No UNC rules for Ato

Speaking with Newsday, Panday said Boldon was recruited because of his capacity to mobilise the youths.

"A condition of his appointment was that he was not a member of the party, and that he was free not to become a member of the party," Panday stated.

Noting that the youths were traumatised, Panday said the UNC was interested in getting a role model like Boldon who could help the youth to abandon their anti-social behaviour. "I want him to mobilise the youth so that they could lead a better life," Panday said.

Asked how he could allow Boldon to operate freely while subjecting his members to party discipline, Panday said there was one rule for party members and another for non-members.

Panday said when someone joined an organisation, they had to comply by the rules.

He said this was so not just for politics but for any organisation. "In any organisation you have to comply by its rules. And there is one rule for members and another for non-members," he explained.

On the issue of the Chief Whip, Panday denied a report that he had asked Kelvin Ramnath to become the Chief Whip. "I have never asked him. That reporter (who wrote the story) is a wicked fellow. Kelvin Ramnath has been unwell and I have not seen him for a couple of weeks," Panday stated.

He said he was not concerned with the Chief Whip issue, since he was looking at the "bigger things in politics." "I am concerned with the PNM’s inability to deal with crime, with people who are murdered, pillaged and robbed... with fire in PoS and properties being destroyed and people losing their jobs," he said.

He added that the Chief Whip issue had "no relevance."

On the changes in the seating order in the Senate which led to the demotion of Sadiq Baksh and Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan, Panday referred Newsday to Minority Leader, Wade Mark. "It is Wade Mark’s prerogative (to determine who sits where)," he said.

Told that Mark would never take such a decision without instructions from him (Panday), the Opposition Leader said, "You’ll can’t leave this maximum leader thing.

Eric Williams was a maximum leader and I was one for a short while," he said with a laugh. "But people (Mark) will take their own decisions," he said.

Asked if he was telling Baksh and Seepersad-Bachan to "shape up or ship out," Panday said, "That is something I can tell every member of the party."