Weeks after Gerard Yetming was fired as chairman of Clico and months after Timothy Hamel-Smith was removed as Senate president, both were on a UNC platform with Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar in Debe, south Trinidad on Tuesday night. Yetming, who was dismissed over the controversial payment of more than $36 million to former directors of the company, dismissed that incident as a “something minor that is not something for me to take on seriously.”
Although he joked about how easy it was to get a seat, having arrived with the PM in the packed auditorium and had chairs reserved for them, Yetming said he had no intention of contesting a seat for the party in the September 7 general election. He said his presence had to do with showing support and love for the PM whom he had known for over 25 years and who had been under terrible attack in the past months from her former Cabinet minister, Jack Warner.
Saying his presence will not be limited to Tuesday night’s appearance in Debe, Yetming also said he expected the PP to return to government. “I would support the PM and I support the People’s Partnership returning to government... what ever role that I may have to play but certainly not as a contestant.”
However, the former finance minister said as politicians one could never rule out returning to active politics. Hamel-Smith said his appearance at the mobilisation meeting of the Oropouche East constituency was accidential as he was in the area and was invited to the meeting by the Prime Minister.
He said there was a time when one had to stand up and be counted but he was under no illusion he would be invited to contest a seat. Pointing out that once a politician always a politician, he said he still had a lot of life in him and if he was given the opportunity to contribute to the country, he would certainly welcome such a gesture but getting involved in active politics was not on his agenda at this time.