NAVAS VS NAGESSARBy Richardson Dhalai Friday, August 21 2009
The row between Chaguanas Mayor Natasha Navas and Deputy Mayor Orlando Nagessar became more heated yesterday when Nagessar stormed out of a meeting, clutching the keys to his office building, in defiance of a move to get him to share the space with administrative staff of the borough corporation.
Three councillors who supported Nagessar walked out with him. Nagessar and councillors occupied a separate building all to themselves. A sign on the building reads: “Office of the Deputy Mayor and Councillors”.
Moves to get Nagessar to share the office building began when he offered Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday the use of the premises to meet constituents of Chaguanas West, whose MP is Jack Warner. Panday has met constituents twice at Nagessar’s office.
Navas objected to this and said the properties of the Chaguanas Borough Corporation should be used for its operations and to provide services to the people, and not for political reasons. The first reports of the move to remove Nagessar from the office building came from Warner last Friday. During the opening of his own office in Panday’s Couva North constituency, at Jerry Junction, Carapichaima, Warner said Nagessar would no longer have an office and pointed out that no other deputy mayor in any other borough had their own. Navas, who has the backing of Warner, subsequently piloted a motion for the office building to be shared with councillors and administrative staff during a meeting on Tuesday.
A special stautory meeting took place yesterday to ratify this motion. The meeting got heated and there were reports that the police were called in to restore order. Nagessar, however, walked out taking the keys with him.
Nagessar yesterday said the motion on the use of the office building was a “waste of time” and felt more pressing issues such as flooding in the borough should have been addressed.
He claimed his decision to allow Panday to use the premises as a “surrogate constituency” office was the reason for the motion.
“I feel that I am being victimised because Mr Panday used my offices as a surrogate MP to service the constituency held by Mr Warner,” he said, although he admitted legal sources advised that Panday could only visit the corporation’s offices and not use the premises as a constituency office.
Whether he has an office or not Nagessar said he will continue to do his job.
“I will work from my car truck, under someone’s house or wherever but I am willing to work together with anyone for the benefit of the burgess of Chaguanas,” he said.
However, Navas said Nagessar and three councillors, Gopaul Boodan, Joey Samuel, and Patricia Baptiste, appeared to have changed their minds about a decision that was made on Tuesday for the building to be used by all councillors with support staff.
Although yesterday’s meeting was “heated at times”, Navas said the reports that the municipal police had to be called in were “exaggerated”.
She said the meeting was called to discuss using the office building for a unit that is to be established to work alongside councillors.
“The office currently held by the deputy mayor/councillors would continue to be used for activities held by members of council and to attend to matters relating to the public until a head of department is identified,” she said. Navas insisted no councillor, not even Nagessar, has been displaced.
“The councillors are here. They also occupy the offices of the deputy mayor, they also have meetings, they alternate with different meeting times. I’m sure if you go across there, the building is still open,” she said.
She said the issue of Nagessar keeping the keys was not important at this time.
Asked if the walkout led by Nagessar was an attempt to undermine her authority, Navas replied, “I wouldn’t say it was an attempt to undermine (me), however, according to the standing orders...when a decision...is in place it cannot be revisited until the next six months, after the motion had been passed.”
Will disciplinary action be taken against the protesting councillors?
“I don’t think that will be an issue. I think that was a personal issue that they needed to trash out and they walked out. I’m hoping that when we have the next council meeting we can start off on a good foot.”
