Congress of the People (Trinidad and Tobago)

Congress Of The People
Leader	Prakash Ramadhar
Ideology	Democratic socialism, social liberalism,[1] social democracy, Third Way
Political position	Centre-left
Official colors	Black and white
House of Representatives	6 / 41
Local election	23 / 134
Local election	2 / 14
Website
http://www.coptnt.com/
Politics of Trinidad and Tobago Political parties Elections

Trinidad and Tobago

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Trinidad and Tobago

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The Congress of the People (COP) is a political party in Trinidad and Tobago. It is led by Prakash Ramadhar ^[2]. Its symbol is the "Circle of Circles".

History

The party was formed on 10 September 2006 by Winston Dookeran, then the embattled Political Leader of the United National Congress announced at a rally that he was leaving the UNC and forming a new party ^[3]. Dookeran and his supporters had been engaged in internal party feuding with the UNC executive which was loyal to party founder (then Chairman and former Leader) Basdeo Panday.

Dookeran was soon joined by UNC MPs Ganga Singh (who became the Party Whip) and Manohar Ramsaran. Two Independent MPs who had previously left the UNC, Gillian Lucky and Gerald Yetming, also joined the new party.

Former UNC Senators Robin Montano, Roy Augustus, Carol Seepersad Bachan and Sadiq Baksh also joined. Additionally the entire Constituency Executives for Chaguanas and San Fernando West also quit the UNC. The support for Dookeran served as the catalyst for the formation of the new movement.

After the internal elections of the United National Congress Dookeran, accompanied by then-Senator Sadiq Baksh, began meeting with the members and supporters of the UNC. It was during these 'Walkabouts' that Selwyn Samaroo got involved with Dookeran's campaign and began working the Tabaquite Constituency promoting the concept of New Politics. Selwyn Samaroo working with grass-roots members of the Tabaquite Constituency drafted a strategic plan document which detailed numerous strategies to address the social and economic needs of the people of the constituency. This plan was submitted to Dookeran, who later adopted its recommendations and suggested that similar plans be develop for all 41 Constituencies.

On a Morning Edition program in November 2005, Samaroo announced that the members and supporters of the Tabaquite UNC Party Group # 3255 had thrown their support behind Dookeran and called on then Member of Parliament Dr. Adesh Nanan to support the duly-elected Political Leader of the UNC.

This was the beginning of the work that led to the ground-swell of support for the UNC Political Leader and later became the strongest support base for Dookeran and the New Politics. Other initiators and central figures in the evolution of the COP were Roger Ramcharitar, Rene Bermudez, and Errol Hosein. On July 23, 2006 Samaroo interrupted the proceeding at the Hindu Credit Union Convention center and read aloud what later became known as the Freeport Declaration, calling on Dookeran to leave the UNC and follow the desire of the thousands gathered there toward the formation of a "New Political Vehicle." Samaroo is currently teaching World Politics at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and is a regular contributor to the Editor of the leading newspapers of Trinidad and Tobago.

Leaving the UNC

Samaroo and the Tabaquite Constituency thereafter became the standard bearers of Dookeran's New Politics. Because of the strength of this support Tabaquite was considered 'ground zero' during the 2007 Parliamentary Elections.^{[citation needed]} Samaroo supported Anand Ramlogan, the selected Candidate for the COP in that elections.

On 10 December 2006, the COP held its inaugural conference at its Operations Centre in Chaguanas.

In the parliamentary elections held on 24 May 2010, the party joined forces with four other policital parties to form the new People's Partnership Government. The party won 6 of the 41 seats contested.^[4]

In internal party elections in 2011 Prakash Ramadhar defeated Anil Roberts and Vernon De Lima to succeed Dookeran as the new Political Leader.

At present, the Congress of the People's Leadership team consists of Prakash Ramadhar as Political Leader, and Wendy Lee Yuen and Robert Mayers as Deputy Political Leaders. The party's chairman is Joseph Tony, and its deputy chairman is Vernon De Lima. The leader of the COP Youth Congress is Kieron Joseph Samaroo, and the leader of the Women's Forum is Dr. Lena Breton Wolfe.

The leadership team also includes the General Secretary, Kama Maharaj; Secretary of Finance, Dr. Anirudh Mahabir; Secretary of Field Operations, Sarwannand Ragbir; Secretary of Education and Research, Clyde Weatherhead; Secretary of Communications and Public Relations, Dr. Omar Ali and Party Administrator, Conrad Aleong.

References

1. ^ http://www.coptnt.com/ver03/media/peoples-manifesto-2010.pdf
2. ^ Congress of the People: Leader
3. ^ New political party launched in Trinidad with eye to next election
4. ^ EBC: Lower turnout than 2002 election

External links

• Congress of the People Official website of the Congress of the People.