The suspension of three members of the Congress of the People (COP) national council was not a form of punishment but was done to protect the security and integrity of the party while they are being investigated.So said COP acting general secretary Clyde Weatherhead yesterday as he sought to clear the air on claims of irregularity in the conduct of the party's monthly national council meeting last Sunday.He added: "The suspension of the three members was not the imposition of a penalty or punitive action.
"This action was taken in light of the seriousness of the allegations against them and to protect the integrity, security and operations of the party while the investigation proceeds."Kishore Ramadhar, brother of COP leader Prakash Ramadhar, Satu Ramcharan and Rudolph Hanamji were suspended after allegations they leaked inside information to the People's National Movement (PNM) during the recent local government elections campaign.
Ramadhar and Hanamji are threatening legal action against executive members.But Weatherhead, tracing the sequence which led to their suspension, said: "The meeting was conducted in accordance with the provisions of the constitution and standing orders of the COP."
Responding to a grouse by the suspended three that candidates who lost in the local government elections were given voting power at the national council meeting, Weatherhead said: "All persons who attended the meeting did so as bona fide members of the national council as provided for in the COP constitution.
Quoting from the party's constitution, he added: "Article 12.3 stipulates that where the COP has no representative in a local government authority, candidates who contested the last local government elections shall be invited by the leader to sit with those who have been elected and be part of the local government caucus.
Weatherhead said it was after the failure of those two motions and in keeping with party's Standing Order 16 by a vote of 47 of the 53 delegates present that the St Augustine constituency raised a motion which:
�2 Pointed to the actions of the three members, including public statements made by them.
�2 Referred to the COP's code of ethics and questioned whether these actions were in breach of the code.
�2 Called for an investigation into the allegations against the members and their suspension during the investigation.
It was during debate on the motion that information on a letter allegedly sent by the three members, supplying confidential party records to the PNM and attempts allegedly made to discourage or oppose COP local government candidates, was presented to the national council, Weatherhead said.He added: "The motion was amended to include these new allegations and was unanimously passed by the council.
"During his contribution, Mr Hanamji gave notice of his intention to submit his resignation to the office of the general secretary following the meeting."That has not reached me up to this time," Weatherhead added.