Dookeran wrong to issue statement without knowing full facts

Roodal Moonilal

Roodal Moonilal said on Friday Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Dookeran was wrong to issue a media statement suggesting that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar should "show compassion" in the Wayne Kublalsingh matter without first checking all the facts. 

Moonilal said Dookeran did not have the full facts of the situation when he issued the statement from Santo Domingo where he was attending a Cariforum conference. Moonilal is the Acting Foreign Affairs Minister in Dookeran’s absence. 

Moonlial told local media, "He (Dookeran) was not present at Cabinet discussions and as such was not in possession of the facts...his observations were made without the benefit of knowing the issues."  

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is also of that view. She said on Thursday that Dookeran was absent from coalition caucus where the issue was discussed and “may not be seized of all the issues.”

Winston Dookeran

Dookeran is the founding leader of the Congress of the People and has the support of some members of the party, including COP Chair Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan who said Friday, “I stand in support of Mr Dookeran’s statement.” 

However party and their cabinet colleague, Sports Minister Anil Roberts distanced himself from Dookeran’s statement. 

“I only make comments when I have done a full investigation, discussed with any and everybody and got all the facts before I comment,” Roberts told Newsday. 

“Mr Dookeran is Mr Dookeran and he is entitled as a private citizen and a Parliamentarian and a member of Parliament and as a minister to give his opinion...There are many individuals who have an opinion but the official (government) position has been stated by the Government. Political scientist Hamid Ghany told Newsday, "It is unusual for a senior Cabinet Minister to have done this. If he wanted to express his views he could have done it in private."

He added, "What he has done in effect is made a personal political statement and that statement has come up short as he does not seem to have considered factors like the Prime Minister sending an ambulance to Dr Kublalsingh."