Politics is about gamesmanship and Basdeo Panday is the master at it. He has been at it for more than 40 years and he is determined to take care of his latest target, Jack Warner.Judgment Day for Warner appears to be Wednesday when the national executive of the United National Congress (UNC) and the party's national executive meet to decide what to do about about the recalcitrant deputy leader who dared to support the government in a crucial vote.
Over the years Panday has warned all foes that winning against him is not easy task. "When you see me and a lion fighting, feel sorry for the lion," he reminds everyone.
If just winning the battle is the standard to judge Panday's many political encounters, then he has been pretty successful.
For example, he won against Ramesh Maharaj in the post-2000 internal election struggle for leadership of the national executive. But Maharaj later helped topple the Panday government and triggered the 2001 general election that opened the door for President Arthur N. Robinson to fire Panday and appoint Patrick Manning as prime minister following the 18-18 tie.
So who really won?
Panday won against Maharaj in the short term and lost because he refused to consider the bigger picture. In the process it was a major loss for supporters of the UNC and the country, since Panday, regardless of his faults, had presided over one of the best administrations the country has had.
Panday is now after Warner, but the duel didn't begin last Friday when Warner voted with the government while the rest of the opposition abstained.
Panday called that a breach of party rules that could lead to expulsion. But even more serious, he said it was the smoking gun that proved Warner was in bed with Manning and the PNM.
A betting man will likely give Panday 2-to-1 odds of winning against Warner on Wednesday. But like the battle with Maharaj and team Unity in 2000 such a victory would benefit no one but Panday and help the People's National Movement (PNM) continue its reign by guaranteeing a divided opposition.
When Manning assumed office in 2001 by presidential decree he tried unsuccessfully to push the UNC back to the sugar cane fields by taking the cane fields away from the UNC, leaving it without its primary constituency in the hope that instead of rising from the ashes, the UNC would retreat to a "comfort zone" of marginal politics.
Instead the UNC grew through the efforts of Panday, Warner and Maharaj into the UNC Alliance that challenged the new Congress of the People (COP), which was born out of dissent and dissatisfaction with the UNC elite.
Panday won that battle with former UNC leader Winston Dookeran but alienated 100,000 UNC supporters. In the end he and 14 other UNC members made it to Parliament but they lost the war, which caused Manning to win a commanding majority in Parliament with fewer votes than the combined opposition.
When the daggers come out at UNC headquarters Wednesday evening, Jack Warner could end up with "the most unkindest cut of them all" and Panday could win again as he has done so often.
But as always, the victory would be a tragic loss for the those who keep looking for leadership from the UNC only to find disappointment. In the end, Panday's victory would be the nation's loss.
And it would take Trinidad and Tobago one step closer to a Manning dictatorship. Of course, the story could have a different ending. The people could decide to effect change and demand from their leaders a single party with a single leader to face a single opponent.
In other words they could demand a formula for winning, which is what Warner has been doing with his campaign for change.
After all, the voice of the people is the voice of God. And in a democracy, people get the leadership they deserve. Or do they?
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