Panday comes home — UNC gets busy

WITH UNC Political Leader Basdeo Panday due back in the country Tuesday, the Opposition party will be setting things in train for his homecoming and its political activities for the rest of the year.

Twenty-four hours before Panday’s return, the UNC’s parliamentary caucus will hold its first meeting for 2004 at the party’s Rienzi Complex headquarters in Couva on Monday at 5 pm.  At 7.45 pm on Monday, the UNC will resume its People’s Forum with a meeting at the Canaan Presbyterian School, La Romaine. Feature speakers include chairman Wade Mark, Senator Sadiq Baksh and Opposition MPs Dr Roodal Moonilal, Gillian Lucky and Winston Dookeran. Panday will chair the UNC’s first national executive meeting for the year on Wednesday at Rienzi Complex at 3 pm. The party is due to hold its National Assembly, National Congress and internal executive elections later this year. The latter is carded for July and questions have been raised about whether or not Panday will stand for re-election as leader. Meanwhile, the ruling PNM will celebrate its 48th anniversary today with a mass rally at the Lions Civic Centre from 10 am. Prime Minister Patrick Manning is carded to give the feature address at today’s rally.