By Lara Pickford-Gordon Monday, November 2 2009

Opposition leader Basdeo Panday is not worried by the People’s National Movement (PNM) focus on the 15 United National Congress constituencies in the upcoming local government elections, saying the PNM should, instead, be mindful of its own members.

In an interview yesterday, Panday said, “I don’t think they stand much of a chance in their own constituencies. I think there is a great amount of disillusionment with the PNM.”

He said the PNM has shown itself to be incompetent, cruel and callous. He said the Government has been unable to deliver the goods and services required.

The PNM held a meeting at Cascadia Hotel on Saturday which was addressed by Prime Minister Patrick Manning.

It was viewed as the stepping up of campaigning and chairman of the party Conrad Enill told the media that the 15 constituencies held by the UNC would be targeted.

Panday said the UNC’s campaign has been going well and the party through its Monday Night meetings in various constituencies has been highlighting the problems affecting the country and what they can do. “Members of the public could not on their own fix roads, clear waterways, improve public hospitals, deal with crime, but they could remove the PNM government,” he said.

Panday said there has been no justification for the postponement of the local government elections.

Panday was unconvinced that the delays for local government reform had made any significant changes. He said the most important thing was for local government bodies to be empowered.

“It is not only laws and so on but to make sure they have the resources.”

Local government elections have been postponed for four consecutive years. In July, when the fourth postponement was put to the Senate, PM Manning addressed the Senate and highlighted three reasons.

Manning said there was no agreement on the responsibility of the local government system, consultations on local government reform were not completed in the time expected, and the Municipal Corporations (Amendment) Bill 2009 unlike the amendments of 2007 and 2008 only extended the tenure of the councillors but not Mayors and Chairmen of councils.