Panday, Ramesh differ

OPPOSITION LEADER Basdeo Panday and former Attorney General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj on Friday night differed over reports that Lawrence Achong  had resigned as Labour Minister. When contacted, Panday said he was unaware of those reports. “I would not speculate until I hear something definite.” Meanwhile, Maharaj stated that Friday’s events reinforced his long held view that the PNM Government had already collapsed in office. However, he described Achong’s reported resignation as “a drop in the bucket” and did not think this would reduce the PNM’s majority in Parliament or lead to early general elections in Trinidad and Tobago.  “I don’t think so,” Maharaj said. The former AG claimed there was a lot of disenchantment in the PNM over Manning’s style of leadership and there were “two Cabinets” operating simultaneously within the Government. Maharaj said there was no parallel between his dismissal from the UNC Cabinet and Achong’s resignation.