Fwd: DANA SEETAHAL wonders: Anil Roberts is intent on self-destructing in the COP internal elections tomorrow??
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Roberts self-destructing?
By Dana Seetahal
Story Created: Jul 2, 2011 at 12:41 AM ECT
Story Updated: Jul 2, 2011 at 12:41 AM ECT
One wonders whether Minister Anil Roberts is intent on self-destructing in the Congress of the People (COP) internal elections tomorrow. Minister Roberts has held himself out as a candidate for leader of the party, as have Minister Prakash Ramadhar, COP vice-chairman Vernon De Lima and Nalini Dial. He has, however, come out swinging against so many of his COP colleagues that one wonders whether he is serious in his election bid.
When he announced his intention to contest the post, Mr Roberts made statements about the current leader of the COP, Finance Minister Winston Dookeran. Under the latter's leadership, we were told "the party is dying" and there was a separation between the COP leadership and the people. This week he took on Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan and Joseph Toney.
Despite the fact that her training and experience have been in this field—Mrs Seepersad-Bachan has Bachelor's and Master's degrees in engineering, was a lecturer at the Faculty of Engineering at the University of the West Indies and is a former chairperson of NP—the Prime Minister this week said that with her skills and competencies, Mrs Seepersad-Bachan is better suited to the Public Administration Ministry. Roberts claimed to know the real reason she was moved.
According to news reports of statements made by him, Mr Roberts said Mrs Seepersad-Bachan was underperforming as Minister of Energy and she kept advisers of the People's National Movement too close to her. He claimed that despite his "protestation" over a four-month period, she decided to keep one Andrew Jupiter as adviser. She also kept on two others who had been energy advisers during the PNM regime. He said he "sanctioned" her move. All of this was in the face of a letter sent by the COP executive to the Prime Minister querying, among other changes, the removal of Mrs Seepersad-Bachan as Energy Minister.
One is forced to wonder whether Minister Roberts truly understands his role as a Cabinet member and, more significantly, as one who is not the leader of the COP. As Seepersad-Bachan herself asked, "Who is Mr Roberts to sanction" her move from Energy? Equally, one asks, what is his business to protest who were her advisers? Is that not a matter for the minister concerned and if there is any question to be asked, would it not then fall to the Prime Minister to say something? Or is this new politics a la Roberts?
Roberts is not even a senior member of the People's Partnership—although he is trying to be—yet he has been speaking as if his advice, his words, must be acted on by a Cabinet colleague. Some persons might call him "farse and out of place" just for that alone. But that is not all. He has clearly gone against the voice of the party, as contained in their letter to the Prime Minister which was penned at a meeting attended by, among others, the current leader of the party, Minister Winston Dookeran.
Further to that, Mr Dookeran has come out and stated that Mr Roberts has implied issues that have led to Mrs Seepersad-Bachan's removal "that are false". Dookeran also made the point that the concept of collective responsibility in the Partnership has been flouted in the face of his comments. The Constitution places an onus on the Cabinet [of Ministers] to be collectively responsible to Parliament and usually they maintain a united front. Apparently Mr Roberts is either unaware of this practice or does not care. Is this his concept of new politics?
One of the latest salvos in his apparent warfare against critical members of his own party is what was reported last Thursday in relation to the chairman of the party. Joseph Toney must step down if he, Mr Roberts, were to win his bid to become leader of the COP. Why? Because Mr Toney laughed at his leadership attempt. He claims Mr Toney obviously has a different philosophy from him and so they could not work together. As such, in the spirit of "new politics", he expected Mr Toney to do the right thing should he, Mr Roberts, win the race.
Clearly a little thing like the Constitution of the party does not trouble this Minister, a fact that Mr Toney was quick to point out. Whoever wins tomorrow—how does this affect those who have already been democratically elected?
This position of Mr Roberts, however, is not inconsistent with his complaint that the former energy minister had kept on PNM advisers. His rationale is that the PNM was criticised for corruption by the Partnership. It was ousted. Therefore all PNM appointees should be immediately fired. This is not a position shared by Mrs Seepersad-Bachan or Mr De Lima or Errol McLeod, nor should it be that of any right-thinking person. It makes nonsense of the declaration by the COP that it is about new politics and speaks to political victimisation. It suggests that persons should be hired on the basis not primarily of competence and experience, but political allegiance.
While the latter does occur, one would expect that in specialised fields, such as energy related areas, one would first and foremost look for competence. In such an area political allegiance, suspected or known, should be irrelevant—unless of course the individual concerned is intent on undermining the government in power. Professionals in general are not of this ilk, but are invariably concerned with doing the best job possible—because it not only reflects your reputation but also means more work. Ask any good lawyer.
What Mr Roberts has done in the last week, in my view, amounts to shooting himself in the foot in his leadership campaign. It does not reflect well on him as a team player or on his loyalty as a member of the COP. He has merely served to exacerbate already bitter feeling against his style and given doubtful credence to the term "new politics".
• Dana S Seetahal is a former Independent Senator
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/commentaries/Roberts_self-destructing_-124900864.html
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