Chairman of the Congress of the People (COP) Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan said yesterday would meet with the group of party members who have put up a no-confidence motion against the party’s leader Prakash Ramadhar to try and work out the situation. In the atmosphere pending Monday’s Chaguanas West by-election — in which COP’s UNC partner in Government is under siege — and Friday’s dissolution of local government corporations, the COP has been hit not only by the defection of two COP councillors to former minister Jack Warner’s new ILP party but also by the no-confidence motion. COP holds another public meeting tonight at Gaston Court, Chaguanas, in support of the People’s Partnership in the by-election in which Warner’s new ILP is fighting UNC’s Khadijah Ameen plus four other candidates, including one from a party formed by former COP member Nalini Dial.
Dial’s son, COP member Rudy Hanamji, who formulated the no-confidence motion against Ramadhar, said his group of about 30 — including Ramadhar’s brother — projected holding public outreach meetings this week or next week to educate members about the motion. Hanamji said they aimed to table it at COP’s August 10 national council. Seepersad-Bachan said she had been constantly talking to the group and did not agree with the removal of a democratically-elected leader. She acknowledged, however, it was a strong viewpoint and there were members who felt COP should exit the PP, as well as those who wanted to stay in it or be stronger. Seepersad-Bachan said she would try to meet the group again to see what could be done. She added: “Nothing’s wrong with issues being raised but they have to accept the majority rule. If our council stands a certain way the party abides by it.” On the defection of two Diego Martin and Tunapuna COP councillors to Warner’s ILP, she said she spoke with one, who claimed dissatisfaction with lack of resources in his area and also claimed he was “unfairly treated.”
But she said she had seen one councillor (Wazim Daniel) in COP only in recent times. “Some of them, after being made councillor, don’t return to the party to account to the council, so a problem we have is we don’t know their issues,” she added. Seepersad-Bachan said the party was increasing its efforts since the COP was seeking to contest more seats for the Partnership in local government polls which are due by October. She said the COP wanted to field all candidates for the San Fernando (which is COP-headed) and Diego Martin (now UNC-controlled) corporations. Asked her view of a poll that puts Warner ahead of UNC candidate Khadijah Ameen in Chaguanas West, she said: “Six days in politics is a long time. That’s the amount of time before the by-election.”