Panday wanted to dump Mark as Senate leader and give Dookeran senate seat

Basdeo Panday proposed Congress of the People (COP) Leader Winston Dookeran to be appointed an opposition Senator, two days after the 2007 General Election.

The opposition leader did it at a private meeting of key members of the United National Congress (UNC), including Tabaquite MP Ramesh L. Maharaj and Chaguanas MP Jack Warner.

Panday told the meeting that it would be a brilliant political move since he had called on Dookeran during the election campaign to join the UNC to defeat the People's National Movement (PNM).

He said it would demonstrate that the UNC was serious about uniting the opposition. But members shot down the idea, saying Dookeran would never agree to such a proposition.

But Panday argued that if Dookeran turned down the offer it would not hurt the UNC since it would be clear that the UNC was carrying out its pledge to unite. The former prime minister eventually bowed to the majority opinion and decided not to make the offer to Dookeran.

He remained flexible on appointments but made one request: to appoint former UNC Education Minister Adesh Nanan to the Senate. He explained that Nanan willingly gave up his Tabaquite seat to Maharaj and asked for nothing in return. Panday said he felt obligated to reward Nanan and a Senate seat would be most appropriate. There was no objection to that.

However there was some heated discussion on a suggestion to dump Wade Mark, who unsuccessfully contested the Point a Pierre seat, and replace him in the Senate with NAR Leader Carson Charles who had just lost the St. Joseph seat to the PNM's Kennedy Swaratsingh.

The chorus against Mark was led by Panday and it was Warner who intervened and "used every persuasive power" to ensure that Mark retained his post as opposition Senate leader, noting that he had served the party well in the upper house and in his role in the national executive.

Warner also suggested two other names for Senate appointments: Charles and founding chairman of the UNC and retired Chief Medical Officer Dr Rampersad Parasram. Panday accepted the recommendation for Charles but bluntly refused to appoint Dr Parasram, arguing that he was "too old". Dr Parasram was 63.

During the election campaign Warner had also pleaded with Panday to let Dr Parasram manage the Port of Spain office for the campaign, a recommendation that Panday bluntly refused.

The meeting ended with agreement on only three of the seats and the need to appoint a prominent Hindu woman, although no one suggested a name. Panday later announced the three other appointments, including M.F. Rahman.

Earlier this year he asked Charles to vacate Senate his seat to appoint former COP Deputy Leader Dr Sharon Gopaul McNichol, saying it was part of his continuing quest for national unity.

COP fired McNicol after learning that she had accepted Panday's invitation to become an opposition senator and appointed economist Robert Mayers to replace her as one of the party's deputy political leaders.

(Jai Parasram - Toronto)