Subhas Panday to get cabinet post?

Basdeo Panday's brother, Attorney Subhas Panday, is likely to be either a cabinet minister or Parliamentary secretary in the new People's Partnership government led by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

Government Press Secretary Gavin Nicholas told the media Monday Persad-Bissessar is making adjustments to deal with an apparent anomaly.

According to Parliamentary officials the leaders of government business in the Senate and The House of Representative must be a minister or Parliamentary Secretary in order to performe certain specific functions.

The Prime Minister has named Panday as the Senate leader but so far parliamentary officials have not been advised that he will hold a ministerial post.

That must happen in time for Friday's opening of Parliament.

Officials have noted that there was a similar problem in 1995 when Persad-Bissessar was Attorney General and Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj was acting as Leader of Government Business in the Lower House. He was the MP for Couva south but did not have a cabinet post.

At the time Persad-Bissessar, as AG, had to handle the duties of seeking the adjournment of the Lower House, the officials told the Trinidad Guardian.

All former former Senate leaders were cabinet ministers. They include Wade Mark, Dr Lenny Saith and Conrad Enill.

Former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday told the Guardian he believes any difficulty with the Senate procedures could be worked out and arranged by the People's Partnership's parliamentary caucus.

Commenting on his brother's appointment, Panday told the paper: "I’ve always maintained the Pandays are a fiercely independent people and they do what they believe is right given the circumstances. So he has done what he feels is right."

The former Prime Minister rejected the suggestetion of being "slighted" and reiterated that his job is "to ensure that my party, the UNC, is not betrayed or slide downhill and I will certainly speak out if I see things are out of place."