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| Anil Roberts: "...he (Ramadhar) has shown that he doesn’t have the testicular fortitude to stand". |
The drama in the Congress of the People (COP) is taking a different turn with one of its MPs demanding that the leader, Prakash Ramadhar, must go.
Anil Roberts, who is the Minister of Sports and the MP for D'Abadie/O'Meara on Wednesday called for Ramadhar to resign.
“So what is he going to do? He is going to look weak. He’s going to look like he’s demoted, being used by others and did not think a situation through. That is not what people want in a prime minister. So, I wish him all the best," Roberts said.
He also insisted that he remains a member of COP and that he is not about to change parties. "I’m not walking anywhere...I’m in a coalition with team-mates."
The move by Roberts followed reports that the party is seeking to initiative disciplinary action against him for speaking out against the leader and the party's position.
Local media reports suggest that some top COP are so angry that they are talking about expelling Roberts from the party for speaking out against Ramadhar.
If that happens COP would in effect surrender one of the six seats it currently holds in the Parliament and give up one cabinet position.
COP controls the ministries of Finance, Planning, Legal Affairs, Public Administration and Sports in the People's Partnership cabinet.
The rift at the top began developing over the Marlene Coudray affair. The party has been highly critical of Coudray for defecting from COP to the United National Congress (UNC) and winning a seat at one of the three deputy leaders of the UNC.
Both Ramadhar and COP Chairman Joseph Toney criticised the move, suggesting that it was disrespectful and that it would weaken the partnership.
Ramadhar initially threatened to walk away from the partnership but has now softened his position, saying that the issue is not one that would put the partnership at risk. However he is still demanding that Coudray be removed as mayor of San Fernando and replaced with a COP nominee.
Coudray has said she has no intention of doing that and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is reported to be standing firm on her position that she cannot and will not fire a mayor.
JYOTI's sources say the matter could be resolved with the promotion of Coudray to a junior ministerial post in the Ministry of Local Government. For that to happen, the UNC would have to remove one of its 16 senators to make way for Coudray to have a seat in the upper house.
At the height of the controversy Roberts criticised Ramadhar for the position he took with respect to Coudray, especially on the matter of her dismissal. He has argued that Persad-Bissessar cannot lawfully fire Coudray. He further stated that the COP was behaving like the PNM and insisted that he would not follow Ramadhar in his present quarrel with the Partnership.
Now COP jefes are saying Roberts breached the party's constitution and code of conduct which state that "all members are under an obligation and oath to avoid acts which may be considered liable to bring the COP into disrepute."
Media reports say some of COP's top personnel met at Valpark Shopping Plaza and agreed that Roberts is on a “path” that “may not be generally acceptable” to the COP". However, Ramadhar denied that there is any rift within COP.
The Newsday newspaper quoted Ramadhar as saying, "The party is looking on with great interest and rest assured that we believe in the right order of things...I will say no more at this point in time.”
The paper also quoted COP General Secretary Nirad Tewarie as denying that Roberts has been referred to a disciplinary committee.
“The COP does not have a disciplinary committee. What we have is a Dispute Resolution Committee, to which Mr Roberts has not been referred," he told the paper.
Ramadhar is on personal leave until March 23.
Roberts told Newsday his leader did not carefully think through the Coudray matter before making declarative statements. He said he knows that Ramadhar would not agree to walk and suggested that Ramadhar's flip flop so far makes him will look weak.
"Already he has shown that he doesn’t have the testicular fortitude to stand, because he cannot stand on a non-issue."
Anil Roberts, who is the Minister of Sports and the MP for D'Abadie/O'Meara on Wednesday called for Ramadhar to resign.
“So what is he going to do? He is going to look weak. He’s going to look like he’s demoted, being used by others and did not think a situation through. That is not what people want in a prime minister. So, I wish him all the best," Roberts said.
He also insisted that he remains a member of COP and that he is not about to change parties. "I’m not walking anywhere...I’m in a coalition with team-mates."
The move by Roberts followed reports that the party is seeking to initiative disciplinary action against him for speaking out against the leader and the party's position.
Local media reports suggest that some top COP are so angry that they are talking about expelling Roberts from the party for speaking out against Ramadhar.
If that happens COP would in effect surrender one of the six seats it currently holds in the Parliament and give up one cabinet position.
COP controls the ministries of Finance, Planning, Legal Affairs, Public Administration and Sports in the People's Partnership cabinet.
The rift at the top began developing over the Marlene Coudray affair. The party has been highly critical of Coudray for defecting from COP to the United National Congress (UNC) and winning a seat at one of the three deputy leaders of the UNC.
Both Ramadhar and COP Chairman Joseph Toney criticised the move, suggesting that it was disrespectful and that it would weaken the partnership.
Ramadhar initially threatened to walk away from the partnership but has now softened his position, saying that the issue is not one that would put the partnership at risk. However he is still demanding that Coudray be removed as mayor of San Fernando and replaced with a COP nominee.
Coudray has said she has no intention of doing that and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is reported to be standing firm on her position that she cannot and will not fire a mayor.
JYOTI's sources say the matter could be resolved with the promotion of Coudray to a junior ministerial post in the Ministry of Local Government. For that to happen, the UNC would have to remove one of its 16 senators to make way for Coudray to have a seat in the upper house.
At the height of the controversy Roberts criticised Ramadhar for the position he took with respect to Coudray, especially on the matter of her dismissal. He has argued that Persad-Bissessar cannot lawfully fire Coudray. He further stated that the COP was behaving like the PNM and insisted that he would not follow Ramadhar in his present quarrel with the Partnership.
Now COP jefes are saying Roberts breached the party's constitution and code of conduct which state that "all members are under an obligation and oath to avoid acts which may be considered liable to bring the COP into disrepute."
Media reports say some of COP's top personnel met at Valpark Shopping Plaza and agreed that Roberts is on a “path” that “may not be generally acceptable” to the COP". However, Ramadhar denied that there is any rift within COP.
The Newsday newspaper quoted Ramadhar as saying, "The party is looking on with great interest and rest assured that we believe in the right order of things...I will say no more at this point in time.”
The paper also quoted COP General Secretary Nirad Tewarie as denying that Roberts has been referred to a disciplinary committee.
“The COP does not have a disciplinary committee. What we have is a Dispute Resolution Committee, to which Mr Roberts has not been referred," he told the paper.
Ramadhar is on personal leave until March 23.
Roberts told Newsday his leader did not carefully think through the Coudray matter before making declarative statements. He said he knows that Ramadhar would not agree to walk and suggested that Ramadhar's flip flop so far makes him will look weak.
"Already he has shown that he doesn’t have the testicular fortitude to stand, because he cannot stand on a non-issue."
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