Sore loser Panday
Panday hanging on for dear life….
Kamla talks about healing while Panday stubbornly holds on to high-paying post of Parliamentary Opposition Leader. He could be, unceremoniously, removed by the President any day now.
Kamla Persad-Bissessar will be officially installed as political leader of the United National Congress at 2p.m. today and will hold her first executive meeting.
This will take place at the party’s headquarters at the Rienzi Complex as sore loser Basdeo Panday and his losing loyalists suddenly “discover” hundreds of missing membership cards and call for a probe into the matter.
Panday, as is his wont, is holding on for dear life as Parliamentary Opposition leader, a high paying constitutional position, despite losing the internal elections by a 10 to one margin. Kamla gained 13, 493 votes to 1,359 for Panday even outvoting the man who founded the UNC in his own Couva North constituency.
The 57-year-old- grandmother with the cherubic face and pleasing personality has made it quite clear that she is interested in becoming Prime minister and not Opposition Leader.
Quite clearly, however the rank and file UNC will not be too happy with Panday not doing the honourable thing and stepping down as Parliamentary Opposition leader and, in the end being ignominiously removed by the President.
The constitution mandates that the President must appoint the person who commands the support of the majority of the persons in opposition.
There are 15 Opposition members and seven of these members simply have to inform the President that they no longer support Panday and there is a good chance of this happening because sitting members will obviously be thinking seriously about their political future.
Currently, she can count of the support of Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner, who is the party’s new chairman, Mayaro MP Winston “Gypsy” Peters, Naparima MP Nizam Baksh and Cumuto/Manzanilla MP Harry Partap.
The Tntinsider understands that, at least, three other parliamentarians will line up behind her.
While Panday, unfortunately, talks about fraud, the woman who deposed him has been calling for healing and unity after a bruising campaign and insists that she will be a consensual leader.
It is expected that President Maxwell Richards could make an announcement of a new Opposition Leader later this week.
The Tntinsider will keep its readers abreast of developments.