I am not going anywhere: Panday

Basdeo Panday is under intense pressure to leave active politics. The calls are coming from some members of his own party, including at least three prominent members.

On Sunday at an anti-government rally in San Fernando citizens of all political stripes suggested that it is time for the former prime minister to retire. The mere mention of the word Panday brought loud protests.

That same message was delivered to Panday's colleague, Kamla Persad-Bissessar when she made a passionate appeal for opposition unity at a meeting of the Congress of the People. "No Panday, no Panday!" the COP crowd chanted.

And a dissident group of Panday's own MPs led by Jack Warner has launched a mass campaign to demand change in the party, which includes a new leadership.

But despite the chorus for the UNC leader to hang up his political gloves, Panday is standing firm and says he is ready to remain in the ring and continue fighting.

The Trinidad Express asked Panday if these developments bother him. "Not at all, at all, at all" was his answer.

"I have for 40 years of my life been struggling to improve the quality of life of the people and I have done fairly well to improve people's lives. Why would I allow a bunch of people who can't a win a seat to tell the UNC or to tell me to stop struggling for the people?" he asked.

"You think certain members of the UNC can determine who will be leader of the PNM?"

Panday also commented on what happened when his deputy leader tried to speak at Sunday's rally. She was shouted down when she mentioned Panday's name.

"I thought they were rather discourteous to invite the deputy political leader of the party to come there and then set her up by embarrassing her and so on. I thought that was rather discourteous," he told the paper.

Panday also told the paper COP political leader Winston Dookeran is out of place to invite members of the UNC to join the COP.

"It is untenable. That is not the way to proceed if you want to have unity. They have not won a seat. We have seats. If we join them what happens? I don't think it makes sense, I don't think he thought about it clearly before he spoke," he said.

However he did not rule out future unity.

"If it is in the pursuit of unity we will do or duty regardless of the consequences. If they invite us under the pretence of unity in order to insult us and humiliate us, we will bear that insult and that humiliation and in the end the public will decide. We will not give up any opportunity towards unity."

Panday told the Express, "There are few people who want what I have, that is a political party with a base. They believe that if I die they will get it. They are wrong of course. Why should that bother me?

"We have a political party and we change our leaders by the system we have. Who are they to tell us how to run our business?" he asked.

"I am leader of my party because my party put me there and it is only my party who decides whether I stay or go. You think we can decide if Dookeran stays or go or Manning stay or go? That's for the people of their party," he said.

He told the paper that the message that he is hearing from the grassroots of his party is that he should stay.

"But I am telling them that I am giving them an opportunity through party elections to determine whether I stay or not stay, because they have supported me and put me here and they are the ones who must move me."

He told the Express the UNC executive would decide at its meeting on Wednesday what action should be taken against Warner for voting with the PNM in support of the Securities Bill at the last Parliament sitting on Friday.

Panday has said Warner faces possible expulsion from the party.