Two former cabinet minister who worked closely with Basdeo Panday are now saying that the ex-leader of the United National Congress (UNC) should not be"hounded" out of the post of opposition leader.
Congress of the People (COP) leader Winston Dookeran and University Professor Dr Brinsley Samaroo said Friday Panday would be "eased out gradually and in a dignified manner".
Samaroo told reporters "it is wrong and unfair to try to force him out. That is what, very unfortunately, is happening now," he said.
"They should ease him out gradually and in a very dignified manner, not in the way that is being done now with everybody hounding him and telling him to go, without remembering the tremendous contribution he has made to the development of Trinidad and Tobago."
Samaroo said, "In fact, if Panday continues as opposition leader, Persad-Bissessar would have all the more time to reorganise the party in the way she indicated she wanted to do.
"In a sense, being relieved of the position of opposition leader at this time would only enable her to concentrate on the organisation."
Samaroo served in the NAR cabinet of Prime Minister Artnur N.R. Robinson in which Panday was foreign minister.
Panday and loyalists of the former United Labour Front (ULF) left the NAR after ideological fights with Robinson, which reached a climax when Panday and his colleagues, who included Samaroo and Dookeran, were accused of trying to grab power in the new administration.
Samaroo and Dookeran refused to leave cabinet with Panday and loyalists like Kelvin Ramnath and a few others, who former CLUB 88 and later launched the UNC in October 1988.
Samaroo returned to academic life and Dookeran, who stuck with the NAR, and was defeated by the UNC in general elections, was later appointed Central Bank governor when Panday was prime minister.
He was later anointed by Panday as UNC leader but was unable to work with Panday and the UNC executive and left to form his own party, the Congress of the People (COP).
Dookeran has repeatedly said his party will never unite with Panday and in campaigning last year the COP leader openly attacked Panday as having a deal with Prime Minister Manning to pass a new constitution.
In all his meetings Dookeran urged Panday to leave politics, saying he was no longer relevant to the politics of Trinidad and Tobago.
Dookeran is now urging UNC politicians not to get hasty about Panday's departure. "I think he needs a little time to adjust to the new reality that his political life has come to an end.
"And they should give him some time to come to terms with that reality because he has played an important role for 40 years in the politics of this country, and they can afford him the time."
Dookeran added that Panday's contribution "to this country should be acknowledged and recorded. I think that there should be an appropriate legacy that we should all subscribe to him."
At the same time he said opposition unity would dominate all discussions from now as part of the new politics. he said the first phase was the birth of COP. "This is the second phase of the new politics," he said.
Duiring the internal election campaign Kamla Persad-Bissessar praised Panday for his contribution to the party and the country and stated unequivocally that no one can deny Panday his legacy.
She also stated that there will always be a role for Panday in the UNC.
When Jack Warner launched his Movement for Change to demand change in the UNC he made it clear that Panday was a great leader whose legacy must be preserved. He called Panday the greatest national leader in Trinidad and Tobago.
No comments:
Post a Comment