As internal rumblings in Congress of the People (COP) continue over the issue of cutting ties with the ruling People’s Partnership (PP) coalition government, an executive member intends to move a motion to quit the PP at the party’s next national council meeting. Field operations secretary Kirt Sinnette made the announcement during the party’s public meeting at Gaston Courts, Chaguanas, on Tuesday night.
In a brief interview afterwards, he told reporters even if the motion was rejected he would not resign from the COP. In response, party leader Prakash Ramadhar challenged Sinnette to bring the motion and let the party decide whether the party should stay or go. Ramadhar made his own position clear. “For all those who simply say to walk and let that change fall back to the old, I say think again. I will not allow that to happen,” he said. Giving up all that the COP worked for all those years, he said, would be “irresponsible and it is reckless.”
A visibly upset Sinnette, who left the head table after speaking, said all over the country people are asking: “Where has the COP gone? The COP I voted for. Where is the COP of Winston Dookeran and the new politics?” He added: “I want to tell you tonight that the yellow and the green have broken almost all, if not all, of the codes of conduct expected of them because there is no difference between them.
“And when I have to pick up the paper and read that my own party is being accused of accepting funds from the same contractors that are financing the UNC campaign without us refuting it, I know that the COP has gone too far.” The former national boxer said the problem was not the new politics but the people who were not applying it.
“These people are everywhere in green, red, yellow and even the white. I say to you tonight that we have a code that we have to live by and that code does not allow for us to compromise our principles,” he said. He added: “You cannot have a partner who has trampled over that code of ethics and still continue in that partnership. And if the COP is to be true to its founding principles, this relationship with the UNC must come to an end.
“To that end, I have advised the party that I will be moving the motion at the next national council to quit the People’s Partnership Government and return to the partnership with the people. “ In the interview afterwards, Sinnette said the UNC had continued to advantage and disrespect the COP, noting, for example, its refusal to meet with the COP for negotiations over local government seats.
“They are saying that they have no time with us in negotiation. I don’t understand that, that is total disrespect.” He said 148,000 people had once voted for the COP in a general election but a lot had since left the party. Sinnette said the COP was being bullied by the UNC and it would get worse if the UNC won the Chaguanas West seat.