Panday planning "explosive launch" on Jan. 9 for UNC vote

Saturday Janaury 9 marks the first major showdown in the campaign for the internal elections of the United National Congress (UNC).

That's the day when Basdeo Panday will launch his campaign for re-election as leader of the party and reveal his slate of candidates. It's also the day Chaguanas West MP and UNC deputy leader Jack Warner will formally launch his campaign.

The Panday campaign is planning a big event but campaign manager Roodal Moonilal is not saying where it will happen.

"It will be at a large venue where we will present a well-balanced slate of fresh faces and experienced personnel and there will be some surprises among them—it will be an explosive launch," Moonilal told the Trinidad Guardian.

Warner is also planning what some of his people have called a mega event and he is launching an advertising blitz starting next week for the meeting that takes place in Felicity.

Moonilal told the Guardian his team is not working with a large budget. He said the aim is to reach the people directly.

"We’re going to our members to secure the UNC’s future as well as the country’s since you cannot secure T&T’s future without securing the party first," Moonilal told the paper, adding that funding is "very modest."

The January 24, 2010 election is the first in the history of the UNC in which Panday is facing a challenge. Tabaquite MP Ramesh L. Maharaj and Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar are running against Panday.

The UNC leader has welcomed the challenge, saying it demonstrates that democracy is alive and well in the party.

So far Maharaj has run a low-keyed campaign of cottage meetings and has been going after Persad-Bissessar. The Siparia MPs campaign has been building strength, which has led to speculation that she might win.

The Guardian asked Moonilal about Persad-Bissessar's message of change and transformation.

"It is difficult for her to sell herself as an agent of change when she has been on UNC’s executive for four years and at Panday’s side for almost 14...Kamla is solidly a ‘Rienzi Insider’ and has been part of decisions and processes in the UNC for a long time," Moonilal told the paper.

He also commented on the prospect of a Persad-Bissessar victory, noting that she would not have the support of the parliamentary caucus, which has already publicly endorsed Panday.

And he made a strong effort to connect her to Warner's although both Warner and Persad-Bissessar are running independent campaigns.

"She’s trying to convince people that she is not in support of him. But it is difficult to imagine that since he has declared support for her, she is not reciprocating. She’s in an awkward position, but whatever comes after the election she will have to support him and vice versa."

He also said the UNC would deal with UNC prodigals who are returning from the Congress of the People (COP) to support Persad-Bissessar in the election.

"They wanted nothing to do with UNC for the last general election. At the appropriate time we’ll deal with the situation." Moonilal told the Guardian.

Moonilal added, "Their action shows their contempt for the die-hard UNC supporters who have stayed faithful to the party for years and are now faced with COP people wanting to come and dictate the pace to these staunch supporters.”