Dookeran walks in Barataria/San Juan

However "independent UNC" MP for Barataria/San Juan Dr Fuad Khan declined to say if he would be joining Dookeran at either his walkabout (which begins at 4.15 pm from the Hi-Lo car park proceeding south along El Socorro Road), or at a 7 pm cottage meeting at the Noushad Ali residence at Fifth Street, Barataria.

Khan and Gillian Lucky broke ranks with the UNC earlier this year after Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday condemned Lucky for signing the report of the House of Representatives’ Privileges Committee into the September 2004 tearoom incident between Housing Minister Dr Keith Rowley and Fyzabad MP Chandresh Sharma.

No effort has been made to date to bring Khan and Lucky back into the UNC fold. On the issue of whether Dookeran should replace Panday as Opposition Leader, Lucky has supported Dookeran but Khan has not indicated who he supports for the post.

Only four UNC Lower House MPs (Ganga Singh, Manohar Ramsaran, Gerald Yetming and Lucky) have indicated their support for Dookeran as Opposition Leader.

This issue has seemingly been placed on a back-burner since a high-powered UNC "summit" at Dookeran’s Trincity home last month. Panday said there were no plans at this stage for a follow-up "summit."

Tomorrow, Dookeran will be conducting a walkabout starting at 10 am at the 79k mark on the Manzanilla stretch in the Ortoire/Mayaro constituency.

PNM MP for Ortoire/Mayaro Franklin Khan appeared in the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday to answer six charges of misconduct in public office.

The charges stem from allegations made by PNM councillor Dansam Dhansook earlier this year. Khan, who is the PNM chairman and a former works and transport minister, was remanded on $250,000 bail and will reappear in the San Fernando Magistrates’ Court on December 8.

On December 1, Dookeran departs for New York where he is expected to meet with UNC supporters there.