On Sunday, members of the Congress of the People (COP) will elect a new political leader.The incumbent, Finance Minister Winston Dookeran, has announced he would not be seeking re-election, so a new leader will take the helm of the party which is part of the ruling coalition.Starting today, we profile the candidates who are seeking to replace Dookeran as the political leader of the COP.He's vocal, vociferous and confident about being elected the next leader of the Congress of the People (COP).Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Anil Roberts boasts that "being in politics since ten" gives him the advantage of beating out his other competitors.Also vying for leadership of the party are Minister of Legal Affairs Prakash Ramadhar, attorney Vernon de Lima and animal rights activist Nalini Dial.Describing the election race as fantastic, Roberts said he had been in the race for "quite a while."
"For 11 weeks I was racing myself because nobody wanted to get in or out of the race, so I was the only one," he said."When asked by the members of the Congress of the People from all across Trinidad and Tobago, I said if we are disgruntled and we are not implementing and not sticking to our founding principles then4 I will make myself available if you want me to go."Maintaining that the COP was not dead, Roberts assured that the membership was "in fact energised."
"Whoever wins, one thing it has shown was that the COP is not dead...Our membership is energised and that's what it is about," he said."Winston Dookeran created a vehicle where we could all feel comfortable despite race, class, religion or social strata."Asked if there was any infighting as the election race intensified, he maintained there was none on his part."I have been in the election race longer than anybody and I continue to be very positive, but people take pot-shots at me but that's all right," he said. "My back is broad from both ways from my East Indian mother and from my Tobagonian African father.
"If they want to take shots at me it's all right, but I would not stoop to their level."If elected, Roberts said he would ensure that Dookeran's philosophies remain intact since it would be senseless to reinvent the wheel."New politics bottom up model, Mr Dookeran's philosophies (are based) on how public officials should behave which would include integrity, openness, honesty, trust," he said."What we have to do is take that philosophy and put it into action and it is my job to put it into action.."He said in Cabinet, unity among COP members must also be displayed and communication skills enhanced.
"In Cabinet, we have never met as COP ministers before a Cabinet meeting to discuss a universal or a collective position," he said."We must improve the communication between the members of Cabinet, the MPs who are outside of Cabinet, the senators, the counsellors and the executive."Once every two weeks, we are going to make sure we have these meetings...It cannot be you invite some people."He said he was left out of the meeting at which Dookeran announced he was stepping down as COP's leader.
Describing the move as "rather petty and childish," Roberts said that if there was disagreement among members there was no need for immaturity to be displayed."We must become such a strong party that the PNM coalition crumbles...They don't know who is their leader," he said.Charging that the PNM neither supported nor dealt with people on the ground, Roberts said the COP was going to present "an option" to grassroots membership of the PNM to join the COP.He said there were rumours of a coalition between the COP and PNM but once elected he would ensure that did not materialise."There have been rumours that certain COP executive members have been discussing with the PNM a possible coalition," Roberts said.
"There will be no discussions or accommodation with Dr Keith Rowley, Patrick Manning, Franklin Khan or any of the leadership of the PNM."According to Roberts, before he decided to join the race for political leader, the COP was "dying.""Before I decided to challenge for leadership the COP was dying...You could not see us, you did not see our outer circle of circles, nobody was interested," he said."All the loyal people who built the COP, the founding members, the activists were just cast aside and only a certain few were pretending they are the bastions of this COP party."Now that I have jumped into the election race, you could see the COP making headlines."We are moving forward...I would not say we were dead but we were dormant and now we're very much alive."