ACHONG QUITS AS LABOUR MINISTER

IT IS OFFICIAL! After weeks of speculation and rampant rumours, Labour Minister and MP for Point Fortin Lawrence Achong last night confirmed his resignation, with immediate effect, from the portfolio of  Labour Minister. Right after the sitting of Parliament yesterday, he handed a two-line letter of resignation to Prime Minister Patrick Manning. He said it was the correct thing to do.  Asked about the reason for his resignation, Achong said, “I intend to answer that on Monday when I talk to my constituents.” “I can say that this afternoon, just before Parliament ended, I tendered my resignation to the Prime Minister as Minister of Labour. I handed him a letter which stated my resignation,” a relaxed Achong told Newsday in the yard of his Ste Madeleine home last night.

“Come next week I’ll occupy the backbenches in Parliament and that is that,” Achong said. Then jokingly his wife Marlene Coudray said, “Who knows, you might even sit in the front benches now.” Achong has been at loggerheads with Manning with the position he has taken up with labour matters. In addition, matters were made more tense when Coudray brought a constitutional motion against Manning challenging him when he attempted to transfer her as chief executive officer of the San Fernando Corporation, to Point Fortin. With Coudray smiling broadly as she hugged him, Achong flatly denied being interested in leaving the PNM. “I am still a Member of  Parliament; I am still a member of the Party (PNM) and my duty now is to my constituents.  I have no intentions of  leaving the party (PNM). Leave and go where?” Achong asked, as he leaned on his Mazda SUV, smoking a cigarette.

“I am not prepared to tell you my reasons... Look, at this point in time, I have done the correct thing by resigning,” Achong said. Asked if his resignation had anything to do with the protests in the energy sector, with members of his Pt Fortin constituency being the major players in the protests for better wages and work conditions at Atlantic LNG and Petrotrin, and in support of them and higher wages, Achong remained silent. Asked if he would cross the floor and join the Opposition UNC, Achong smiling broadly, saying, “No, not at all, that (crossing the floor) has never crossed my mind.” Coudray told Newsday, “Write that his spouse is most elated that he has resigned... write that.” Achong said he also felt that his resignation as Labour Minister would not have an effect on his relationship with the Prime Minister and other members of the ruling party.

“My relationship with Mr Manning has always been very cordial and I don’t see any reason for that to change.” Achong also said that he was not looking around for a new Ministerial post. “I’ve just resigned as Labour Minister and you are asking me what post I would be interested in?” Achong concluded the  interview by saying he planned to meet with his constituents sometime this weekend to update them about what had transpired. After the interview, Achong, his shirt unbuttoned at the neck, snuggled up to Coudray and together, arm in arm, they walked into their home. Achong is the third MP for Point Fortin to be involved in controversy. Dr Roy Richardson, in the 1970’s when the PNM won all 36 seats, crossed the floor to establish an Oppposition Bench of one. Decades later, in 1996 on Ash Wednesday, Vincent Lasse left the PNM and joined Panday’s UNC Government.