Panday: It’s not a biscuit you could hand over

Responding to criticism from Chief Whip Ganga Singh on his decision not to relinquish the position to Winston Dookeran, Panday said he handed over the political leadership of the party, but could not hand over the Opposition Leadership. "I would have thought that after so many years as Mps they would understand the Constitution. I cannot hand over to anyone. How do you hand over? What do you do?" Panday said that according to the Constitution, it could only be when a majority of the elected members of Parliament informed the President that they have confidence in a different person that there can be a change in the Opposition Leader. "If they get the majority of Mps to sign a letter to the President (saying that they support Winston Dookeran) I imagine that the President would (have to) act," he said.

He said he (Panday) was appointed as Opposition Leader because he enjoyed the confidence of the majority of Mps. "I don’t know what they want me to do?" he asked. Told that those Mps supporting Dookeran for the post wanted him to tell the Mps supporting him (Panday) to switch their allegiances, Panday responded: "Why don’t they go to them directly to seek their support?"

Told that it was probably because they felt that these Mps would only switch their support on his (Panday’s) insistence, Panday said: "That is to insult them (the Mps). That is to insinuate that they have no mind of their own." Asked what they proposed to do in the light of the fact that they did not have the support of a number of Mps, Panday said he intended to concentrate on beating the PNM in the next general election "and save the party from anyone who intends to mash it up."

"My job is to wage battle against the PNM and I am doing the work that nobody (else seems to be) doing," he said. Panday added, "There are certain people who tried to get control of this party and, having failed, they now want to mash it up. Otherwise they would not be carrying on this thing in the media in the way they are doing" he said.

Panday said the UNC membership, which wanted unity, was watching these people. "And they (those seeking to mash up the UNC) would pay an awful political price," he said.

Asked to comment on the view that he was unsuitable for office, Panday said the only people to answer that question was the membership, and they had spoken.

Asked whether his continued hold on the Opposition Leadership diminished the role of Winston Dookeran as Political Leader, Panday said no — "He has a job to do and he should be doing it," Panday said.

Responding to statements from Singh that he had betrayed the political movement and was pursuing his own agenda, Panday said he did not know what political movement he had betrayed.