FOLLOWING his betrayal of the coalition during his vote for the no-confidence motion against the government last Friday Charrandas Persaud was facilitated and escorted out of the Parliament chambers by the People’s Progressive Party.

Photographs on Monday surfaced showing PPP member, Peter Ramsaroop escorting Persaud out of the Parliament Buildings as well as raiding with him in a vehicle that was parked outside of the Parliament gate. Ramsaroop was also seen pumping his first in the Parliament chambers when Persaud delivered the shocking ‘yes’ vote on the motion. Ramsaroop a known political hop-scotcher had remained behind Persaud throughout the debate of the motion.

Minutes after voting “yes” Persaud on the corridors of the Public Buildings, told reporters that he was grossly disappointed in the AFC, the party to which he belongs. “We are sitting in Parliament like ‘yes-men’ to APNU, and we are AFC,” he said. “And we have not blended with APNU. The other parties have; we have not. The government is APNU+AFC; we have not blended. So why are we doing everything they want to do, like passing Prime Minister Hamilton Green’s Pension Bill?” Persaud told reporters. “We are not opposing anything,” he said. “We are not saying ‘no’ to anything, and that is what my problem is. I can’t stand that. As Jessica Levy, in the House of Commons in Great Britain, said, there are times when you have to vote according to your conscience and not because of party affiliation. This is a government MPs maintain all is not lost conscience vote,” he said.

He denied being coerced or even paid by the PPP/C to vote against his government, Persaud maintained that it was a conscience vote. There have been rumours that Persaud was paid to vote against the government. “I am not a PPP member; I am not affiliated to the PPP,” he said. “This is not because of the PPP; this is because my conscience is now clear. My life may go but you know what I will die a happy person with a clear God damn conscience.”