Panday says Kamla did not consult him on UDeCOTT motion

Basdeo Panday told reporters Friday Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, did not consult him on the motion she presented to Parliament on UDeCOTT and Calder Hart so he could not support her.

Panday and Couva South MP Kelvin Ramnath abstained, which allowed the motion to be defeated.

The former prime minister addressed the issue with reporters during the tea break. "I didn’t know what she was going to say and I couldn’t commit myself to a statement when I didn’t know what it was going to be. Suppose it ended up being a statement of something I totally disapproved of?" he asked.

"Surely I deserve to be consulted and to know what is going to be said and approve on it. Surely," he insisted.

Panday acknowledged that he had said he would work with Persad-Bissessar but noted that he should be afforded "the decency of consultation" so he would know what was going to be said.

He was adamant that he would not commit himself "to statements which I do not know...What is important is not the Government response, it’s what is going to be said. You are asking me to commit myself to something of which I know nothing."

He said he would have liked Persad-Bissessar to personally contact him if she wanted his support.

"It’s as simple as that...it would be kind, it would be decent and it would be the right thing to do ... I am a Member of Parliament and I have a responsibility and I cannot back up statements which I know nothing of and I cannot sign blank cheques," he said.

He admitted that he has not spoken to Persad-Bissessar since before the January 24 UNC internal election but denied that he is putting his personal interests ahead of the party's.

"No, not at all. In any case, my interest is very important. I have to live with myself, unlike some of you journalists," he retorted.

Panday claimed that Persad-Bissessar did not inform anyone of the statement, which he said was not even discussed at the party's parliamentary caucus. He said the fact that he doesn't attend the caucus meetings "does not mean I don’t know".

Panday said he is prepared to face disciplinary action to preserve his integrity. And he also appeared to show disdain for the view of the the party's membership who might not appreciate his actions in Parliament on this particular matter.

"That’s their business. Not that I don’t care, but a person is of three things. A man is what people think of him, a man is what he thinks he is and a man of what he really is. So it doesn’t matter to me, I know what I am," Panday said.

Commenting on the whole UDeCOTT matter Panday insisted that he has always been consistent on that. He explained that his has always been "that the matter should be investigated thoroughly and action should be taken against those guilty of wrongdoing."

He disagreed that his action seemed to contradict that.