Leaders of the People's Partnership will meet again Thursday to try to resolve the impasse over the call by the Congress of the People (COP) to remove Marlene Coudray as mayor of San Fernando.
The leaders met Wednesday but failed to find a solution. The meeting had to be aborted because Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar had to leave early to attend the launch of the Road rehabilitation Program of the Works and Infrastructure Ministry in Rio Claro.
The leaders met Wednesday but failed to find a solution. The meeting had to be aborted because Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar had to leave early to attend the launch of the Road rehabilitation Program of the Works and Infrastructure Ministry in Rio Claro.
 |
| PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar waves to the media as she leaves for an engagement in Rio Claro |
She did not speak with the media before leaving for Rio claro. However at that event she commented briefly on the partnership matter, saying she remains optimistic that there will be a resolution to the issue.
Persad-Bissessar said the guiding principle among leaders would be "that we all put the greater good as foremost in our minds in making our decisions". She assured the media that she intends to hold the Partnership together.
The Coudray affair came up last month after the San Fernando mayor - who was a COP member - joined the United National Congress (UNC) and ran for a post on the UNC's national executive in the party's march 24 internal election.
COP called the move "poaching", a charge dismissed both by the UNC leadership and Coudray. When Coudray won one of the posts of Deputy Leader in the UNC, COP reacted by demanding that she be removed as mayor and replaced by a COP mayor.
COP Leader Prakash Ramadhar insisted the Fyzabad Declaration that created the partnership provided for COP to have a mayor in Arima and San Fernando. When former COP leader Winston Dookeran - the man who signed the declaration on behalf of COP - pointed out that was not so Ramadhar explained that there was a "gentleman's agreement" on the matter.
Ramadhar at first threatened to reconsider COP's relationship with the partnership over the disagreement. However he later softened his position and pledged the party's continued commitment to the partnership.
The Prime Minister's national security adviser was the one who advised reporters on Wednesday that the meeting would reconvene on Thursday morning at nine.
Gary Griffith stated that while there was no consensus "there is a lot of dialogue and it is a clear sign that the Government is working to deal with any hiccup that can take place."
The COP issue is one of two matters that are to be resolved by the leaders. The other is a list of 10 items that the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) wants resolved before May 24, the second anniversary of the PP victory.
Persad-Bissessar said the guiding principle among leaders would be "that we all put the greater good as foremost in our minds in making our decisions". She assured the media that she intends to hold the Partnership together.
"At the same time I plan to ensure that the transparency and the integrity of the process is kept and at all times we maintain the trust and the faith of the electorate which voted for us, who gave us thousands of votes and who depended on us to carry out the mandate they gave us. I will do all that I can," Persad-Bissessar stated.
The Coudray affair came up last month after the San Fernando mayor - who was a COP member - joined the United National Congress (UNC) and ran for a post on the UNC's national executive in the party's march 24 internal election.
COP called the move "poaching", a charge dismissed both by the UNC leadership and Coudray. When Coudray won one of the posts of Deputy Leader in the UNC, COP reacted by demanding that she be removed as mayor and replaced by a COP mayor.
COP Leader Prakash Ramadhar insisted the Fyzabad Declaration that created the partnership provided for COP to have a mayor in Arima and San Fernando. When former COP leader Winston Dookeran - the man who signed the declaration on behalf of COP - pointed out that was not so Ramadhar explained that there was a "gentleman's agreement" on the matter.
Ramadhar at first threatened to reconsider COP's relationship with the partnership over the disagreement. However he later softened his position and pledged the party's continued commitment to the partnership.
The Prime Minister's national security adviser was the one who advised reporters on Wednesday that the meeting would reconvene on Thursday morning at nine.
Gary Griffith stated that while there was no consensus "there is a lot of dialogue and it is a clear sign that the Government is working to deal with any hiccup that can take place."
The COP issue is one of two matters that are to be resolved by the leaders. The other is a list of 10 items that the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) wants resolved before May 24, the second anniversary of the PP victory.
The 10 issues as outlined by the MSJ are:
- Settlement of negotiations in a fair and equitable manner consistent with the free collective bargaining process
- Fair share of State resources to communities and the equitable distribution of jobs
- Reduced rights of land tenure and massive increase of lease rates to farmers without consultation
- Governance: process of constitution reform and local government reform, addressing state sector governance, cutting all forms of discrimination, political victimisation, corruption, nepotism and patronage
- Getting rid of the odious system of contract labour in the public service and state sectors
- Privatisation, especially of Petrotrin (Trinmar’s acreage) and First Citizens
- Advancing the agenda of Labour Law reform
- The protection of the livelihoods of fisherfolk
- Implementing the cultural sector agenda, as committed to in the manifesto
- Establishing a policy position so as to stop the use of force by the Police Service to frustrate, intimidate and stop the legitimate and peaceful activities of civil society, including peaceful protest action by workers and the rights of the media
No comments:
Post a Comment