Panday may remain after January 2004

OPPOSITION LEADER Basdeo Panday yesterday said he may remain as Couva North MP even if the United National Congress (UNC) elects a new leader when it holds internal executive elections later this year.

Asked by Newsday about whether he would remain an Opposition parliamentarian when the party elects a new leader, Panday replied: “Possibly.” However the UNC leader said it was “very difficult” at this time to say whether he would still be Opposition Leader in such a scenario. Traditionally, the Opposition Leader is also the political leader of the party in opposition. “I would like to enter into a new phase of politics,” Panday said. He explained that this would basically entail “non-electoral” political activities such as charity work, writing and possibly the occasional lecture.

The UNC leader also said he was not upset about the contents of St Augustine MP Winston Doo-keran’s document “An Agenda for Transformation.”  In that document, Dookeran criticised the UNC’s policies of civil disobedience and non-cooperation and said the UNC was widely perceived as Panday’s personal property. “We try to encourage free and open discussions within the UNC. That is the whole point of democracy,” he declared. Panday added that in making his analyses, Dookeran had to be “big enough” to stand whatever scrutiny those analyses came under. Dookeran has been touted as Panday’s likely successor, but has publicly denied having leadership ambitions. Asked whether he approved of a proposal for the UNC to have three deputy political leaders, similar to the People’s National Movement (PNM), Panday said that party elections officer Dr Tim Gopeesingh’s constitutional review committee would consider all views on that subject.

UNC chairman Wade Mark meanwhile said people were “making a mountain out of a molehill” as far as Dookeran’s report was concerned. “This is not a party position. This is purely a discussion paper. Nothing more, nothing less,” he stated. In his report, Dookeran said there was growing public disillusionment with the UNC and PNM on the issue of corruption. Panday has consistently denied that any corrupt activities took place during the UNC’s six-year period in government.