DROP OUT, ANIL
War of words as Carolyn calls on COP members to reject Sport Minister in Sunday's election
By Renuka Singh (Express).
Congress of the People (COP) foundation member Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan yesterday called on COP colleague and Sport Minister Anil Roberts to pull out of the election race after he criticised her performance over the last year as Energy Minister.
Roberts is one of four party members vying for the position of COP political leader along with Legal Affairs Minister and deputy political leader Prakash Ramadhar, vice-chairman Vernon De Lima and ordinary member Nalini Dial.
Seepersad-Bachan called on the voting party members to vote for any of the other contenders.
"I hope COP members don't put God out of their thoughts and vote for Mr Anil Roberts as the political leader," she said in an interview at her new Ministry of Public Administration office on Abercromby Street, Port of Spain.
"I am going to ask the elections committee, I think Mr Roberts should step down. I am not the issue in their political campaign for leadership. I think Mr Roberts has to speak more on what is his vision," she said.
The war of words began when Roberts gave media interviews where he sanctioned the Cabinet reshuffle and went on to criticise Seepersad-Bachan for non-performance as Energy Minister.
"I heard Mr Roberts say on the radio that he sanctioned my move from the Ministry of Energy. Who is Mr Roberts to sanction anything?" she asked.
"You (Roberts) are making up lies. The Prime Minister never said that to me, she said she needed someone who was bright and strong to take on the challenge to transform the public service and that was why I was moved," she said.
Seepersad-Bachan said Roberts also speculated that she kept People's National Movement (PNM) supporters working around her in the Ministry, instead of people loyal to the current regime.
"Let me tell Mr Roberts once more and let me tell everybody—that is not the politics that I subscribe to. I am not firing anybody because you're a PNM, United National Congress or COP. You are there to do a job and if you are competent and you are delivering, then so be it. We campaigned against that type of behaviour," she said.
"If Mr Roberts wants to practise that, let him keep that, that is the old politics," she added.
She said this friction in their relationship was a new development.
"Roberts has made an 180-degree turn. Mr Roberts felt that I was one of the best energy spokespersons. I was carried on his show so many times before elections. Is this only now because you are a Minister of Government? That cannot be so," she said.
Seepersad-Bachan said despite the criticisms of non-performance, she accomplished everything the People's Partnership manifesto set out for the Energy Ministry. She said the criticism by Roberts about her failure to increase the country's Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) was "lies".
"What is Mr Roberts talking about?" she asked.
"I don't understand what is Mr Anil Roberts's issue about Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). If there was an issue, why wasn't it raised before? Why am I now hearing this? And why from Mr Roberts? Why didn't the PM raise it with me?"
Seepersad-Bachan said she has always had a problem with Roberts's behaviour.
"From day one. When he started off last year by attending the Local Government rally in Skinner Park wearing a UNC shirt and you want to be the leader of the COP. I've always had that problem with him," she said.
Vallence Rambharat, chairman of the elections commission within the COP, said if Roberts was found guilty of defamatory and false comments against a fellow party member, he could be disqualified from Sunday's elections.
"We have strict rules within the party policies about that sort of thing," he said in a telephone interview yesterday.
Rambharat said if Roberts were disqualified, the elections would go on with the other three incumbents.
"I heard what Roberts said about Carolyn, but I haven't heard if she responded. The commission would look into the matter and make a determination before the elections if a complaint is brought to us," he said.
Senior party members did not comment on the matter as chairman Joseph Toney directed all questions to Rambharat, while someone answered party leader Winston Dookeran's mobile phone and said he was "unavailable" on different occasions.
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