(Trinidad Express) – Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday has officially fired Tabaquite MP Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj as the Parliament’s Chief Whip.
Panday met Deputy House Speaker Pennelope Beckles at the Parliament on Tuesday to discuss the matter and later issued a letter requesting that Maharaj’s appointment be revoked.
Maharaj will be replaced by deputy chief whip Caroni Central MP Dr Hamza Rafeeq.
House Speaker Barendra Sinanan is out of the country and Beckles is presiding over the House of Representatives until his return.
In his brief letter to Beckles, which was copied to Maharaj and Rafeeq, Panday wrote: “I hereby revoke the appointment of the Hon Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, member of Parliament for Tabaquite, as Opposition Chief Whip and appoint Dr the Hon Hamza Rafeeq, member for Caroni Central as Opposition Chief Whip with effect from April 1, 2009.”
Last Wednesday, during the UNC Parliamentary caucus, Opposition MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh moved a motion of no confidence in Maharaj, requesting that he be fired as chief whip.
This motion was supported by all MPs except Winston “Gypsy” Peters and Jack Warner.
Panday took note of the motion, but had said he needed to give Maharaj a chance to hear his side of the story and why he should not be fired.
Both men met in the Parliament last Friday and held discussions, following which Panday said he needed to think about what Maharaj had said and would make a decision.
It was the last Parliament sitting that Maharaj, Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner and Mayaro MP Winston “Gypsy” Peters sat on the Opposition front benches.
At this Friday’s Parliament session, the trio would now occupy the Opposition back bench while Panday would now be sandwiched between Rafeeq and UNC deputy leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
Maharaj’s dismissal also comes on the heels of a violent clash at Rienzi Couva, Chaguanas, on March 22, when he, Warner and Peters attempted to lead a crowd into the UNC Congress meeting, which was designated for only delegates.
Panday told the Express yesterday, in a telephone interview, that he had indicated to Maharaj in their meeting that it would be impossible for him to perform as chief whip when the majority of his colleagues had no confidence in him.
Panday added that Maharaj had been absent regularly from the Parliament in the last session and seemed to have abandoned his duty as chief whip.
He said that Maharaj has also not been present for a full sitting of the Parliament for this second session and that Rafeeq in effect, had been performing the duties as chief whip for quite some time.
“Over the past few weeks, he was unable to speak to members of the Parliament and he had to ask Dr Rafeeq to speak to them,” said Panday.
Rafeeq served as chief whip for about two years after former UNC member Ganga Singh resigned from the position.
