After the Congress of the People (COP) National Council settles a date for the party’s leadership elections today, at least three people—veteran politician Gerald Yetming, former COP chairman Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan and ex-COP MP Rodger Samuel will finalise their decsion if to contest the post.
Such are the faces shaping up as COP leadership contenders so far, for an election expected by the end of July.
This morning’s COP’s council meeting at the Charlieville headquarters is expected to set a date for the polls, COP Chairman Jamieson Bahadur said. This would have to be before the end of July, he noted.
The council will finalise the election issue after the last proposed April 24 date was postponed due to calls for a change in the voting format.
Outgoing leader Prakash Ramadhar, who reiterated yesterday that he won’t seek reelection, recounted legal challenges and being threatened by some members if the party didn’t adhere to the COP’s Constitution on the matter.
In February, Ramadhar announced he would step down to allow the party to “find itself.” Also noted were recurring challenges and complaints about his leadership, especially during the PP coalition government’s tenure.
While some in the party, including executive members, had moved to have a new leader elected at the proposed April 24 polls, others, including Seepersad-Bachan, lobbied for adherence to COP’s Constitution. This mandates COP’s National Assembly of delegates to elect a leader if the incumbent steps down before his term ends, or dies in office.
Ramadhar said that mechanism will be used for the election, though he’s still concerned the delegate system wouldn’t allow all COP members to have a say in electing a leader.
Ramadhar said the council will also nominate one of COP’s deputy leaders to lead the party up to the elections. COP deputies are Dr Anirudh Mabahir and Lauren Pouchet, according to Bahadur. Mahabir acted as leader earlier in the year when Ramadhar was overseas.
If the acting appointment is done today, it will be Ramadhar’s last day as COP leader.
Yetming
Yetming, a former NAR St Joseph MP and UNC finance minister is a COP foundation member and was CL Financial chairman under the PP government. Most recently, he spearheaded the support team of UNC MP Roodal Moonilal in Moonilal’s December 2015 bid for the UNC leadership. Moonilal lost to incumbent Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
Yetming said Thursday that he has been completely out of the politics. “I did receive a call on Wednesday asking me to consider contesting the COP leadership...I met that day with a small group...of what I’d call influential people...who wish to support that bid.
“I promised to consider but I haven’t started to do it in any serious way. But I promised to examine it because of my concern for the party and the politics in T&T...My decision to consider was taken in the context of what’s happening in T&T, not just in the COP.”
Yetming who said he hasn’t considered backing someone else for the leadership, added that he promised the group to speak with them again early this week.
Seepersad-Bachan
Seepersad-Bachan, whose 2014 leadership bid against Ramadhar was defeated, was first out of the box last month indicating she was approached to contest. She was among those spearheading calls for a delegate system assembly for the polls.
Confirming she continues to be approached by “quite a lot of people” to contest, she said she was still deciding. But she insists, “The COP has to reopen. People are willing to return, but COP must not be closed to these things. People are calling with interest, former/dormant members are interested.”
She said that interest includes seeing her run for a major party role. “One thing people are concerned about is whether COP is a damaged vehicle. But people are at least differentiating between the vehicle and the leadership, they still believe in COP’s vision, mission, principles and its Peoples’ Charter.”
Seepersad-Bachan has expressed concern that today’s council is a delegates-only event. Since she is no longer and executive member, she cannot attend, she added.
Possibly prepping for the leadership contest, Seepersad-Bachan last week rebutted the PNM Government’s accusations that the PP’s scholarship system—once under her former Public Administration ministry—favoured certain students.
Samuel
Ex-MP Samuel, now on the Opposition Senate bench, and tipped to contest, said COP needs to regroup internally, tweak structures, and replenish its dynamics clearing its path. He noted the toll the last five years have taken on the young party’s internal development and the urgency to address that in order to rebrand and be appealing again. Samuel admitted the previous years’ priorities affected the thrust of COP’s “new politics” mantra.
“There was a time (in T&T) years ago when we could have seen a cadre of great leaders, but now we’re struggling with that and we have to present ourselves to the nation. I believe COP is as relevant to the politics of society as ever...we don’t have a long history and the time in government was hectic, so COP needs to use this time to regroup and become the ‘real’ COP it was meant to be because T&T needs a real alternative now.”
Dookeran
COP’s first leader, foundation member Winston Dookeran said on Thursday he wouldn’t contest, but didn’t rule out endorsing someone for leader. He did so in the last 2014 leadership polls, supporting Seepersad-Bachan.
Factors in choosing a new leader
Chairman Bahadur said several factors might be considered in choosing a new leader.
“Certainly COP would benefit by a person known nationally and must fit the leadership bill we’re seeking. Some have expressed concerns about the incumbent as well as the first leader. We have in the past called on people to return, they say they would if you change the leadership—and now some say, ‘who we go put’.”
Bahadur agreed other factors would include COP’s position as an independent party, its role in the PP coalition previously, and how such arrangements may (or may not) continue.
Ramadhar, agreeing COP has to be ready for the next (2020) general election, said this period will allow COP to “ventilate itself and see who’s true to national development as opposed to personal ambition.”
“I’m not leaving the COP or T&T. I continue as COP MP (St Augustine) and will focus on redeveloping my law practice. But there’s been a lot of ‘schizophrenia’ (in COP) among some who are unsure if they want to be in government or in a pressure group or work towards building something T&T needs—let’s see how it pans out,” Ramadhar added.
COP’s Constitution, which stipulates that a person has to be a COP member for six months in order to contest the leadership, will rule out some personalities who left, Bahadur added. Several such people—Gary Griffith, Nicole Dyer-Griffith, Joe Pires, Timothy Hamel-Smith and others formed pressure groups in the last year.