership and the agreement which was made on the Fyzabad Declaration," Ramadhar said.
While Ramadhar insists on the mayorship being a part of the Fyzabad Declaration, the man who signed that declaration on behalf of the party - former COP Leader Winston Dookeran - has said the document dealt with the general election and had nothing to do with the local election or the mayorship.
"There is a mix-up. The facts are the Fyzabad Declaration was done for the general elections. What happened weeks later (local government elections) was that there was no agreement; there was nothing in writing about who fight who or anything like that," told the Guardian media in an interview published on Sunday.
Ramadhar is angry because San Fernando Mayor Marlene Coudray left COP and fought for a won a seat on the UNC national executive as one of the party's three deputy leaders.
Ramadhar is insisting that Coudray's defection violated a "gentleman's agreement" that COP would be allowed to choose mayors for San Fernando and Arima. It has been two years since Coudray was appointed mayor on the recommendation of the UNC and support of COP.
Ramadhar also appeared to make a turnaround on his position. "I have never made a statement that the COP will walk but sometimes arguments and very vociferous ones at that are launched on a false premise and you know what that ends up in? Complete confusion," he said.
Roberts has suggested that Ramadhar was wrong to make threats against the partnership. And he said on Sunday that COP's insistence that the Prime Minister fire the mayor is asking the leader of the government to break the law since the PM has no authority to fire a mayor.
Ramadhar also expressed his commitment to the Partnership."We are here to protect the Government and the People's Partnership in the long, long term," he said. However he said the coalition "must survive based on principle and agreement".
He said in politics there are always options but whatever he does would come only after "consultation with the rank and file of my party". He said to do otherwise would "to abdicate my role as leader of this party."
The COP political leader met on Sunday with top party officials, including MPs and COP councillors. One MP, Sports Minister Anil Roberts, refused to attend the meeting at the party's operations centre in Charlieville, Chaguanas.
Ramadhar told reporters, "Our position has been made clear from day one and really it is nothing other than the restoration of the trust that the people gave all of us in the People's Partnership and the agreement which was made on the Fyzabad Declaration," Ramadhar said.
While Ramadhar insists on the mayorship being a part of the Fyzabad Declaration, the man who signed that declaration on behalf of the party - former COP Leader Winston Dookeran - has said the document dealt with the general election and had nothing to do with the local election or the mayorship.
"There is a mix-up. The facts are the Fyzabad Declaration was done for the general elections. What happened weeks later (local government elections) was that there was no agreement; there was nothing in writing about who fight who or anything like that," told the Guardian media in an interview published on Sunday.
Ramadhar is angry because San Fernando Mayor Marlene Coudray left COP and fought for a won a seat on the UNC national executive as one of the party's three deputy leaders.
Ramadhar is insisting that Coudray's defection violated a "gentleman's agreement" that COP would be allowed to choose mayors for San Fernando and Arima. It has been two years since Coudray was appointed mayor on the recommendation of the UNC and support of COP.
Ramadhar also appeared to make a turnaround on his position. "I have never made a statement that the COP will walk but sometimes arguments and very vociferous ones at that are launched on a false premise and you know what that ends up in? Complete confusion," he said.
Roberts has suggested that Ramadhar was wrong to make threats against the partnership. And he said on Sunday that COP's insistence that the Prime Minister fire the mayor is asking the leader of the government to break the law since the PM has no authority to fire a mayor.
Ramadhar also expressed his commitment to the Partnership."We are here to protect the Government and the People's Partnership in the long, long term," he said. However he said the coalition "must survive based on principle and agreement".
He said in politics there are always options but whatever he does would come only after "consultation with the rank and file of my party". He said to do otherwise would "to abdicate my role as leader of this party."
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