Political leader of the Congress of the People (COP) Prakash Ramadhar says he can understand the disappointment the party’s founding father, Winston Dookeran, has expressed.
Responding to questions from reporters at Thursday’s post-Cabinet media briefing at the San Fernando Teaching Hospital, Ramadhar, however, said Dookeran needed to better explain his disappointment.
Dookeran announced on Wednesday that he will be bowing out of politics and expressed disappointment with the party he founded. He said this during an interview with the media in Tunapuna after his announcement.
“I think that Mr Dookeran needs to explain himself a little better. He needs to flesh out what he meant, we certainly are disappointed coming from a position where we contested 41 seats to a position where we occupy, ten under the present government,” Ramadhar said.
However, Ramadhar said the party has learned from its past experience that it cannot stand alone and it needs the People’s Partnership.
“So certainly that will be a disappointment to any party going forward, but having learned from our experience in 2007, that we couldn’t do it alone and we came together in a very successful coalition partnership. But I can understand his disappointment, because at one point in time he was presumed to become the Prime Minster and he gave that up (for the partnership).”
Ramadhar admitted that the COP is held back by the current political environment.
“In terms of COP’s growth we are certainly constrained by the present political environment, but we have done a tremendous amount within the limited aspect of our authority in government. I am very proud of that, as for the disappointment, of course all of us wish to have more and to do better.
“But I take very realistic and practical approach to the politics and things that we had dreamt of in 2007 we have achieved under the partnership.”
Asked whether he thinks Dookeran’s statement will affect the outcome of the party’s votes in the September 7 general election, Ramadhar said: “I hardly imagine the statement of his disappointment will really matter when we go to an election where serious decisions about the future governance of the country have to be made.”