UNC Senator: Govt targetted Panday

The Senate yesterday debated a motion by Independent Senator Prof Ramesh Deosaran hitting crime. It was a fairly subdued sitting given the emotiveness of the events of the day before.

Senators of all three political hues — Government, Opposition and Independent — generally steered clear of discussing Panday, with only Jones-Kernahan making a remark.

Referring to Panday’s jailing, she accused the PNM regime of “the selected targetting, maligning, villifying, and imprisoning of political leaders especially our political leader.”

Focussing on how crime harms children, she said Panday, in his one term as prime minister, had done more for the well-being of women and children than the PNM had done in 40 years.

The only other reference to Panday came when acting UNC Senator Vassant Bharath complained of a signal being sent “that if they could do it at the top and get away with it, who are we?” At that the PNM benches burst out, “Panday!.”

Bharath hit crime ranging from murder, of which he said 1250 had occurred under the PNM Government, to corruption by police and public officials.

“A corrupt government doesn’t serve all the people,” he said.