In The House: Jokey Manohar like a lost puppy

MANOHAR RAMSARAN was certainly a confused man when he entered the House of Representatives last week Friday, clearly unable to show some backbone and walk the talk.

The Chaguanas MP has obviously tried to straddle both sides in the civil war that has plagued the United National Congress (UNC), even after the Basdeo Panday faction of the party’s national executive stripped him of his post as the central representative.

So it was really jokey to see him looking like a lost puppy when he entered the Chamber last week Friday.

When he first arrived on the scene, the Chaguanas MP stopped for a brief conversation with the newly independent St. Joseph MP Gerald Yetming.

They stayed close in brief conversation before Manohar walked around the front benches and made his way to sit next to Yetming, raising eyebrows and speculation that he had indeed joined the growing group of dissenters in the UNC.

Both men engaged in animated conversation and even shared documents, some of which appeared to be some sort of correspondence or the other.

At the same time, Clerk of the House Jackie Sampson had a quick word with Speaker Barry Sinanan, giving the impression that they, too, were keeping an eye on the situation.

After all, the Chaguanas MP was duty bound to inform the Speaker if he decided to relocate to the backbench.

Manohar remained on the backbench for a while and seemed to be surveying the scene, almost checking out the logistics of his possible new seat.

Then, after a while, he decided to chat briefly with the Speaker, after which he walked through the front bench, chatted briefly with his Political Leader Winston Dookeran and then settled into his official seat.

His briefcase, however, remained on the back seat next to Yetming.

He was clearly uncomfortable after hearing news that he was evicted from the party’s administrative line up, and sitting next to his colleague, Couva South MP Kelvin Ramnath, did not cheer him up either.

Well, by the time Ramsaran settled into his original seat, Acting Chief Whip Hamza Rafeeq was on the platform chatting with the Speaker.

A short while afterwards, the man who has motivated and promoted the party’s civil war, Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday, arrived and was briefed on the developments, after which it was business as usual.

The lines have long been drawn on the UNC backbench.

Indeed, there are three factions.

After Point-a-Pierre’s Gillian Lucky and Bara-taria/San Juan’s Fuad Khan declared their independence, they were sent to the back of the class, which resulted in Adesh Nanan and Subhas Panday getting promoted to the front bench.

The three factions that remained at the back consist of Oropouche MP Roodal Moonilal, who has been playing a nasty game, jumping from one side to the other; then there’s Lucky and Khan, and Gerald Yetming who stands in a class all by himself.

Surely, nothing will change when Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar assumes the role of Opposition Leader, for however long she will be allowed to.