Business as usual

INSTEAD of being sharply focused on the weaknesses and dubious decisions of the Government, the UNC Opposition seems to be flapping about like a headless chicken. The party has apparently lost whatever cohesion it once had and its parliamentarians now present the picture of a string of loose cannons shooting off in different directions. The evidence seems clear that the UNC has yet to recover from the trauma of losing the elections last October and is still reeling from the failure to deal with its urgent leadership problem and to reform and refresh itself to meet the challenges of the future. As in every organisation, the time and the opportunity had come for change — even the old leadership had recognised and accepted the necessity. But the UNC has failed that test of courage, it has settled for its beaten image, and the consequences of that are now painfully obvious; the party has lapsed into greater disarray and the erstwhile capriciousness still rules.

Instead of fulfilling his post-election promise to dismount, Mr Panday has characteristically changed his mind and is back fully in the saddle. What UNC members believe he can still offer the party or the country is not clear, but such is their state of dependency that no one seems prepared to challenge the leader or remind him that, yes, it was time for him to go. Mr Panday, no longer seeking his long-professed goal of national unity or a ruling coalition partnership, has now espoused the cause of an "alternative government" which, he says, would be established to see to the needs of a marginalised section of the national community. We can only presume that this gambit will have the same result as Mr Panday's call for a campaign of civil disobedience; so the less we should say about it, the better. How constitutionally averse the party is to changing its image can also be seen in the continuous ranting against three of its former ministers, Maharaj, Sudama and Maraj, rather than accept the now well-established fact that its fall from power was caused by the pervasive corruption within its ranks.

Now we come to the sad spectacle of UNC senators not being prepared to debate the motion of no confidence in President Baboolal moved by one of their most vociferous members, Robin Montano. As Independent Senator Eastlyn McKenzie pointed out, the Commonwealth practice is to have a censure motion against a presiding officer dealt with as expeditiously as possible. Senator Mark, who is yet to back up his charge of electronic spying against the government, compounded the delinquency when he declared there was a "dangerous expose" to come about the President. Can Senator Mark make such serious innuendoes about the Senate President, abusing the privilege of Parliament, and get away with it? In the interest of the country, the UNC must realise the grave responsibility it bears in fulfilling its function as the Opposition party. The society as a whole must be more than weary of the old modus operandi of making wild and unfounded charges, issuing foolish threats, calling for disruptive campaigns, all with the hope of impressing gullible followers. The irrelevance of all that is agonising when compared to the vital issues that affect the country, issues requiring an insightful contribution from the Opposition. What, for example, is the UNC's view of the dubious CEPEP initiative or the determination of Prime Minister Manning to shift the seat of parliament so he can have the Red House all to himself or to his addition of another member to his already over-loaded Cabinet? Sadly, Mr Panday's style still overshadows the UNC and the hope for a progressive change in the party's image has faded into oblivion. It's UNC business as usual.