WPA in APNU has lost its way

… executives now singing for proverbial suppers – Jagdeo

The Working People’s Alliance (WPA) as a member of the ruling A Partnership for National Unity Alliance has lost its way from the principles of its founder leader, Dr Walter Rodney and its executive members are essentially now singing for their proverbial supper.
This is the blistering observation made on Tuesday by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo who was asked to weigh-in on the recent brouhaha surrounding the demotion of the WPA Minister in Government, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine and the subsequent lukewarm concerns expressed by the party’s executives over the lack of consultations with the party before the move.

Opposition Leader
Bharrat Jagdeo

To add salt to injury, the announcement was made on the death anniversary of Dr Rodney. Speaking with media operatives on Tuesday, Jagdeo said,“at the end of the day they are all beneficiaries, they will criticise in a perfunctory, peripheral manner the Government and say oh we are not consulted enough but at the core of it, they have given up all the principles they once stood for when Dr Rodney was there.”
Speaking for the first time on the public political spat between the coalition members, the Opposition Leader noted that “now they are defending their perks.”
He identified one prominent member (Desmond) Trotman as now receiving a ‘fat salary.”
The Opposition Leader identified other key WPA members such as Professor Clive Thomas and vocal political activist Tacuma Ogunseye as now earning huge salaries from the Administration.
Drawing direct reference to a recent press conference held by the WPA leadership to lament the non-consultation of the President with the party before removing Minister Roopnaraine from the helm of the largest budget Ministry, Jagdeo told media operatives, “almost all the officials at the table, who met with the President, its either they have a job from the Government earning a lot of money or one of the members of their family now have a scholarship abroad.”
The Opposition Leader was adamant that the WPA has essentially been silenced in the coalition Government since “they have drawn down benefits,” and suggested that they will not staunchly challenge the Administration.”
“They did a faint criticism and people are going all over the country and say look they WPA is standing up for principles… nothing of the sort,” he said.
Jagdeo told media operatives it is for these reasons he has largely ignored the internal conflagrations since the WPA leadership is at the end of the defending individual perks.
He said the situation is reminiscent of the Alliance For Change (AFC) which sat in Cabinet and discussed the 14 per cent Value Added Tax on education only to later seek to make a public reversal.
“If they discuss the budget measures at Cabinet how come the AFC is suddenly calling for a reversal now.”
Jagdeo said the AFC’s track record on such matters includes the controversial Parking Meter Project in the capital city which was originally staunchly supported, a position later reversed.