(CMC) As it gets prepared to observe its second anniversary in power next month, the splits within the five-party coalition People’s Partnership government are widening into noticeable cracks even as Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar has vowed to keep her administration intact.

The coalition comprising the United National Congress (UNC), the Congress of the People (COP), the Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP), the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) and the National joint Action Committee (NJAC) came together ahead of the May 24, 2010 general election and swept the People’s National Movement (PNM) government out of office following a snap poll called by then Prime Minister Patrick Manning.

The coalition partners publicly signed the “Fyzabad Declaration” and 60-year-old Persad Bissessar  became the first woman ever to head a government in this oil rich twin island republic promising the population of 1.3 million people transparency and a new style of politics.

But the government has run into many problems or “mis-steps” including some inflicted upon it by Cabinet members themselves that have resulted in infightings that one senior Cabinet minister blamed “a cabal” for instigating.

The government was forced to declare a State of Emergency (SOE) to deal with a wave of criminal activities, including murder last year. A number of people were rounded up under the SOE, but the State now faces a barrage of lawsuits after most of them were released without any charge being laid against them.

The security forces later said they had uncovered a plot to assassinate the prime minister and three senior Cabinet ministers. But the opposition scoffed at the assassination plot pointing to the fact that no one had been charged even though several people, including a senior police officer and members of the Muslim community had been detained by the police.

Both the opposition and the trade union movement had accused the government of utilising the SOE and “inventing” the assassination plot as a means of preventing public demonstrations against the government’s labour policies.

The MSJ, whose membership is derived mainly from the labour movement, has already given the government an ultimatum.

It says it will reconsider its position within the government if certain policy measures are not given adequate consideration by May 24.

“These policy decisions, we believe, have been in conflict with the interests of labour, whose interest we represent,” said the MSJ leader David Abdulah, a government legislator.

In February, the powerful Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU) gave the MSJ an ultimatum -either with draw from the MSJ or it would withdraw from the party- after it accused the government of adopting anti-labour policies, including a cap on wages in the public sector.

Abdulah, who along with Acting Prime Minister and Labour Minister Errol Mc Leod, are the two MSJ members in the government, said that 10 major issues had been identified that should be addressed immediately by the government.

The 10 issues include the settlement of negotiations in a fair and equitable manner consistent with the free collective bargaining process; fair share of State resources to communities and the equitable distribution of jobs; reduced rights of land tenure and massive increase of lease rates to farmers without consultation; process of constitution reform and local government reform, addressing state sector governance, cutting all forms of discrimination, political victimisation, corruption, nepotism and patronage.

Abdulah said the MSJ, which represents all working people, must be respected as an equal member of the coalition, and accused the Government of demonstrating a “lack of respect and regard for labour”.

He said rather than seeking to partner with labour in the resolution of these matters, “the Government attacked the trade unions by way of the attempt to impose a one-size-fits-all wage cap of five per cent which, had it succeeded, would have undermined the free collective bargaining process.”

But even as the government puts on a brave face and goes about “the people’s business”, it is now embroiled in a controversy that at least one partner has publicly stated could “mash up” the coalition.

When the Mayor of the southern town of San Fernando, Marlene Coudray decided to contest the deputy leadership of the UNC last month, it immediately raised fears that the partners were engaged in poaching.

Coudray, an unsuccessful candidate of the COP in the last general election, had been appointed to the post under what COP leader Prakash Ramadhar insisted was “a gentleman’s agreement” in keeping with the contents of the Fyzabad Declaration.

On March 27, Ramadhar said the COP would “revisit” its position in the coalition should the party not be given responsibility for the San Fernando Regional Corporation as agreed to before the 2010 Local Government election.

But Ramadhar has been unsuccessful in getting Coudray removed from the post even after four rounds of lengthy talks among the coalition leaders.

“Given the circumstances of the change in party allegiance by Ms Marlene Coudray, the Congress of the People no longer has that position of responsibility,” he said, and as he emerged from the latest rounds of talks on Thursday, the COP leader left no doubt who he felt was responsible for the ongoing rift.

“At the end of the day, it is the responsibility of the Prime Minister to settle this matter. The matter of the Mayor of San Fernando is a political one. Forget all the legalism that has been put before us; it is a political one,” he said.

“…And I ask where such importance, where the future of our country and our partnership may be jeopardised, I ask how can anyone in honour hold on to an office that you did not gain by work?” said Ramadhar.

“A mayor is chosen by vote of councillors who are directed by their party, and therefore it is not a position that one goes out and works for on the ground by gaining the votes of the population, by saying it is an earned right. That’s the simple issue and it is really at the end of it a lack of political will and determination of those who care about this country,” he added.

Political analyst Dr. Winford James notes that since it is “political action that put Coudray in the mayor’s chair, political action can also replace her with a COP official.

“ But only if the dominant partner in the partnership, the UNC, makes the decision to do so, based on Ramadhar’s claim of an oral or “gentlemen’s agreement”,” he added.

Another analyst Dr. Hamid Ghany agrees that “feelings” have been hurt and that Coudray’s position may be viewed as she having “crossed the floor inside of the coalition as opposed to going outside of the coalition itself.

“In order to understand this, one must appreciate that the key to the relationship is the holding of power. If she had crossed over to the PNM, there would have been general outrage. Instead, there is COP outrage alone.”

Apart from having to deal with the Coudray issue, the COP leader now finds himself facing a revolt from an executive member, Anil Roberts, the Sports Minister, who has been very vocal as to the strategy adopted by Ramadhar in dealing with the issue in the first place.

“Mr Roberts is a loud-mouthed, crude and often vulgar politician, but he is, nonetheless, a politician and he has not hesitated to seize the opening presented by Mr Ramadhar response to continue pelting political boulders at him and his leadership of the party,” wrote political commentator Michael Harris.

A joint statement issued Thursday, following the latest rounds of talks, noted that the leaders have discussed “a number of other crucial issues relating to the functioning of the Partnership and the Government, and have agreed that actions are to be taken”.

For instance, they have agreed on the rules of engagement of the parties within the Partnership and that “there will be a greater emphasis on collaborative approaches to facilitate consultation, participation, involvement and consensus-building.

“This will help us to achieve unity of purpose in our efforts and partnership and trust in the society. To this end, the party chairmen have been mandated to meet urgently and recommend action on these matters for the consideration and approval by the Leaders.

“The party chairs are to meet before the end of April and at least monthly thereafter. The political leaders are also to meet at least on a monthly basis. We reiterate our earlier statement that “The leaders recognise the importance of this forum for the discussion and resolution of national policy issues.”

James concedes that coalitions can work in government once the proper procedural structures are put in place and the leadership structures are vivified by a politics that has the different memberships take charge of the governance agenda.

“They must be made to work since history has incontrovertibly shown that our varied communities of interest cannot be properly served by monolithic parties like the PNM and the UNC.

“For their own good and ours, the People’s Partnership must show they are not only good for the capture of office,” he added.

But even as the Coudray issue remains, Ghany asks “with political power on the line, will this stalemate continue or will it blow over…”