Ato resigns as UNC senator
Wednesday, April 11 2007
ATO BOLDON will resign as an Opposition senator at today’s 1.30 pm sitting of the Senate. Boldon’s resignation will further deplete the UNC’s team in the Upper House, which still has not found a replacement for Harry Mungalsingh who was fired as an Opposition senator last month.
In a statement yesterday, UNC Deputy Political Leader Jack Warner said the former TT Olympic quadruple medallist has made an invaluable contribution to the country’s politics since his swearing-in as a senator on February 14, 2006. Warner said while the UNC regrets Boldon’s resignation from the Senate, it was delighted at his choice of a career option “at which he has already proven his aptitude.”
Boldon has reportedly been in talks with ESPN to be part of that international sports network’s team that will cover the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Boldon has neither confirmed nor denied those reports. Warner said the UNC felt Boldon’s parliamentary stint had helped to prepare him for his new endeavours and it wished him well.
Senate Opposition Leader Wade Mark yesterday confirmed that Boldon would be resigning from the Senate today. He said no replacement has been found for Boldon or Mungalsingh. Mark added that only Boldon himself could provide the reasons for his resignation. Efforts to contact Boldon yesterday for comment were unsuccessful. His resignation means the UNC has only four permanent senators — Mark, Dr Tim Gopeesingh, Razia Ahmed and Jennifer Jones-Kernaham — the Senate. Last year, the UNC revoked the senatorial appointments of Sadiq Baksh, Robin Montano and Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan after all three expressed their support for then UNC (now Congress of the People-COP ) political leader Winston Dookeran. Baksh, Montano and Seepersad-Bachan are now all COP members.