Column: All is not well in the Panday camp

Basdeo Panday must truly be fuming about this week's faux pas by his campaign team on the ground.

The first was not as bad, but two coming back to back is unforgivable and somebody is going to pay dearly for it when "the chief" gets back to Trinidad.

Panday is no fool and after more than 40 years in the political game he knows the rules. And rule number one is never leave room for the enemy to move in or pounce on you. His campaign personnel broke that rule at least twice this week.

The first was a letter of support for Panday from 10 MPs and four Senators. Good move, but only if everybody is on board. They weren't.

One legislator broke ranks, said she never signed any document supporting Panday and endorsed Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who is running against Panday for the leadership.

Roodal Moonilal's attempt at damage control put out the first fire but while people were still asking what went wrong, the campaign made the same mistake again.

The Women's executive put out a statement pledging full support for the leader, but it turned out that was not the real story. Again, there was egg on the faces of the Panday campaign team.

Within 24 hours of the release of that claim, four executive members of the women's arm said they were not consulted, had nothing to do with it and threw their support behind Persad-Bissessar.

The response from Jennifer Jones-Kernahan, the head of the women's group, compounded the problem by trying to discredit her own people. She said those who objected were not "functioning members" and that "others" were called in to do their job.

Even a fool would find that hard to digest. How can an executive be changed overnight without a vote? And who are the "new" executive members? On what basis did Jones-Kernahan arrive at the claim that the UNC women were behind the leader?

But there was more.

Vasant Bharat called up his friend, Jerry Narace, for Christmas drinks at his house. Just two old business friends getting together they both claimed. But that meeting between Patrick Manning's right hand man and the UNC's vice chairman left even Panday supporters scratching their heads and wondering what was going on.

Certainly Bharath wasn't meeting his ol' pal to sell him Cheekies diapers!

Then Bharath started sounding like his leader was about to give up the fight. He was almost saying Panday could be a loser.

Even if Persad-Bissessar won, Bharath said, she won't be in charge because the Parliamentary caucus is fully behind the leader and the majority in Parliament would determine who's the opposition leader: 10-5 means Panday remains leader even if he is not leader of the party.

A bad move. And no doubt Panday was unimpressed. It might have been an attempt to show that it would be pointless voting for anybody but Panday, but it sounded like blackmail and people don't like that.

Then Panday's confidant, Suruj Rambachan, announced that maybe he would be on Panday's team or maybe not. In any case he wants to be a deputy leader - with or without Panday's blessing.

If this how the Panday camp plans on running a serious campaign, then the other side should be delighted. But they should not bring out the champagne yet.

Panday is no novice and he loves a good fight. He is the man who said politics is war and fighting a political battle is better than sex. He is not about to give up this fight.

There's time to recover. And he has already promised to launch "an aggresive" campaign to make sure that no one would topple him.

Persad-Bissessar has been getting lots of face time on local media while Panday and the other leadership contender, Ramesh L. Maharaj are on holiday abroad.

And while the three leadership candidates prepare for battle, the man who has led the campaign for change is getting ready to launch a high energy campaign.

Chaguanas MP Jack Warner is advertising the biggest event of the campaign with his official launch on January 9. But Warner knows as well as the other guy, Trinis love a party and crowds don't win elections.

Amid all the hoopla, there is the chance that the campaigns could get seduced by mass meetings and media coverage, with all kinds of opinion polls and surveys - most unscientific and lacking credibility - announcing winners and losers.

But in the end all that matters is what each financial member of the UNC thinks and does. And the smart politician would look in that direction if she or he wants to win. That's why nobody can call this election.

This election is about the future. UNC members have a choice. And they have to take responsibility for their actions. How they mark their ballots will determine the next chapter in this political drama.

The vote on January 24, 2010 is a choice between riding a wave of change or maintaining the status quo. Patrick Manning is paying attention.

2010 is upon us, a new decade of the 21 century.

Happy New Year!

Jai Parasram | Toronto, Dec. 31, 2009