COP Leader Says Party Will Stay Within Coalition Government Despite Resignations

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – The leader of the Congress of the People (COP) Prakash Ramadhar says the party will not leave the coalition people’s partnership government, despite the resignation of some members including its chairman, Nicole Dyer-Griffith.

Dyer-Griffith submitted her resignation on Sunday, accusing the coalition government of sidelining the COP, the second biggest partner in the four-member coalition.

“I wish her well. I want to thank her for the efforts she has made in the past for the party, and the party continues its work. We conducted our National Council meeting to a successful end. I have little more to add, except that the party’s decisions along the way have been consistent and in accord with the highest principles.” Ramadhar told reporters at the end of the Council meeting on Sunday.

“We are committed to the People’s Partnership. I make it abundantly clear and I think that everyone in National Council agreed that there is no alternative for the COP but with the Partnership at this point in time. Any alternative will put victory into the hands of the PNM (People’s National Movement), any separation and division to a (Keith)Rowley victory and the very things that this party fought against since 2006, and that we have been able to succeed incredibly in government will be thrown away.”

He said he wanted to “caution all those who in a moment of anguish or in a moment of unhappiness make decisions that affect the future of a nation.

“No one person or group is bigger than the well-being of a country and its children, and therefore we say put egos behind, as I have had to, and do what is necessary to succeed for the people,” Ramotar said, adding “the COP moves forward.

“We have had many trials and tribulations, we have succeeded and we will continue to succeed,” said Ramotar, who is also legal Affairs and Justice Minister.

Dyer-Griffith said her decision to resign was hastened also by the “un-ceremonial removal of the President of the Senate, not so much so, the issue of the person in Timothy Hamel-Smith, but the issue of the position being removed from the party…without so much of a discussion with the political leader of the party and then a replacement that is also not a member of the COP.

“It is those issues among others that really treat with equity, fairness and how the relationship amongst and between partners should move forward. I don’t see any changes because as I mentioned, this has been taking place since 2010,” said Dyer-Griffith, the wife of former national security minister Gary Griffith.

Last month, Prime Minister Persad Bissessar removed Hamel-Smith and revamped the Cabinet, after the police confirmed they were investigating allegations of perverting the course of justice, against Attorney General Anand Ramlogan based on statements submitted to them by Griffith.

Griffith said he had been asked by Ramlogan to seek to get David West, the Director of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) to withdraw a witness statement he had submitted in support of Opposition Leader Dr. Keith Rowley, in a private lawsuit brought against him by Ramlogan.

Mrs. Dyer-Griffith said the comments of the COP leader, Prakash Ramadhar supporting the removal of Ramlogan and Griffith from the Cabinet was in sharp contrast to his silence, on the removal of other ministers who may also be implicated in the affair.

“I find it interesting that the party up to this date has not called for the stepping aside of (Communication Minister) Vasant Bharath and other ministers, who were named as part of the investigations…

“The political leader was quoted in some media statement stating that that is the COP’s position and anybody involved, indirectly or directly should step aside, but yet there have been no calls for these ministers (to step aside) and I find it questionable and strange and I wonder why.”

COP’s deputy political leader, Dr Anirudh Mahabir said although he thought the reasons for Dyer-Griffith’s resignation were not made clear to the party, it was obviously related to her husband or the firing of Hamel-Smith.

“Nicole as chairman was a very valuable part of the COP. And she was part of our plans in going forward in the next elections. Having left us, it means we have to go back to the board and recalculate how we are going to go forward. She probably has her reasons for resigning. The reasons have not been clearly enunciated as far as I am concerned, and maybe with time we will probably learn exactly why she left the party,” he added.

Bharath told reporters that the United national Congress (UNC), the biggest partner in the coalition, is not yet worried at the exodus of members from the COP.

“I have not seen anything formally with regards to Dyer-Griffith’s resignation but that’s clearly an internal matter at this point in time for the COP. It will, I presume, become a national issue at some point in time, but I have not had the full details of it to be in a position to adequately comment.”