ToolsNo place in UNC for founding membersAt Kelvin Ramnath's funeral, Basdeo Panday is reported in the press to have said, "Yet after 26 years, he (Ramnath) was deemed unfit to be a candidate for the United National Congress (UNC) in the 2010 elections." In 2006, I was inveigled by Jack Warner (against my better judgment) to get involved with the UNC again, in the spirit of reconciliation of all forces opposed to the People's National Movement (PNM), and work in the Oropouche constituency which I had represented for 20 years. This, I duly did. In 2007 when the Oropouche West constituency was created, Warner encouraged me to vie for this seat in the general election of that year. My application was unceremoni- ously rejected out of hand. In private conversation, Panday informed Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj that I was not candidate material. In other words, I, a founding member of the UNC, who served the Oropouche constituency with unparalleled devotion and dedication and who fought many a parliamentary and sugar worker battle in support of the oppressed and discriminated, was deemed in 2007 to be unfit as a candidate of the UNC. It could not be that I opposed Panday in the conflict of 2001. After all, Maharaj was rehabilitated in 2007 and was selected as the UNC's candidate for the Tabaquite seat. What then is the difference between Panday in 2007 and Kamla in 2010, in terms of favouring family and friends as against those who laboured long and hard in the political vineyards? Trevor Sudama San Fernando |
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled.
Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.
PublicationsExpress PollMost PopularWeather |
Most Popular