UNC dissidents shuffled in House

The “curtain” came down on the fourth session of the 12th Parliament yesterday, with UNC MPs Rodney Charles and Anita Haynes-Alleyne being shifted from their seats close to party leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar and “pelted” lower down the Opposition bench, close to their three colleagues in MP Rushton Paray’s United Patriots team.

The five “UP” MPs now all sit together.

Naparima MP Charles was shifted from Persad-Bissessar’s left to the third to last seat down the front bench. Tabaquite MP Haynes-Alleyne was shifted from her seat behind Persad-Bissessar to the fifth to last seat.

The situation was revealed when the House of Representatives’ fourth session of the 12th Parliament resumed yesterday, following Parliament’s annual recess.

After reports were laid, questions answered and other matters, Government’s HOR leader Camille Robinson-Regis announced the House would adjourn to a date to be fixed.

It’s expected that the fourth session will be prorogued at midnight tonight (Tue). The fifth and final session of the term begins Friday.

However, even before yesterday’s sitting began, the Opposition’s seating changes – particularly Charles’ – were the centre of loud picong and exclamations by Government MPs, including acting Prime Minister Stuart Young and Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales, when they saw the UNC name plates shifted.

Young was sitting in the Prime Minister’s seat. Recently promoted Minister in National Security Keith Scotland’s seat on the Government backbench was also moved up one seat.

But the attention was all on the Opposition bench. While the UNC’s frontbench features MPs loyal to Persad-Bissessar, the five seats lowest down the bench now feature Haynes-Alleyne, Paray, Dinesh Rambally, Charles and Dr Rai Ragbir.

All five supported Paray’s UP team which unsuccessfully challenged Persad-Bissessar’s Stars slate in UNC’s June executive election. Both sides were bitterly critical of each other during the internal campaign.

Ragbir subsequently broke ranks and voted with the Government on the Whistleblower Bill. Persad-Bissessar said he’d have an opportunity to explain his actions but that hasn’t arisen yet.

Following Parliament yesterday, Charles, commenting on the shift away from Persad- Bissessar, said, “I’m, in fact, very much amused. At 75, it matters less where I sit in Parliament and more importantly about the fundamental principles of honesty, integrity and incorruptibility. Life goes on.”

Paray said, “These seating changes have no bearing on my work. I’ve always maintained that where you stand on critical issues matters far more than where you physically sit in Parliament.

“The consolidation of the four MPs who advocated for a stronger UNC is a bold statement, and it promises to elevate the quality of parliamentary debates. The real, hard-hitting business of Parliament has shifted decisively to the southern front bench. Watch closely!”

On whether UNC’s internal election battle caused the issue, Paray said, “Any suggestion of repercussions from the UP campaign is utterly misplaced. What we’re witnessing is the party’s necessary realignment to the modern political landscape. As Newton’s Third Law states: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This is simply the natural course of things.”

Ragbir added, “It’s an extreme privilege for me to sit next to colleagues whose integrity I admire. We’re representing the best version of the UNC. I’m committed to T&T’s future working with all my colleagues for the nation’s benefit.” Haynes-Alleyne said, “It’s more important to me where I stand on issues that impact T&T’s development than where I sit.

Rambally said on this occasion, he hadn’t been moved.

“I’m happy on a particular level that my four colleagues are seated equally on either side, as they stand for morality, principles and putting country first. But what matters to me is the ability to put people and country first. I’m extremely concerned about crime levels, along with other issues and I’ll continue to work towards betterment for our people.”

Moonilal closer to Kamla….

Persad-Bissessar wasn’t present in Parliament yesterday. Guardian Media was told that seat allocation was the prerogative of the leader and Chief Whip David Lee. He didn’t reply to queries on whether the changes had to do with the internal election and the MPs’ statements.

However, UNC officials said in the internal election, the five “had fought their own members in a most atrocious way – full betrayal of leader and colleagues. Adjustment of seats is reflective of how members rejected them in the internal polls and how low the party sees them in terms of relevance,”

As a result of the changes, Persad-Bissessar now has MP Kadijah Ameen at her left – instead of Charles – and Lee at her right. UNC deputy leader Roodal Moonilal’s seat has been shifted further up the front row and is next to Ameen – one seat down from Persad-Bissessar.