Manning promises Achong statement today

PRIME Minister Patrick Manning will today make a statement on the issue of the resignation of Labour Minister Larry Achong.  This was confirmed yesterday by Works and Transport Minister, Franklyn Khan, in his capacity as chairman of the PNM, following the party’s monthly General Council meeting at Balisier House. Khan told reporters that the resignation of Achong came up at the meeting, but only in the sense of the PM briefing members on the way he has been dealing with the issue. Khan said the Council fully endorsed “the approach of the political leader in handling the matter over the last ten days or so, and how he intended to handle the matter in the coming hours.”

Khan promised that Manning will make a statement in this regard today. Khan summoned members of the media to the press conference just before Manning made his departure. Achong, who is a member of the General Council, did not attend yesterday’s meeting. Achong too is expected to make a statement this week on his political future but efforts to contact him yesterday were futile. Manning on Saturday met with executives of the Point Fortin PNM constituency, which Achong represents. Khan said Manning assured them that “they will in no way be disadvantaged by the resignation of the MP and will continue to get support.” Khan dismissed suggestions that there may be a fall out with the constituency saying “it is non-existent.” Khan and other party members met last Tuesday with the same executive. Asked how the party felt about Achong’s resignation, Khan said “it wasn’t discussed at length.”

Last Thursday at the post-Cabinet press conference, Manning said as far as he was concerned Achong was still the Labour Minister, since he (Manning) had not accepted the resignation, and  did not pass it on to the President to cancel the appointment. He promised then to speak fully on the issue this week. Manning had initially lost his voice on the matter when Achong tendered his resignation on March 12. Achong has said that his resignation was based on the continuing protest by construction workers on the Atlantic LNG Train IV plant, and because of Government’s decision not to implement the sectoral wage. Khan yesterday also dismissed the issue of a bye-election being called in Point Fortin, reiterating that Achong had only resigned his Ministerial post, but remained a member of the party. Asked how he felt about the party reneging on its promise to implement a sectoral wage increase, Khan insisted that wasn’t the case and it “may happen in the future.”

He said there were several national issues which had to be considered and implementation simple may not be in the “national interest at this time.” He said Government was currently “reviewing it very very critically and by the next election we would have done so much, no one would accuse us of reneging or not delivering on anything.” Khan, in response to other questions, said if anyone wanted to leave the party they were free to go, but if the person didn’t want to resign, the party could not force them to do so. On resigning the seat they held, he said in his view if someone wanted to leave the party, the principled thing to do would be to resign the seat since they won it on a PNM ticket.