Barrington “Skippy” Thomas claims the United National Congress (UNC) wants to force him out of his job as adviser to the Minister of the People. However, Thomas, a long-standing member of the party, said he does not intend to quit his position at the ministry’s Port-of-Spain office, where he worked with former minister Dr Glenn Ramadharsingh for four years. His contract at the ministry ends in November.
Thomas, the UNC’s Tobago regional co-ordinator, believes Ramadharsingh was wrongly dismissed by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and he intends to “tell all” at a public meeting this week. He told the Sunday Guardian he has nothing to lose, gain or hide and does not have “any cocoa in the sun”. In addition to the firing of Ramadharsingh, Thomas also plans to talk about ministers plotting against each other and intimidatory tactics used on party members.
“I don’t like the direction the party is heading,“ he said Thomas has invited interim leader of the Independent Liberal Party (ILP) Jack Warner to speak on his platform and said he would ask UNC founder Basdeo Panday to join him as a guest speaker, as well as former attorney general Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj. On Friday, Warner said he needed approval by the ILP executives before joining Thomas.
Maharaj said he recently met Thomas outside the court and told him the UNC membership had to come together to force the Government to step down. “I told Skippy that the country was in trouble and that anything I can do to save the it, I would be prepared to join in,” he said. Panday said Thomas is yet to discuss the matter with him.
Thomas said he was not afraid to step on the toes of the cabal to save the UNC: “As I speak they are calculating their efforts to get rid of me. Everyone knows I am an open book. I like rum shop....I like my liquor and you would hear obscene language from me when I taking my liquor and liming. Outside of that, there is no corruption or mauvais langue.”
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has taken charge of the Ministry of the People. Thomas said since Ramadharsingh’s departure he has been sitting in his office doing nothing. “I spoke to the permanent secretary about not having anything to do. I am very troubled by it. I am uncomfortable coming here and drawing taxpayers’ money and not working for it,” he said He said he started a stream of projects under Ramadharsingh which he wants finished, but no one is telling him anything.
“I am being victimised because of Glenn. Right now I know of five employee in here who are ready to call it a day because they are feeling like the sword of Damocles hanging over their heads.” Last week, manager of the Inter Agency Unit (IAU) Andrew Boodoo had his services terminated following allegations of wrong-doing within the IAU. The IAU is a pilot project under the Social Development Ministry and is responsible for the voluntary and involuntary removal of street dwellers.