Panday says Big politicians don’t cry

In an apparent softening of tones, United National Congress, (UNC), chairman designate, Basdeo Panday, has described opposing members of the UNC Progressives slate of candidates for the party’s internal elections as men with potential who performed fantastic jobs in their chosen professions but who would be unable to lead the party in combat against the ruling party in the next General Elections. In an address at Siparia Old Road, Fyzabad on Friday evening, he also observed  that politics was not for “little children” but for men who would not “cry” when “some little statement is made against them.” Panday, who is leading the Team Patriots slate, has been accused of indulging in a war of words against the opposing slate for key positions in the party’s executive, including it’s three deputy political leadership positions.

And unlike recent meetings where scathing attacks were levelled against the leaders of the Progressives slate, including FIFA vice president, Austin Jack Warner, and Oropouche MP, Dr Roodal Moonilal, he said both men possessed tremendous qualities and skills which suited them for the performance of their day jobs. “As the vicepresident of FIFA, he is doing a tremendous job in football which takes him out of the country for more than three quarters of the year. He’s doing a fantastic job, but how can he function as a deputy political leader and attend meetings which are held at least once a week,” Panday said of Warner. Panday then took aim at Dr Moonilal, whom he described as a man with “potential” but “wet behind the ears” having entered the political arena just five years earlier.

“When I was Prime Minister, I gave him a job in the office of the Prime Minister, so he must have been in politics since 2000. This is 2005, a man who has been in the party and after five years he wants to be deputy political leader. In time he may qualify. Politics is not for little children, politics is for man, not man wet behind the ears. Ah not bad talking the boy, the boy has potential. But he eh ready yet,” Panday declared. He added, “I don’t want fellas who when you go in a public meeting, and you make some little statement about them, they start to cry and say ‘oh god, they making all kinds of allegations against me.’ I don’t want that.” He then reiterated his slate of candidates, which included Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Kelvin Ramnath and Dr Tim Goopeesingh, would prevent any wholesale takeover of the party by those bent on acquiring political office by “killing off the party,” unlike those on the Progressives team who was “progressing on to a next party.”

He then commended Dr Daphne Phillips, who is contesting the position of Education Officer on the Patriots slate, by going public on revelations that both her children and herself were on a so-called “kidnap list.” “The Attorney General of this country two days ago, phoned her up and told her that they have special information, they get a list, and her name is on a list for kidnapping — terrorising the poor woman, that is their style, that is how they fight. But she has guts, instead of backing down and running, she held a press conference and revealed that allegations. Now, I heard the Attorney General said they eh have no list, but he did not deny that he phoned her” he said.

Panday also offered advice to former workers of Caroni Limited saying the distribution of some two acres was another attempt by the Manning administration to keep them in perpetual oppression. “Who could live on two acres of agricultural land? You and your children are condemned by the PNM to becoming peasant farmers for the rest of your life, and the rest of their life too. The hewers of wood and the drawers of water for perpetuity,” he said. Also addressing the meeting was Fyzabad MP, Chandresh Sharma, Couva South MP, Kelvin Ramnath, and former NFM CEO, Vasant Bharath.