Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday turned up at the Chaguanas Borough Corporation yesterday ready, he said, to begin the task of removing Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner.
He used an office belonging to his political ally and Chaguanas Deputy Mayor Orlando Nagessar, to meet with Warner’s constituents.
At the corporation headquarters across the road, his political enemy and Warner supporter, Mayor Natasha Navas, was in office. The two never met.
Panday said he was not interested in meeting Navas.
’If I wanted to see a puppet show, I will go to the circus. She is being controlled by a PNM reject, Satish Ramroop ... I don’t have to entertain her. If she should come to see me, I would ask her what she wanted. I came here to deal with the people’s problems,’ he said.
Navas remained indoors. Five armed security guards were stationed at the top of a staircase, leading to Navas’ office.
’If he does not want to meet me that is his personal and professional choice. I don’t feel threatened by him coming here. He is a concerned politician and it means that change is coming. It is a good start,’ she said.
Panday met retrenched workers and shook hands with PNM councillor Ronald Heera. Panday asked Heera to work with the UNC to overthrow elements of Warner within the corporation.
Several people gathered outside the office long before Panday was scheduled to arrive at 10 a.m. Chanadar Ramsaran, a hand cart worker, said she was among the 54 workers whose contracts were not renewed by the corporation.
’We were told that the corporation has no funds so our contracts would not be renewed. This was our livelihood, we have children to send to school and most of us are single parents. We came here to ask Mr Panday to help us,’ she said.
Nagessar said the workers were retrenched because of the $5 million cut in the corporation’s budget. He said $300,000 was required to ensure that the workers remained employed until the financial year ended in September.
Panday promised to write to the Minister of Local Government on the issue.
Following complaints from more than 40 residents, Panday said it was clear that Warner was not seeking the interest of his constituents.
’They are telling me that he is never at the office when they go to see him and the workers there don’t know what to do to help them,’ he said.
Panday said he would return to the constituency every Thursday to listen to the residents’ concerns.
’I walked with my own stationery and do not intend to use anything from the corporation,’ he said.
Panday said being Leader of the Opposition he was allowed to visit any constituency and meet residents.
