Panday: DPP batting for PNM

OPPOSITION LEADER Basdeo Panday said yesterday he was not surprised that Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Geoffrey Henderson advised the police not to press charges against Housing Minister Dr Keith Rowley arising out of the September 15 tea room incident between Rowley and Fyzabad MP Chandresh Sharma. Commenting on the contents of a November 12, 2004 memorandum which Henderson sent to Police Commissioner Trevor Paul, Panday told Newsday that he has been arguing for a long time that in Trinidad and Tobago, “there is one law for the PNM and one law for the UNC.” “This is proof of it,” the UNC leader declared. Panday described Henderson’s ruling as “the strangest I have ever heard.”

He was particularly baffled by the DPP’s statement about Parliament having “the ability to regulate its own affairs.” Panday said as far as he was aware, Parliament’s functions involved law-making and not parliamentarians physically assaulting one another. “He (DPP) is obviously batting for the PNM,” Panday alleged. Asked if he believed the DPP’s ruling would cause the Parliament’s Privileges Committee to clear Rowley of any wrongdoing in the tea room incident, Panday hinted that the Committee’s composition could give an indication of what its ruling was likely to be. The Privileges Committee comprises House Speaker Barry Sinanan (chairman), Health Minister John Rahael, Planning and Development Minister Camille Robinson-Regis, Public Utilities Minister Pennelope Beckles, Princes Town MP Subhas Panday and Pointe-a-Pierre MP Gillian Lucky (who replaced Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar on the Committee since Persad-Bissessar is one of the attorneys representing Sharma). Panday said he did not know whether Sharma would initiate private legal proceedings against Rowley in light of the DPP’s decision. However the UNC leader said Sharma should not have to since the law applies to everyone.