The leadership election in the Congress of the People (COP) that is scheduled for June 29 is turning out to be quite a hotly contested affair.It has become a virtual "battle royale," with the founder of the party, Winston Dookeran, finding himself embroiled in a controversy surrounding his endorsement of Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan. This has led to severe criticisms of his reasoning, in some quarters of the party, for making the endorsement.
The culture of having the membership of political parties elect their leaders has begun to take root firmly. What was started by the UNC under Basdeo Panday has grown to be adopted by the COP, later the PNM and also the Independent Liberal Party (ILP).Part of the challenge facing the COP in its forthcoming leadership election is the issue of whether or not the party will stay in the People's Partnership.
There are some members of the COP who would like the party to remain as a coalition partner, while others want the party to strike out on its own.The society has been weaned on a diet of single-party hegemony and dominance since Independence and the concept of a coalition of parties has had its teething problems. For many the challenge of analysing coalition politics through single-party lenses has created its own all-or-nothing dynamic.
http://www.guardian.co.tt/digital/new-members