Achong ‘cussing’ in the tea room?

In The House

Achong ‘cussing’ in the tea room?

By SHARMAIN BABOOLAL

THERE was no way that Franklin Khan would be caught sitting next to his partner in crime -- Eric Williams.

And he made sure of that last week Friday.

After all, it was the first sitting of the Lower House since Williams was charged with bribery, arising out of allegations from Rio Claro councillor Dansam Dhansook.

And once again, actually for the third time in the past year or so, the PNM had to re-arrange the back bench to accommodate party dissidents and miscreants alike.

The musical chairs started just about two years ago, when Khan was elevated to the front bench to sit next to Prime Minister Patrick Manning.

It was not long afterwards that Point Fortin MP Larry Achong resigned from Manning’s Cabinet, and was placed in the wilderness on the bottom end of the back bench.

Well, some time passed before Khan earned himself a demotion to the back bench, sitting next to Achong.

ITH - 01

ACHONG gestures to UNC after he changes his seat.

ITH - 02

franklin Khan talks to ERIC, finally.

Nobody really expected the front bench to dwindle any further.

But Williams changed that when he also resigned from Cabinet and was placed in the “doghouse”.

Now, of all the men, Achong seemed to have enjoyed the doghouse more than the others, as he occupied the coveted seat at the very end of the back bench.

But last week Friday, he seemed to be a little miffed by his new sitting position.

Of all places, he found himself smack in the middle of Khan and Williams.

But he did not like that.

So, before the Sitting began, he removed his name plate and put it at the very end, placing Williams next to Khan.

Khan sat quietly, looking on at Achong’s antics.

It was only when someone from the Opposition benches heckled, “Yuh putting the Dhansook boys to sit together”, that Khan jumped up.

He then proceeded to change the seats to how the Parliament staff had originally arranged it.

Achong did not interfere after that and settled down.

ITH - 03

But ERIC returns to bending
his head in a book.

Williams arrived just about half hour late for the Sitting, and hustled in seemingly unnoticed.

All three men remained stiff for a while, until Khan realised that the media cameras were all focused on them.

So, he made a gesture to speak with Williams … and that made him a little more relaxed.

Afterwards, the beleaguered Port of Spain South MP put his head in a book and barely raised it for the rest of the afternoon.

It was the last day for schoolboy pranks from Achong, however.

A few days later after the cocaine in Sadiq’s water tank scandal broke ... again, Mirror was told that Achong allegedly “cussed” in the tea room.

Maybe he really did not like the mess the party was in, even though he is reputed to be a dissident!

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