Kamla, Dookeran meet today

Former UNC chairman Basdeo Panday yesterday said Dookeran was free to form his own political party if he wished and he (Panday) had no desire to lead the UNC again in any capacity.

In a letter dated August 24 to Persad-Bissessar, Dookeran said he would not be able to meet her at the Opposition Leader’s Office on Charles Street, Port-of-Spain at 11 am as she requested in her letter of August 23 to him. Dookeran suggested that since they would both be attending today’s sitting of the House of Representatives, they could meet in one of the committee rooms during the tea break at 4.30 pm “for as long as we need to.” Dookeran told Persad-Bissessar that if this time was inconvenient for her, they could meet tomorrow at 1 pm at his constituency office in Tunapuna. “I look forward to a fruitful meeting,” he said.

Persad-Bissessar confirmed receipt of Dookeran’s letter and issued one of her own, agreeing to meet him at 4.30 pm today in Committee Room Two during the parliamentary tea break. However, she asked Dookeran for “flexibility” during their talks today because she will be contributing to today’s debate on a private members motion by Tabaquite MP Dr Adesh Nanan on the controversial aluminium smelter in Cap-de-Ville before the tea break. Persad-Bissessar said she wanted to begin unity talks with Dookeran but needed to get back to the parliamentary chamber when the session resumes at 5 pm to continue her contribution.

Persad-Bissessar said she had no “cogent evidence” that Dookeran was planning to form a party that was separate and distinct from the UNC, and while an agenda for unity was the main issue, reports of Dookeran forming a new party would also be discussed. She said many people were confused as to whether the single party Dookeran had referred to on several occasions was the UNC or some other entity and she wanted to get clarification from him on this issue. Persad-Bissessar said she believed the single party Dookeran was referring to was the UNC since his letter bore the party’s insignia.

Dookeran’s communications officer Nirad Tewarie confirmed that Dookeran will be meeting with Persad-Bissessar at Parliament at 4.30 pm to work out “a clear and concrete agenda” to achieve unity in the UNC. However, he again declined to confirm or deny reports of Dookeran planning to launch a new party on September 10. Sources have said the name of this party will be the New National Congress.

Tewarie said Dookeran is committed to making a final attempt to unite the UNC, build a single party that could be “UNC plus” and would be “leading the charge” to successfully challenge the PNM in next year’s general elections in Trinidad and Tobago.

However, Tewarie could not say whether the party that Dookeran would be leading into the elections was the UNC or another political entity. Contacted yesterday, Panday said he hoped today’s talks would be successful but Dookeran was free under the Constitution to form his own political party. Panday said even though he appointed Dookeran as UNC’s political leader, he was not to blame for Dookeran’s seemingly inability to do his job and was not seeking any leadership position (including chairman or political leader) in the party again. “I am nowhere,” Panday said. He said although last Saturday’s UNC national assembly at Rienzi Complex in Couva rejected his resignation as UNC chairman, he is not reconsidering his decision to resign and has not given any thought about resigning as Couva North MP, in light of his current legal issues.