Commentary: Shades of hypocrisy at the funeral of a friend

File: Kelvin Ramnath in Parliament

A funeral is not the place to be washing dirty linen, especially when you have so much of your own.

At the funeral of Kelvin Ramnath on Wednesday the founding leader of the United National Congress (UNC), Basdeo Panday, accused his party of shedding crocodile tears for Kelvin, who was one of the founders of the UNC.

It makes good controversial copy. "How sweet, how bittersweet. In 2010, those same voices said Kelvin was not fit to be a Member of Parliament and refused to endorse his nomination to represent the party which he built. What irony, what twisted irony," Panday said as he suggested the glowing tributes for Kelvin from UNC officials were hypocritical.

But perhaps Mr Panday needs to be reminded of his own hypocrisy.

This is what a friend of the UNC, Ronald Bhola, wrote a few days ago when he learned of Kelvin's death and read Panday's tributes to Kelvin:

"Basdeo Panday is quoted in the newspapers as almost crying ‘crocodile tears’ for Kelvin Ramnath who died this weekend... 

"For decades, starting in 1976, Kelvin Ramnath was a formidable force in the politics that made the ULF, NAR, CLUB 88 and the UNC. Yet he was never part of the UNC government of 1995-2001, because his efforts at building institutions within the UNC were resisted by Mr Panday, who was intent on bequeathing the party to one of his daughters and no one else. 

"In 1991, the UNC held its first elections at the Chaguaramas Convention Centre. In that elections a slate led by Ramnath and Dr Rampersad Parasram won the elections, much to the chagrin of Basdeo Panday. 

"In that same year at a public meeting at Couva Car Park...Kelvin Ramnath was sacrificied on the altar of political expedience. Ramnath was banished for ten long years, and Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj became the MP for Couva South.

"Within two and a half years the UNC went in to government. Yet Ramnath was not offered a ministry..."

The question is who rejected Kelvin? It was Mr Panday who tossed out Kelvin and refused to nominate him to run for the Couva South seat in the 1995 election.

Kelvin had represented Couva South from 1976, having won by a landslide in each election. But Mr Panday had other plans. He brought in Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, who later drove a political dagger in Panday's side, after failing to stage a political coup with the help of Patrick Manning.

It was Kelvin who came to the rescue when Panday was ready to get even with Ramesh and needed an ally in Couva South who could command an army of supporters at short notice. Kelvin remained loyal to Panday and the UNC; until his death he believed in his party.

I have no idea why the UNC nominated Rudy Indarsingh for Couva South in 2010. Kelvin fought the 2007 election for the UNC, and won, while recuperating from coronary bypass surgery. And he told me that would be his last election.

What I do know is that Kelvin and Indarsingh had an excellent working relationship.

Please, Mr Panday, let Kelvin rest in peace. A funeral is not a place to try to score political points.

Jai Parasram | Nova Scotia - 25 July 2012