Love, labour, LNG and Larry

Despite his imposing size, former Minister of Labour Larry Achong usually comes across as reserved, even shy. “Who exactly is Larry Achong?” asked many. Up to now he can’t be said to have made his mark in our collective political mind. But in resigning he has now attracted more media attention as a dissident voice than he ever had as a Minister. And he has come out of his shell. This gentle giant has become the mouse who roared. At the picket line he had thundered in defence of his Point Fortin constituents striking at ALNG. This political episode has some juicy human-interest aspects. Did Achong leave over LNG... or love? Despite telling reporters his resignation was a protest over ALNG wages, could it be that the greying, chubby-cheeked, overweight Achong was in fact an unlikely Romeo? Prime Minister Patrick Manning added another twist to this human drama. Twice approached by reporters for comment, Manning pointed to his throat and claimed to have problems talking. Political observers aptly dubbed this speech impediment “larry-in-gitis” and said Manning’s conduct was childish.

But for all its light asides, Achong’s resignation has serious implications not just for our vital LNG sector but also for the stability of Manning’s Government. Since Manning announced his Cabinet after the last election and ignored Fitzgerald Hinds and Eudine Job-Davis, the rumours have failed to go away. In fact, Job-Davis has already declared herself irrelevant in the PNM. How far could Achong’s resignation impact, and how did we reach this state? Is it because Point Fortin is so far from Port-of-Spain that it has a tradition of MPs who defect from the PNM, starting with Roy Richardson and then Dr Vincent Lasse? Perhaps petro-prosperity has also nurtured a certain independent spirit in the constituency? Did Achong resign because he felt he was in the impossible position of having to be loyal to both constituents on strike and to the Government in which he headed Labour? Was it an impossible balance for him to achieve?

There is also much speculation that the ALNG strike was just the straw that broke Achong’s back over long-simmering resentments over how Manning had treated his wife, Marlene De Coudray. The De Coudray element has been denied by all parties, but is this really so? De Coudray is CEO of the San Fernando City Corporation and has long had an uneasy relationship with the PNM. Amid charges that the Government is “house-padding” in the National Housing Authority’s (NHA) construction programme, De Coudray said certain projects in San Fernando had not received formal planning approval. Attempts were made to transfer De Coudray to Point Fortin Borough Council. She responded with a lawsuit, still to be determined, charging political interference in the Public Service. Achong has denied De Coudray was his reason for resigning. So, where are we now? Achong is acting as an industrial relations consultant to trade unions involved in the ALNG dispute. After enjoying ministerial perks, can he now “live” on an MP’s salary? Quitting as Minister, he’s also said he will also review his relationship with the PNM party. Will he quit politics altogether?

Politically he now has several options. His choice could impact on the national polity. He could go back to being a Minister, exist as just a PNM MP, or even stay as an MP in the PNM but decline to take the party whip in parliamentary votes. He could be more radical. He could resign the PNM and exist as an independent MP, possibly forming some sort of grouping of other dissidents in the House. Achong has claimed a split in the Cabinet. If true, might he play a role in bringing such a split to the fore? How far could such a fracture go? Would it threaten Manning? Achong could follow his two predesecors, Richardson and Lasse, and cross the floor, in this case to the UNC Opposition. The former UNC Government in 2001 held 20 seats to the PNM’s 16, but it collapsed when three Ministers left the party. Ironically at present the PNM holds 20 seats in Parliament, and if Achong leaves Government, the PNM will have three disenchanted MPs on its backbenches, bringing back memories of 2001. So, would Achong defect? Although such a move would be full of drama, it might not benefit him for long. Even if Achong and maybe others were to force Manning to hold a by-election or even dissolve Parliament and hold a general election, this might not alone change the balance of political power in the country.

There would need to be other tides turning in the country which could cause some shift from the PNM in its marginal constituencies like Tunapuna and Ortoire/Mayaro. Moreso Achong would have to be aware that it is very hard for a defecting MP to win back his seat without the support of his original party. Ask Ramesh Maharaj, Ralph Maraj and Trevor Sudama. As unpalatable as it may be to the egos of politicians, the “personal vote” they are able to attract is minuscule, as people vote “party” over “personality”. Despite the “ra-ra-ra!” of the ALNG strike camp, Achong must carefully ask himself how many of the family, friends and neighbours of those same striking workers, in three years time at the next general election and long after the noise has died down, would vote for him as an independent or UNC candidate and ditch their beloved PNM? In the 2000 general election, there was perhaps no MP who had both such a large past electoral majority and such high personal esteem among constituents, as Oropouche MP, Trevor Sudama. Yet as soon as he left the UNC, along with Ramesh Maharaj and Ralph Maraj in Team Unity in the 2002 general elections, he was unable to even retain his deposit.

If Achong left the PNM he might only be successful if there was some other huge tide flowing in the national polity, as happened in 1986 with the ascent of the NAR. So far there is talk of party emissaries trying to woo back Achong, although he has denied meeting any. While Achong has said he is not going back, Manning has refused so far to accept his resignation. At least this suggests that Manning is not taking the matter lightly. In the meantime, Achong has gone fishing, of all places, in Tobago waters.