Coudray has a right to join a party of her choice: PM Kamla

File: PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar with Mayor Marlene Coudray at the swearing in of the mayor in 2010 

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said on Wednesday Marlene Coudray has a democratic right to switch allegiances from the Congress of the People (COP) to the United National Congress (UNC).

It was Persad-Bissessar's first comment on the controversy over the decision of the Mayor of San Fernando to join the UNC and run for one of the three posts of deputy leader in Saturday's UNC internal election.

COP has denounced the move as "poaching". It's chairman, Joseph Toney, has suggested that it would weaken the People's Partnership. And COP leader Prakash Ramadhar has called it "disrectful".

Coudray is running on a slate of candidates led by Oropouche East MP Roodal Moonilal, who is one of the party's deputy leaders.

Most of the people on that slate are current members of the national executive who were elected in 2010 on a slate led by Persad-Bissessar when she ran for the leadership of the party against UNC founder Basdeo Panday.

"I think that is a personal choice of Ms Coudray. We live in a free country; it's her democratic right to choose which party she belongs to," Persad-Bissessar told reporters. She added that "many members of the COP were once UNC. If you recall, the COP was formed when members of the UNC left to go to the COP."

She said COP is entitled to its view. "I do not see it as poaching...I don't think somebody can poach Marlene Coudray. She's a very strong, powerful woman, and she has a mind of her own," she said.

On Wednesday night Moonilal expressed the same sentiments. Speaking at a rally of his Nationalists team in Debe, South Trinidad, Moonilal said Coudray made a decision and there is no reason why she should have to apologise to anyone for exercising her constitutional right.