No-confidence motion against Glenn defeated

The Corporation, which is controlled by the Opposition UNC, is almost equally split between both parties with the UNC having seven council members- (five councillors and two aldermen) and the ruling PNM which has six council members (four councillors and two aldermen).

However, during yesterday’s motion of no confidence, two council members- the corporation’s vice chairman, Leo Doodnath and the PNM’S Gerald Debisette, were absent.

This reduced the sides to five members each with Ramadharsingh presiding over the proceedings although PNM council members objected to him chairing the meeting as the motion was against him.

And when it was time to vote, council members voted along party lines leaving the vote at 5:5. At that point, Ramadharsingh announced that he was voting against the motion and then, while the PNM councillors roared their disapproval, shouted that he was using his second or casting vote to further sink the motion.

“The motion is now defeated,” Ramadharsingh announced.

The chamber then erupted as PNM alderman Christopher Max Encinas, who had filed the motion of no-confidence, jumped to his feet as he shouted that Ramadharsingh’s action was illegal.

His fellow PNM councillors joined in while UNC councillors, led by councillor Doodnath Mayrhoo shouted “Sangre Grande”- a clear reference to what had transpired at the tied Corporation following the 2016 Local Government elections.

In that instance, incumbent chairman of the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation Terry Rondon used his deciding vote as chairman, thus giving him two votes in the process, to break the 4-4 tie in the corporation between the UNC and the PNM.

Ramadharsingh’s action did not sit well with members of the public gallery some of whom “steupesed’ loudly as they left the council hall. Both sides had brought their supporters to the meeting as they sought to drum up support for their respective councillors.

Speaking with Newsday after the vote- La Brea MP, Nicole Olivierre said while she was aware that the PNM did not have the required votes to compel Ramadharsingh to resign, however, she said his action as chairman may not have been legitimate.

“I understand the PNM did not have the majority number of votes for the motion to pass, but I recognise the importance of filing the motion to bring to light the issues they have raised with the chairman acting ultra vires, section 57 of the Municipal Corporations Act,” she said.

“I was really surprised that the chairman continued to chair a meeting which was debating a motion of no confidence in himself and I was even more surprised that he insisted on voting in that meeting as well so, I am really wondering about the chairman’s interpretation of the standing orders of the Siparia Regional Corporation and the Municipal Corporations Act,” she said.

“I do not pretend to be a lawyer by any means but I certainly see a clear conflict in him, one having presided in the meeting and secondly, because there is a clause in the standing order that speaks to a person having a particular interest in a particular matter and voting on that matter and you cannot deny that the chairman has an interest in a motion which names him in the motion itself so, I am very concerned that he felt it was appropriate to not only chair but vote in that motion,” she said.