Not my delegate; MP Baksh clears the air

The United National Congress (UNC) delegate who stood up Sunday and asked party leader Basdeo Panday to step down did not give media his name.

But media reports identified him as Abdul and said he was from the Caroni Central constituency currently held by former health minister Dr Hamza Rafeeq. The reports also said Naparima MP Nizam Baksh was sitting next to the man.

But Baksh has clarified his position, making sure that no one gets the impression that he sponsored the comment or agreed with it.

He told the Trinidad Express he sat next to the delegate after the man made his comment about having Kamla-Persad Bissessar take over immediately as interim leader of the UNC.

Baksh told the paper he went to sit near the man to find out his identity and to determine whether he was representing and the interests of any group.

Some UNC supporters have suggested that the man was planted at the congress by those who are opposed to Panday as leader.

In an email to JYOTI, UNC Senator M.F. Rahman said, "It should not be surprising that one delegate would behave as if he were on Jack’s payroll. Nor that several women would applaud Kamla’s recognition. What was amazing was the 500+ delegates who attended and applauded Mr. Panday’s statesmanlike response that showed why he remains leader."

Rahman was responding to another email from a UNC member from Palimiste, in south Trinidad. Margaret Singh wrote that the move signalled Panday's diminishing fortunes.

"In a more stunning turn of events, a large section of the delegates applauded approvingly to the chagrin of the Pandays. Perhaps the crowning glory of the turning tide of events was the response of Kamla, who in true dulahin mode, was very coy but expectant," Singh wrote.

She said, "It must have pained Panday to see his faithful servant sending signals of ingratitude after he had blanked Winston Dookeran and appointed her as opposition leader...The old silver fox may have scratched his head and asked if all that he was hearing was really true."

She suggested that Panday "has certainly reached his political Waterloo...Panday would remember that it was not too long ago that that the mere mention of his name at a COP conference evoked derisive boos but he never expected his own to applaud him out," Singh said.

Baksh told the Express, "I just stepped across by him to ask him if the decision he made was his decision or a group's decision, any group for that matter, but he said it was his decision."

Baksh explained that anyone is free to run for the leader of the party, noting that the UNC is a democratic organization and every member has the right to express an opinion.

The UNC's constitution allows every qualified member to vote in internal elections. Panday has not said if he would run for the leadership. However his position on that issue is very clear: if the people want it, he'll run against any challenger.

So far no one has expressed an interest in running for the leadership in the election that is expected to be held on January 28, 2010.