Former UNC leader Basdeo Panday stormed out of a caucus meeting of the party Wednesday when he was overruled in trying to move a motion.The other Pandays, Subhas and Mickela, together with Couva South MP Kelvin Ramnath also walked out of the meeting. Senators Adesh Nanan and M.F. Rahman also left.
Panday left after he was denied an opportunity to move a motion for a public inquiry into what he called "the fraudulent and gross irregularities" in last month's internal elections.
But political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar stated that was not a matter for the caucus and that any issue of an inquiry must be referred to the Executive.
"The caucus did take that decision that the matter be referred to the National Executive. I sit on the Executive and at the last meeting it was already decided," she said.
"I think it was at that point Mr. Panday left because he was insisting that the matter be put to a vote," she told reporters.
Persad-Bissessar commended the elections committee chairman Kemchand Ramdath and his team for their work in running the election.
She told reporters Panday also raised another issue, stating that UNC MPs have not been performing in their shadow portfolios. She said Panday wanted to revise the responsibilities of the MPs.
However she explained that the responsibility for making such changes rests with the political leader.
"I do not think that is the role of Mr. Panday," she said, adding that "the shadow portfolios fall within the ambit of the Political Leader and the Whip of the party".
She said in her opinion the MPs have performed to the best of their ability.
The question of the leader of the opposition was not on the agenda and Persad-Bissessar told reporters it did not come up for discussion.
"I want to say again, I am in no hurry to hound anybody out of office. I can do my job very well as Political Leader of the party and as a Member of Parliament," she said.
3 comments:
cry baby throws a tantrum as usual
Walking out never solves anything. They love to walk out of parliament as well, as if that ever did any good.
Be very very careful what you wish for Panday is all for democracy as long as he gets to decide. His next move is his classic "I'll take it to the people".
Yeh take it to the people, but I wonder which people he is taking it to, is it the same people he told that if "you dont want me as leader, I would go" well that people has spoken, so where is he taking anything. It is unfortunate what is happening to panday, but its all his doing, he could have been at the right hand of Kamla, had he just accepted the his "democratic" process, a process he claims exist in the UNC alone, a process he introduced to build a democratic party. But in true Panday style, he would try to mash it up. But Kamla would have the best opportunity to show her leadership skill in how she deals with Panday and keeping the party united and attracting more to return and join.
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