Gopeesingh comes on board to make Kamla opposition leader

Caroni East MP Dr Tim Gopessingh on Saturday broke the political impasse in the opposition in Trinidad and Tobago and announced that he will support his party's new leader, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, for the post of leader of the opposition.

At a media conference, Gopeesingh noted that there had been a precedent established by the United National Congress (UNC) by which the party's leader, Winston Dookeran, remained as an MP while Persad-Bissessar occupied the post of leader of the opposition.

He said that contributed to divisions in the party. "This Parliamentary and political conflict, in retrospect, did NOT serve the UNC well in or out of Parliament at the time," he said.

"In fact, I firmly believe that it played a major role in destabilizing the party’s image and contributed to our loss of the 2007 general elections.

"The Parliamentary image of a party, after all, is the image the public most sees of the party and therefore remains the PRIMARY impact on that party’s credibility, stability and integrity," Gopeesingh noted.

The MP said in the interest of preserving the UNC’s stability and credibility, and in the interest of serving the people who elected him to office he has decided to support to Mrs. Kamla Persad-Bissessar as Opposition Leader.

Gopeesingh said it was a difficult decision, but the correct one.

"I firmly believe that it is time that the UNC re-establishes itself as the most powerful party and not allow ourselves to be distracted by the extraneous and irrelevant issues of the elections which are now past.

"I need to recognize that the people have spoken and our duty is to listen to them. I am also acutely aware that the country as a whole is crying out that their trust in the present administration has been betrayed and the political tribalism is causing serious infractions and distress to the core of our beloved country.

"Our duty as MPs and as members of the UNC who have worked faithfully and tirelessly to ensure the survival of the party mandates that we now elect Mrs Persad-Bissessar as Opposition Leader and place in her the trust and confidence which are required to lead our party into Government and ensure that our party moves forward in a healing."

Gopeesingh also told reporters he cannot ignore the role of former UNC leader Bassdeo Panday in the nation's politics and pledged to hold discussions with Persad-Bissessar about "conciliatory talks with Mr Panday since I know she recognizes his great role and his ongoing importance to our party."

He added, "Let me state from the outset that my faith in Mr Panday’s ability as a leader remains unshaken. He remains my close friend, my mentor and my political inspiration."

He said Panday's years of "unequalled service to the people of this country can and never ought to go forgotten and should always be cherished in the annals of political history of this country.

"I firmly believe that he continues to have a major role to play in politics of this country in the coming years."

Gopeesingh added, "As our revered mentor Mr Panday has taught us, the principles of democracy cannot be compromised. Its concepts cannot be adopted in any halfway measure. One must stand or fall by its principles."