COP enlists Canadian to help rebuild party By By Camille Bethel camille.bethel@trinidadexpress March 8, 2014 The Congress of the People (COP) has enlisted the help of a foreign expert in its quest to rebuild the party. Speaking at a media briefing at its Flagship House on Broome Street, Woodbrook, yesterday, political leader of the COP Prakash Ramadhar said the party will also take a decision on if it will go on its own in next year’s general election. He said the presence of the party secretary for the Liberal Party of Canada Ray Larson was simply the party taking steps to utilise the resources available to it to make the party better. “It is about bringing better governance and we expect that with the ‘Grand Consensus Two’, which is really meeting with citizens for the next manifesto. What we are doing here today is critically important to reconnect with (citizens) because we have been condemned in a large part for failure to communicate,” he said. Larson, who fielded questions from reporters, said although he is not a politician, the COP really represents his own values, so when the party reached out to him, he accepted. “The Liberal Party of Canada and the COP share many of the same values—diversity, social justice. I am here to help the party build that movement again. It is really about building the party for the long term. The way we are going to start this movement is that we are talking to voters on the ground and really get a sense of what is important to them, to make sure when the COP is in government again, they are really responding to the needs of the people. We will take lessons from the past but, ultimately, it’s about building for the long term,” he said. He said they were able to do this in Canada in many different campaigns where at the last minute, it seemed all hope was lost and parties were going down in defeat, but because of the engagement of the grassroots, they were successful. Asked if the COP would go on its own in the next general election, Ramadhar said: “The relationship is working; it is not perfect with our partners but, certainly, the party will take a decision. We have a leadership election later this year and, certainly, I am sure our members will tell us what we need to do, how we are to go forward, if we are to associate with anyone else into 2015.” He said the party needs the media to restore to Trinidad and Tobago a level of truth because a lot of propaganda about the party has been reported, but it has not moved away from its ideals and values. He said of the 280 promises the COP made in 2010, only about 30 remain to be fulfilled and they will be done this year. “In terms of issues of governance, in terms of procurement, that legislation will be before the Parliament and will become law this year; constitutional reform, this year; new planning regulations, this year; the new health systems, this year,” he said. Asked whether people would associate the work planned for this year with the 2015 election, he assured it wasn’t the case. “These were in preparation all along; it is not about the elections,” Ramadhar added. About Ray Larson - Ray Larson sits as the secretary of the Liberal Party of Canada (BC). Through his leadership as chair of the Federal Liberal Council, he spearheaded the charge to modernise the way the Liberal Party engages citizens through social media and new methods of direct voter engagement. He has been a founding member and a leader of BC’s first youth-for-youth support groups and volunteers his time to several community organisations. Recent campaign experience highlights: • 2013—Field director of Justin Trudeau’s leadership campaign—current leader of the Liberal Party Canada and the next Prime Minister of Canada • 2012—Field director Christy Clark leadership campaign—current premier of the Province of British Colombia • 2011—Field director of Canada national campaign • 2006-present—Worked in leadership capacity in a number of North American political campaigns.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Mar 2014 12:52:59 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015