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| File: Verna St Rose-Greaves |
St Rose-Greaves made the accusations in an interview with the paper. However she did not provide any evidence to support her thesis.
St Rose-Greaves was a strong supporter of the government and served in the senate and cabinet until Persad-Bissessar dismissed her and handed the Gender, Youth and Child Development portfolio to Marlene Coudray in the June cabinet reshuffle.
In her interview she said she loves the PM and was supportive of Persad-Bissessar's decision to have her sister as an assistant because the PM needed such "protection" from people who constantly want to control the PM. She said they are the ones who made the fuss and caused the PM to curtail her sister's role.
In her interview she said she loves the PM and was supportive of Persad-Bissessar's decision to have her sister as an assistant because the PM needed such "protection" from people who constantly want to control the PM. She said they are the ones who made the fuss and caused the PM to curtail her sister's role.
She suggested that the PM is weak and won't be able to cope with a national crisis. She said those who are trying to control the PM want a crisis in order to take charge. "This is why I am pushing for her to stand up and step up,” she told the Guardian.
St Rose-Greaves said, "The Prime Minister is loved, she is loved. And I think if people understand the promise of what is possible, if she is allowed to function in the way that is required of a prime minister, I think there are sufficient people willing to help and support her."
The former minister told the Guardian Persad-Bissessar can "salvage her legacy" as the first female PM if she gets rid of "certain people" whom she does not name. "She has to assert her position and have a better handle on how and what her ministers are doing," she stated.
She charged that "desperate" people in Persad-Bissessar's inner circle have created a wall that no one can penetrate.
St Rose-Greaves said, "The Prime Minister is loved, she is loved. And I think if people understand the promise of what is possible, if she is allowed to function in the way that is required of a prime minister, I think there are sufficient people willing to help and support her."
The former minister told the Guardian Persad-Bissessar can "salvage her legacy" as the first female PM if she gets rid of "certain people" whom she does not name. "She has to assert her position and have a better handle on how and what her ministers are doing," she stated.
She charged that "desperate" people in Persad-Bissessar's inner circle have created a wall that no one can penetrate.
The Guardian sought clarification on that and in her response St Rose-Greaves stated that the composition of the group is not static. "It depends on what is being discussed," she said. "At any time it’s a group of people who is in charge."
St Rose-Greaves explained her thesis by stating that whenever a government crisis develops certain ministers take the lead to deal with the matter while the PM remains silent. She said when the PM eventually speaks she takes the cue from her ministers.
“She does not appear to be in charge," she stated. "I am suggesting that she reasserts her authority...She has to step back into her power."
She acknowledged that Persad-Bissessar created the opportunity for her own political success through her political skills. However she said she has now abdicated her responsibilities because of the persistence of this group, the composition fo which changes according to the state's agenda.
She acknowledged that Persad-Bissessar created the opportunity for her own political success through her political skills. However she said she has now abdicated her responsibilities because of the persistence of this group, the composition fo which changes according to the state's agenda.
That unnamed group, she said, is a great threat that must be confronted. “We cannot go on like that. They will kill the goose that laid the golden egg,” she said.
The Guardian report is the first of two-parts.
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