BHARATH:

United National Congress (UNC) vice chairman Vasant Bharath is dismissing speculation that Basdeo Panday’s second daughter, Mikela, is going to replace her father, now serving time for failing to declare his account in London to the Integrity Commission, and run for the Couva North seat in either a by-election or general poll.

“That is just mere speculation. Whoever succeeds Panday will have to fill the boots of a man who has represented the people for 40 years,” he said. Panday is not required to vacate his seat in the Parliament unless he loses all his appeals or unless his appeals are not heard within 150 days after his first conviction and sentence.

And party deputy political leader Jack Warner is predicting that the UNC will have to “bleed” some more in the short-term before healing begins. Warner also described a letter signed by three members of the UNC St Augustine constituency, calling on the party to discipline him, as “garbage.”

Both Bharath and Warner were responding to questions after a party meeting on Wednesday night at Rienzi Complex. Bharath acknowledged that the letter was on the agenda for discussion at the executive meeting carded for Wednesday, but that meeting did not get off since a strategy meeting went on longer than anticipated.

The letter read, ‘We the St Augustine Constituency Executive of the UNC wish to bring to your attention what we consider personal attacks by Jack Warner against MP and Political Leader Honourable Winston Dookeran. We ask that you all call on Mr Warner to cease these attacks immediately and avoid putting the Party into further disrepute. We further ask that disciplinary action be initiated against Mr Jack Warner for his indiscipline and unwarranted attacks on Mr Dookeran.”

The letter was signed by Educational Research Officer, the Women’s Affairs Officer and the Welfare Officer.

The complaint against Warner stemmed from the party executive decision not to let Dookeran talk at a meeting on Monday night after Panday, was jailed. In refusing to let Dookeran speak, Warner was quoted as saying “Every single speaker on this platform here have approval of the chairman, Basdeo Panday. And let me tell you also, who you eh see here, he eh approve.”