COP demanded the removal of Marlene Coudray as Mayor after she left COP and joined the United National Congress (UNC). She ran for an executive position in the UNC's election on March 24 and was elected by the party's membership as one of the three UNC deputy leaders.
COP stated that it had a right to have control of the mayor's position.
Ramadhar conceded at a meeting of the leaders of the People's Partnership earlier this month that given the circumstances of the change in party allegiance by Coudray, COP no longer has that position of responsibility.
In addition he and the other leaders of the People's Partnership agreed at their meeting on April 12 that "the most appropriate resolution of the COP's loss of a position of responsibility would be the allocation of another position of responsibility". The leaders agreed that they would consider "a number of options".
The COP congress also discussed government's plans to make the Caribbean Court of Justice the country's final court of appeal on criminal and said it would maintain an independent position in Parliament and in Cabinet. The party also said it will insist on a referendum on the matter of the CCJ.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced in Parliament on Wednesday last week that the government will begin the process to make CCJ the country's final court of appeal with respect to criminal matters.
And government leader of business Dr Roodal Moonilal has said that critics should wait and see the draft proposals before making negative pronouncements.
Ramadhar suggested that elected representatives should not have final word on the CCJ matter without a referendum. This means that COP may not support the government when legislation on the CCJ matter goes to Parliament.
Ramadhar told reporters Sunday, “We have stated our position that referenda are required and therefore there is no automatic guarantee that the COP will support any legislation to amend the Constitution in a piecemeal manner on a matter of grave national importance,” he said.
Ramadar said a matter such as the moving of criminal appeals from the Privy Council to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) “cannot be done by a few persons sitting together" and making a decision.
“Our continued existence is about consultation and indeed, this party has gone on record to say that matters of the removal of Privy Council or the death penalty should be by referendum and therefore, we stand by what we have said.”
Ramadhar said the legislation to move criminal appeals to the CCJ has not been drafted. “We came in—that is the PP—on a promise in our manifesto for constitutional reform. We think this is the grandest opportunity to move forward with constitutional reform that will include the right for referendum, so that the people of T&T would have a say in this matter.
“As it stands right now our position is let’s go to constitutional reform,” he said. Ramadhar added, “I am not saying for a moment that we should agree it should go, or that we do not agree that it should go. What I’m saying is the process because this is how politics changes.
“We cannot allow the population to be victims of decisions taken by those who they elected and then wait for five years for response. Referenda are critically important and that must come before and we do not believe the process of piecemeal constitutional reform should be engaged in, but we should have a totality of constitutional reform and then deal with those issues."
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