‘Let Winston take charge’

Bhaggan fired this salvo at Panday during a fiery speech at a rally to bolster support for Dookeran, attended by thousands at the HCU Convention Centre in Freeport.

Bhaggan who recently surfaced as a Dookeran supporter after several years of being out of active politics, recounted her struggles to build the party from the ground up.

She made her call to Panday following the former party chairman’s call to resume unification discussions between the warring factions of the UNC between those supportive of Dookeran and those who are aligned to Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

Reading from a prepared text, Bhaggan who recounted her struggles to build the party in the late 80’s and early 90’s, said both party and the country were at a “critical crossroad” due to sky-high food prices and the escalating crime rate.

Addressing her former mentor (Panday) as ‘Bas Bhai’ (loosely translated as brother), she said one of the best decisions ever made by the former party chairman was to hand over the political baton to Dookeran.

“Now that Winston has the baton, you cannot stand in his way...let it go,” Bhaggan said as applause erupted among the supporters.

“This is D-Day. I challenge you to tell the country now that you intend to stand by your decision to have Winston Dookeran effectively lead the UNC to form the next government,” she added.

Referring to Panday’s call for a ‘ceasefire’ and the starting of unification discussions between the Persad-Bissessar led faction and Dookeran, Bhaggan said if Saturday’s call for unity by Panday was genuine, then he must “let Winston take his rightful place as the Leader of the Opposition.

“The next thing that you must do is fire that entire executive and give Winston the free hand to reform the party,” she said.

In a fighting mood, Bhaggan described the members of the national executive as a “bunch of sycophants” intent on making a “mockery of our democracy”.

“I have no political tabanca, I have no applications inside, but if this party is fully in the hands of Winston and his team and the party is purged of its toxic elements, then I along with thousands of other citizens will be willing to support a movement which represents a new political culture,” she declared.

“If you want to remove the PNM, the only leader who can do that is Winston Dookeran with the support of his team. The choice you have is Manning or Winston, which will it be?”

Also addressing the meeting were party organiser and former Senator Sadiq Baksh, Pointe-a-Pierre ‘independent UNC’ MP Gillian Lucky, former UNC Senator Roy Augustus and attorney Kevin Ratiram.

Among the thousands attending the rally were former NAR Finance Minister Selby Wilson, GOPIO president Devant Maharaj and newly installed Chaguanas alderman Ramesh Ramdan.