Panday returning to ChaguanasBy Clint Chan Tack Monday, August 10 2009
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Basdeo Panday...
UNC Leader Basdeo Panday is set to return to Chaguanas on Thursday to continue his duties as “surrogate MP” for Chaguanas West, a constituency represented in Parliament by renegade UNC deputy leader Jack Warner.
Stating that he will meet with his Couva North constituents at Rienzi Complex, Couva on Wednesday, Panday said he will also meet with people in Chaguanas West every Thursday at Chaguanas Deputy Mayor Orlando Nagessar’s office.
Asked if this would place too much stress on him, Panday, 76, replied, “This has become necessary because the people of Chaguanas West have been abandoned by Warner.”
Describing last week’s visit to the area as a success, Panday scoffed at Chaguanas Mayor Natasha Navas’ comments that she was seeking advice from the Local Government Ministry about whether he could use Nagessar’s office to meet members of the public.
Panday said he was unaware of any provision in the Constitution or the Parliament’s Standing Orders which prevented him from meeting with members of the public in his capacity as Opposition Leader. Sources have said while there was nothing wrong with Panday meeting people at the CBC’s offices, it was an entirely different matter if he planned to establish an office on the premises.
Panday added that Cumuto/Manzanilla MP Harry Partap and Couva South MP Kelvin Ramnath have already started their surrogate MP duties in Mayaro and Tabaquite which are represented by Warner’s fellow renegades, Winston “Gypsy” Peters and Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj.
Partap said he will be performing this role out of his second constituency office in Biche which is on the other side of the electoral boundary with Mayaro.
After meeting with members of the public in Chaguanas on Thursday, Panday will later attend the UNC’s national executive meeting at Rienzi Complex in Couva which will decide whether Warner along with Maharaj and Peters should be disciplined for their actions.
Maharaj and Peters were referred to the committee after they did not attend last Thursday’s national executive meeting but sent letters outlining their positions.
