Panday waiting on Dookeran for progress on unity talks

Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday says he's waiting to hear from Congress of the People (COP) leader about unity, pointing out that the ball is now in Winston Dookeran's court.

Panday said he has done his duty by writing to Dookeran inviting him to meet.

Speaking at a meeting of his United National Congress (UNC) in Arima, Panday produced letters to prove that he has been seeking unity with COP and reminded supporters that he had invited Dookeran to his party's recent congress but the COP leader failed to attend.

At that meeting Panday said the COP was impertinent to suggest that the UNC should join COP when the party had no seats in Parliament while there are 15 members of the UNC in Parliament.

The UNC also denied COP members Robert Meyers and Timothy Hamel-Smith an opportunity to present the COP’s People’s Charter at the UNC congress.

Panday said he and UNC vice chairman Vasant Bharath promised COP that they would hold a separate meeting to discuss the charter. He said his last letter to Dookeran seeking unity was sent last week and he's still waiting for a response.

He read that letter asked Dookeran to agree on a date and time "to discuss your paper, entitled the People’s Charter - Principles and Codes of Political Conduct".

He said his letter also said the UNC would use the opportunity to discuss constitutional.

Former COP deputy leader, Sharon Gopaul-McNicol, who is now an opposition senator appointed by Panday, accused Dookeran of preventing unity between both parties. She blamed it on a small group "of about five people" at the top level of the COP.

She said members of both parties must get together and have one big meeting to send a signal to the leaders that they are ready for unity.

Sherwin William, a member of COP’s youth arm, called on all COP members to unite with the UNC. He also defended UNC deputy leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar for pulling out of the COP Axe the Tax rally last Saturday.

"You cannot disrespect the lady’s leader and expect her to mount your platform and speak unity. It is wrong. So I am asking all my brothers and sisters in the COP, coming from a UNC platform, consider your children’s future," he said.