Musical chairs in Panday’s party
Never a dull moment in the United National Congress/Alliance (UNC/A) – non-stop action, non-stop bacchanal.
A People’s National Movement (PNM) defector and friend from the Congress of the Party (COP) who unsuccessfully fought elections for both parties is embraced and given a place in the Senate at the expense of another Opposition politician.
Dr Sharon Gopaul-McNichols, who was recently sacked as a deputy political leader of the COP for accepting a senatorship from the UNC/A, will be present at the next sitting of the Senate at the expense of Dr Carson Charles.
The good doctor joins the parliamentary ranks of the UNC/A at a time when there is some disarray: three MPs are calling for Basdeo Panday’s resignation and are now in the backbenches in the House of Representatives.
Not exactly the best timing for Gopaul-McNichols who is from a PNM-to-the-bone family.
On Sunday, the UNC/A will be having a retreat at the party’s Rienzi Complex headquarters, Couva, to resolve the problems in the party.
Renegade Tabaquite MP Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, who was stripped of his position of chief whip, and Mayaro MP Winston “Gypsy” Peters are expected to attend while Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner will be abroad on business.
It is not known if Gopaul-McNichols will be attending.