Panday lied, was invited to "meet the constituency" meeting: Warner

Reliable sources have told JYOTI that the executive of the Couva North constituency is holding an emergency meeting Monday evening at which the executive would resign to protest the actions of their Parliamentary Representative, Basdeo Panday.

Panday has refused to endorse the new United National Congress (UNC) leader, Kamla Persad-Bissessar and last week staged a walkout during a Parliamentary caucus meeting at the Rienzi complex.

He also did not attend the party's "Thank You" event over the weekend and has refused to resign his post of Opposition Leader, although Persad-Bissessar has said holding that position is not a priority for her.

The source said the executive is upset with the positions taken by Panday and no longer feel they can work with him as their representative.

The executive's meeting coincides with the start of the UNC's meet the constituency tour which will be launched Monday evening in Panday's constituency.

The initiative to meet people across the country to hear their views on local and national issues as part of a consultation process that the party promised during the internal election campaign.

Panday has told the media that he won't be attending because he was not invited.

But in a media release Monday morning, UNC Chairman denied that.

"This is a vicious untruth and an act of deceit. On Friday during the sitting of Parliament, I personally handed an invitation to Mr. Panday to attend the meeting," Warner said.

He added, "The National Executive was of the view that as the MP for Couva North he ought to have been invited and as party Chairman I was entrusted with that responsibility."

Warner called Panday's statement "a blatant attempt to paint the new Executive in the same mold of the Executive that he led; one that operated without any political integrity."

He said Panday's "excesses" are acts of desperation from someone whose political career is near an end.

"He has lost the support of the people and his own political credibility and appeal. It is unfortunate that at this stage in his life he would continue to perpetuate such dishonesty and deceitfulness."

Warner also produced a copy of the letter, which he said he handed to Panday on Friday. The one-page letter to Panday is dated February 5 and invites the Couva North MP to Monday's meeting. It is copied to the political leader, the party's general secretary and the chairman of the Couva North executive.