Friday, January 4 2008

FORMER Senate Pres-ident Dr Linda Baboolal has not yet been given any new “higher role” as promised by Prime Minister Patrick Manning.

Baboolal, a former PNM chairman, was not reappointed Senate President in the Ninth Parliament, with this post given to Danny Montano. Reports are that Baboolal has gone back to her medical practice.

Opposition sources have suggested to Newsday that Baboolal might have fallen out of favour with Manning for her remarks made during the Chief Justice impasse when she agreed with a statement by defence attorneys in the integrity trial of UNC leader Basdeo Panday, that Hindu wives indeed handle their families’ fin-ances.

In addition, Baboolal might have incurred displeasure when she repeatedly chastised Government Ministers during the Eighth Parliament for their tardiness in answering Opposition questions.

A Newsday story in November had tipped Baboolal for elevation to that of President of the Republic, but Manning subsequently anno-unced that President George Maxwell Richards would get an extension to his term which ends in March, leaving Baboolal’s political fu-ture in limbo.