Panday to contest UNC leadership in July

OPPOSITION LEADER Basdeo Panday signalled his intention to lead the United National Congress (UNC) into the 2007 General Elections by announcing he will stand for re-election as political leader when the UNC  holds internal executive elections in July.

Following last October’s general elections defeat to the People’s National Movement (PNM), Panday said he wished to retire from active politics. However, following meetings between former UNC deputy leader Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj and high-ranking party members, Panday chastised those members and reversed his earlier decision to step down.

UNC chairman Wade Mark told Newsday yesterday that 23 positions in the party’s executive will be up for grabs in those elections which are scheduled to be held around the end of July.  Two of those positions are political leader and deputy political leader, the latter of which has been vacant since Maharaj was expelled from the party prior to the December 2001 general elections. Asked whether there was anyone within the UNC’s ranks that was considering challenging Panday for the party’s top post, Mark explained there was still a nomination process to undergo and he “could not predict the future”. While Panday has said he would abide by the party’s wishes if it selected a new leader, UNC sources are uncertain whether anyone could successfully replace Panday as leader.

Following last year’s elections, party sources claimed that Panday’s wife Oma and three UNC MPs — Dr Roodal Moonilal, Kelvin Ramnath and Dr Fuad Khan — were insisting that Panday make way for new blood. Moonilal and Ramnath denied ever having leadership ambitions, while Khan admitted to having political discussions with Maharaj about the UNC’s future. Mark also disclosed that the party has established a team headed by Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar and former UNC Diego Martin East candidate Garvin Nicholas to review the UNC’s Constitution. He said this team will closely examine whether there should be more than one deputy leader as currently obtains within the PNM. The UNC chairman hinted that a new constitution might be in place before the July polls. He also said the party is seeking to make temporary appointments to the posts of deputy political leader, deputy chairman and seven other vacant positions.