Gopio blames Robbie for TT leadership crisis

FORMER President Arthur NR Robinson is to blame for the alleged “leadership crisis” in Trinidad and Tobago because of his political coalitions with Prime Minister Patrick Manning and Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday. This was the charge levelled against Robinson by the Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (Gopio.) In a statement, Gopio president Parsuram Maharaj said Robinson’s statements on the matter were amusing because “Mr Robinson was himself responsible for choosing, promoting and foisting the present crop of leaders on us. “His (Robinson’s) coalitions with Mr Panday, his tenure as prime minister and president and his choice of Mr Manning as prime minister during the 18-18 (electoral tie of 2001) on the basis of ‘moral and spiritual values’ all contributed to the present failure of leadership which he now belatedly laments,” Maharaj said.

Maharaj also said Robinson’s utterances about “the increasing fragmentation of the society and the polarisation that has taken place” were interesting because the former president was admitting that “the actions of those in the position of power and governance” were responsible for the current state of affairs in TT. He slammed Robinson for criticising Gopio’s Indian Awards as “counter-productive to national harmony.” He added that as prime minister and later as president, Robinson “did absolutely nothing to initiate such a change in the National Awards, but chooses to speak now from a position of political impotence.

“Gopio wonders why Mr Robinson now makes his views known on such an important issue of national controversy after the Independence awards were handed out. Is this another example of failing leadership?” Maharaj asked. Maharaj called on Robinson “to join us in lobbying for a name change of the Trinity Cross, greater transparency in the selection of awardees, naming of the selection criteria, an equitable distribution of the awards regardless of race, gender, occupation and the implementation of the findings of the de la Bastide Commission.” He added, “Failure to so do will only intensify the leadership failure that Mr Robinson laments.