Panday denies conflict within UNC

OPPOSITION LEADER Basdeo Panday yesterday dismissed reports that the postponement of this month’s UNC National Executive and constituency executive elections had anything to do with internal rumblings in the party. Panday also said the UNC has not reached a conclusion about an Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) report (laid in the House of Representatives in July), proposing increasing Trinidad and Tobago’s constituencies from 36 to 41, tilting the balance of political power in the ruling PNM’s favour. On Sunday, the UNC said the elections had been postponed “until it has completed a study of the changes in the electoral boundaries and the creation of five additional seats proposed by the EBC.” The party added: “The UNC is concerned that the EBC’s revision of boundaries favours the ruling party and does not reflect the constitutional requirement of equal number of electors in each constituency.”

Panday told Newsday, however, that the UNC has not reached a firm conclusion on whether the EBC’s proposals do in fact favour the PNM. A North American Caribbean Teachers Association (NACTA) poll released on Sunday, predicted significant electoral wins for the PNM in a 41-seat Parliament, and the ruling party would easily win a two-thirds majority in that Parliament. The UNC leader said postponing the elections was not due to any other internal wranglings in the party or problems with its election machinery. The UNC’s last national executive elections in June 2001 caused a major split within the party which caused it to lose power in the general elections in December of the same year. Panday said that if Parliament approves the EBC report, the electoral boundaries will change and new constituency executives would have to be elected. He added that against this background, it would not be appropriate to hold the elections at this time. Panday dismissed the findings of the latest NACTA poll as “lacking in credibility.”