Port-of-Spain - Members of the Congress of the People are opposing the People's Partnership government and they are embarrassing their political leader, Winston Dookeran, Works and Transport Minister Jack Warner has said.
He said it was now top priority for all leaders of the Partnership to meet.
The People's Partnership swept the May 24 general election after Opposition forces — the United National Congress, COP, Movement for Social Justice, National Joint Action Committee and the Tobago Organisation of the People —united to form the People's Partnership.
Now, seven months after the Kamla Persad-Bissessar government was formed, COP and UNC constituency executives have been at loggerheads and are said to be creating tensions in some constituencies, such as Tunapuna.
Warner said these differences had to be corrected.
Expressing his personal opinion, he said the COP's methods of strengthening its party were wrong.
"For me, something is fundamentally wrong with that, particularly at this point in time, not only because of what they are doing but the way it is being done. They, in my humble view, they are opposing the Partnership government with almost every issue and they are embarrassing their leader most times. I think that is wrong and I think that needs to be corrected," said Warner.
He was speaking at a luncheon he hosted at his Arouca home.
Referring to the COP opening an office recently at Fyzabad, Warner said there was nothing wrong with this, but asked: "Why would you open an office in Fyzabad, which is a UNC stronghold? Why don't you open an office in Diego Martin East, Diego Martin Central or Diego Martin West?"
He added: "(COP political leader Winston Dookeran) in many ways, in my humble view, I don't think he knows sometimes these things that are happening and, in a real sense, he's caught up between the devil and the deep blue sea, but I could be wrong.”
"There are one or two guys in the COP who are driven by all kinds of motives except unification, and this has to be corrected," said Warner.
These issues will be corrected and once the government collectively deals with the two most pressing issues of crime and the state of the economy, "we shall be here forever", he said.
The People's Partnership government has lost touch with the people to some degree and in an effort to remedy this problem, public political meetings will be held every fortnight, Warner said.
"The UNC is going to go back to the people. The UNC has agreed as a party that we will go out and meet the people every fortnight,"
Warner, also the chairman of the UNC, admitted that many people expected change and the change was not delivered as quickly as anticipated.
He explained that when the People's Partnership entered government, there were many who resisted change.
"In many ministries we met people who were opposed to change, who resisted change," he said.
"The public does not understand the problems we face, so we now have to go back to them and explain to them and make a connection with them because many of our people are hurting, particularly the URP and CEPEP programme, they are hurting. We need to establish a connection and explain to them what is happening. There is a disconnect which now has to be corrected."
Asked if this was a dangerous situation, having lost ground so early in the government, Warner responded: "It could be, but we have four and a half years to correct it and, thank God, we recognised it very early."

 

Port-of-Spain - There is no crisis of confidence in the Trinidad and Tobago economy, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has said in her New Year’s message. Her administration has been approached by local and foreign investors who were willing to invest billions in this country. These investments, which are currently being considered by the Cabinet, do not require money from the government and will not be a debt burden to the Treasury, she said.
Speaking about plans to boost the economy, Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar declared: “In this New Year, the People’s Partnership government will ensure that the economy is further improved and stabilised to create more jobs, reduce the deficit and improve the quality of life of all our citizens.”
The Prime Minister said other developments show that Trinidad and Tobago remains a preferred destination for foreign investment.
“Panama has approached Trinidad and Tobago for a partial scope agreement which will have positive implications for construction products and companies as well as the export of cement and asphalt,” she said.
In addition, the government is posed to introduce “a wave of economic measures that will create a heightened level of investor and consumer confidence.”
These include the award of new acreages for offshore drilling; employment generation through the free zone initiative announced in the budget; the fast tracking of plans for an integrated Chemical Complex; construction of the highway to Point Fortin; and construction of approximately 3,000 new homes.
While conceding that crime remains a major challenge, the Prime Minister vowed to “stop at nothing in ensuring this scourge is removed from our society to people can walk freely and without fear once again.”
She said: “Only within the last 48 hours I have received, in response to my demand for action, a comprehensive outline of measures to be adopted in the new year in the ongoing battle on crime as we implement a three-pronged attack on crime, namely, prevention, detection and conviction.”
She added: “The details of some of these measures will be made known within the upcoming weeks, while others I am sure you will appreciate can only be seen as they are implemented.” According to the Prime Minister, the Attorney General’s Office is “working overtime” to introduce legislation to support the police and the criminal justice system.
She added: “Tough anti-gang legislation and the Bail Act are now before the Parliament as we up the ante in several areas to attack the crime situation head-on. Tough times require tough interventions. As a government we do not intend to shirk from our resolve to defeat the criminals.”
Persad-Bissessar said for 2011 the aim will be to “deliver, deliver, deliver to the people,” and she assured that positive changes are already taking place to social systems and the way of life. Speaking with reporters at the Red House last week, the Prime Minister said this year she will seek to do more and better things for the people of Trinidad and Tobago.
“In 2011, it will be less talk and more action,” she said, adding that she would like to give a message of hope to the people of this country. I really would like to see for 2011, for all of us, that we improve in our working together in very harmonious fashion, we put our shoulders to the wheel and transform Trinidad and Tobago.”
She stressed that transformation of Trinidad and Tobago was her New Year wish for the country.

 

Port-of-Spain - Trade union leaders delivered a letter to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar at her office earlier this week expressing dissatisfaction at the state of industrial relations in the country. This came a day before the Public Services Association’s threat to shut down the Public Service with their “no work day,” because of stalled wage negotiations with the government. Deputy president of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions Joseph Remy told the media that trade unionists were not happy with the progress by the government on several issues since their last meeting with Persad-Bissessar in December.
He said about 19 trade unions from Fitun and the National Trade Union Centre met with the Prime Minister and discussed issues, including the state of industrial relations in the country and the settling of outstanding wage negotiations.
“There has not been enough positive development coming out of last month’s meeting.” Remy said. “There are urgent issues that the government needs to address so that is why we are delivering this letter.”
Before Christmas, several of Natuc’s members, including the Seamen and Waterfront Workers’ Union and National Union of Government and Federated Workers Union , marched through Port-of-Spain demanding that the government settle the wage negotiations for government daily-rated workers.
NUGFW president James Lambert estimated that more than 40,000 workers fell into this category. Natuc president Michael Annisette said the federation would also be sending its own letter to the Prime Minister this week, expressing their concerns over these issues.
“We sent two letters to the Prime Minister and four letters to Labour Minister Errol Mcleod, and so far we have got no response... We feel that we are marginalised,” he said.
He added that he also wanted the government to address the issues of economic conditions of workers and a tripartite approach from labour, government and business in tackling the challenges ahead.