BASDEO PANDAY is drunk for power!

And his current talks on unity within the Opposition United National Congress (UNC) will be an exercise in futility, according to sources very close to Political Leader Winston Dookeran.

When he returned from abroad two weeks ago, Panday, former Opposition Leader, called on the party’s executive to pursue talks with Dookeran to unite the party.

But only one meeting has been held so far. This ended in a stalemate, with Panday focussing more on returning to the helm of the party, a source in the Dookeran camp said.

There is no indication when the talks would continue.

Sources in the Dookeran camp said they are moving ahead with plans to form a new party and new faces to face the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) in the next general election which is constitutionally due next year.

Panday was reported to have told Dookeran that since he (Dookeran) had some support and he (Panday) also had support, they both could come together and forge ahead.

He also said those who want to come aboard could do so and those who wanted to leave could leave.

Despite the ceasefire, some speakers at the UNC Monday Night Forum have been taking swipes at Dookeran accusing him of not being interested in unity and running a parallel organisation.

Insiders in the Dookeran camp say Panday put the final “nail in the coffin,” running any chances of uniting the two UNC factions when he suggested at the UNC’s Monday Night Forum at Longdenville, Chaguanas that he has proposed the idea of a leadership to the party’s executive, which will comprise himself, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Jack Warner, Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj and Dookeran.

Former
Prime Minister
BASDEO PANDAY

OMA PANDAY

JACK WARNER

WINSTON
DOOKERAN

He said with a team like this the PNM would not “stand a chance like a snowball in hell.”

He also said that “when the UNC wins the general election,” the membership of the party would decide on who will become prime minister.

This suggestion sent shock waves among some UNC supporters who felt it was a clear indication that Panday sees himself becoming prime minister again despite having said he is leaving active politics after he was jailed for two years and fined $20,000 on a charge of failing to declare his London bank account when he served as prime minister between l991-1995.

He was also fired from the post of Opposition Leader by President Max Richards after he was jailed by Chief Magistrate Sherman McNicolls a few months ago.

Panday has since appealed his conviction and sentence.

A source said Panday is now revealing himself that he wants to take back power because of his suggestion.

“How is Panday going to face the electorate (except the blind supporters and sycophants) with a jail sentence hanging over his head and bribery charges pending against him?” one UNC activist asked.

The Dookeran camp said that although last week’s unity meeting between the two leaders was supposed to be private, Panday has been making the talks public saying he told Dookeran there was no leadership dispute.

“One of the reasons for the dispute is that somebody (referring to Dookeran) does not have enough offices or doesn’t hold enough posts,” Panday said at the Longdenville meeting.

He asked Dookeran: “Who’s stopping you from doing your work?”

But the UNC official also noted that when Panday was removed as prime minister, he held two posts -- Political Leader of the UNC and Opposition Leader.

Now he is saying that Dookeran cannot hold both positions in the party.

“Nowhere in the world a political leader cannot also hold the post of Opposition Leader,” one official said.

Another source said Dookeran was “set up” when he was asked to lead the UNC, because they knew that he would not get the authority to take complete charge of the party and the executive would blamed him for not having the qualities and charisma to be a leader.

With Panday making a comeback, there is going to be a bitter struggle for leadership of the UNC, the source added.

Couva South UNC MP Kelvin Ramnath recently introduced former Attorney General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj as the next prime minister at a cottage meeting in Sangre Grande.

There is a faction in the UNC, headed by Warner who is backing Maharaj to take over leadership of the party.

“Persad-Bissessar must be counting her days as Opposition Leader,” one UNC source said.

Panday’s wife, Oma, is reportedly playing another leading role in the UNC and advising her husband on who should or should not be political leader. Sources say Oma, described as a “very pushy and domineering person,” is not in favour of Dookeran and was accused of being the split between Panday and Maharaj when the UNC was in government.

“Oma should keep her distance, because between her and Panday, they will mash up the UNC,” one activist said.