I’ve always been ready to go

AS the magnitude of the United National Congress’ (UNC) overwhelming defeat to the People’s National Movement (PNM) in Monday’s Local Government Elections sunk in, Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday admitted that he is prepared to resign as UNC leader at any time.

Flanked by solemn-faced UNC officials in Rienzi Complex on Monday night as the political endgame dawned upon the Opposition, Panday confessed: “I have always wanted to go when I reach this age, and I still would request my party to relieve me as soon as they can. That position has remained unchanged. The elections does not affect that one way or the other.” Following the UNC’s defeat in the October 2002 general elections, Panday said he wanted to resign and the UNC set up a transition committee to facilitate his wishes. However Panday retracted his promise to resign, after reports surfaced of talks between UNC members and former Attorney-General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj about the UNC’s post-Panday political future.

Reflecting on Monday’s results which saw the PNM gaining seats in every local government body and snatching the Sangre Grande and Siparia regional corporations from the UNC, Panday conceded: “The UNC has lost some ground and the PNM has gained some ground.” The UNC leader maintained that the PNM won the elections “through the digusting use of State resources” and the party would “fight like hell against it” both locally and internationally. He also claimed CEPEP and alleged house-padding undermined the UNC but seemed uncertain whether the Opposition had credible evidence on these scores. Panday said house-padding resulted in violence in several countries and cited the West Bank as an example. Panday dismissed suggestions that allegations of corruption against him and other UNC MPs caused the electorate to reject the UNC. “ There was no corruption. Nobody has been convicted of corruption,” he declared. The UNC leader added that there was “togetherness” within the party but the poker-faces of those seated around said different.

Party insiders said internal and external UNC forces have been working to ensure the party’s loss would be so severe that Panday would be forced to resign. They claimed with Panday removed, several sitting UNC members who have corruption allegations hanging over their heads would then be removed in a far-reaching, internal clean-up exercise.