PANDAY:ELECTIONS SABOTAGEDBy Newsday Reporters Wednesday, January 27 2010
Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday yesterday mounted a challenge to the legitimacy of the UNC internal polls, refusing to accept official results confirming Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s landslide victory as political leader.
Despite this, newly elected UNC chairman Jack Warner last night remained confident of gaining the support of three MPs from Panday’s camp to back Persad-Bissessar to replace Panday as Opposition Leader in the House of Representatives.
In a move to stall a planned “handing-over” ceremony to Persad-Bissessar as political leader today, Panday yesterday told reporters “thousands” of party membership cards were found planted at the party headquarters, Rienzi Complex, Couva. He indicated he will report the matter to UNC general secretary Fazal Karim for possible further action which could include the quashing of the election results.
“The physical evidence is clear,” Panday, the Couva North MP, said to reporters after he held a meeting with loyal UNC MPs at Rienzi Complex. “It is sabotage. I will report it to the general secretary of the party. I believe the cards were discovered in an office by an employee.”
“She (the unnamed employee) sent her sick leave and went on holiday. And then she was seen campaigning on the other side,” he added.
While the Rienzi Complex is also the home of his own constituency office, Panday did not account for the timing of yesterday’s discovery. He also did not give the full name of the employee.
Asked if he felt the discovery would render the elections null and void, Panday said, “let the public come to their own conclusions.” Asked if he would mount a legal challenge in light of the discovery, he said, “I don’t know what would happen. I will report it to the general secretary and they will take it from there.”
Panday’s claims came three hours after the chairman of the party’s elections committee Kemchan Ramdath declared the results official, with Persad-Bissesar being declared the winner by a margin of 13,493 votes to Panday’s 1,359 votes. The results show Panday even lost significant support among his own constituents. His claims came after the party took roughly 48 hours to declare the results from an election with a voter tally on par with a single electoral seat. Persad-Bissesar has dismissed Panday’s claims as irrelevant given her large margin of victory at the polls. “Boxes of cards or not, our opponents were beaten in large numbers whether 1,000 or 3,000 cards are found. They will have to find plenty more boxes to win,” she said.
“In any event the cards found, whether it’s life membership or not, those cards are based on the lists and the membership committee was in charge of that list. The cards are evidence of the membership and it was Mr Kelvin Ramnath (Couva South MP) who said all the names of members were on the list.”
Of Panday now mounting a possible legal challenge of the elections, she said, “they are free to do what they want. I am not worried. It does not change the price of cocoa. Ours was an overwhelming victory. The people have spoken.”
Warner was similarly unperturbed by Panday’s moves.
“We have already received our articles signed by the elections committee and if Mr Panday found a box with 1,000 names tell him take all and add it to his and see what he can do,” he told reporters. “Let him see if it can help him. He has to get ten or 11 more boxes and even that won’t help him.”
Panday will today hold a press conference on the issue at 9 am. Hours later, a “handing-over” ceremony for Persad-Bissessar and Warner is carded for Rienzi Complex at 2 pm.
A meeting of the newly elected executive is scheduled for 3 pm, followed by a meeting of the parliamentary caucus at 4 pm at which UNC MPs from both the Lower and Upper House are to discuss several matters, including the installation of Persad-Bissessar as Opposition Leader.
Warner remained confident that by last night Persad-Bissessar would have gained the backing of three more MPs to ensure she commands the support of the majority of the 15 UNC MPs. She needs seven to endorse her for President George Maxwell Richards to revoke Panday as Opposition Leader and appoint her in his place. Apart from Warner, Persad-Bissessar has the support of MPs Winston “Gypsy” Peters, Harry Partap and Nizam Baksh. Warner, who yesterday celebrated his 67th birthday, said he was in talks with UNC MPs who were on Panday’s slate. He said the feedback was “overwhelming”.
“I’ve gotten very good feedback and sooner or later we shall get those notes,” he said. Newly elected deputy political leader Roodal Moonilal, the only member of Panday’s slate to win a post in the internal polls, confirmed behind-the-scenes talks had been ongoing yesterday. He said the margin of Persad-Bissessar’s landslide victory at the polls could not be ignored.
“I have taken note of the figures,” Moonilal said. “We are looking at it and it is something we are discussing.” Panday yesterday said he will step down if the majority of sitting UNC MPs lend their support to Persad-Bissessar.
However, St Augustine MP Vasant Bharath, who lost in the contest for party chairman on Sunday to Warner, yesterday declared his support for Panday.
“I am supporting Mr Panday as the Leader of the Opposition,” he said. Yesterday afternoon, Bharath was photographed at Rienzi Complex assisting with the carrying of boxes of membership cards, backing Panday’s claim of sabotage.
“Thousands of cards are here which were not sent out,” he told reporters. “It appears that this exercise has been going on for years now. These cards are dated back 2006, 2007 and 2008. Now that we are aware we will be searching the compound thoroughly. In someone’s opinion these people may have been Panday’s supporters.”
UNC general secretary Fazal Karim yesterday said he knew nothing about the mystery cards. “I will not comment until I receive more information.”
Asked if he was empowered under the party’s constitution to quash the elections and for a new one to be held, Karim replied. “Do you know how the election was conducted? I suggest that you speak to the election committee chairman Mr (Kemchan) Ramdath.”
Ramdath could not be reached for comment but chairman of the membership committee, Kelvin Ramnath, said he met the membership records in shambles before the preparation of the list for the elections.
“When I prepared the list it was based on historical records. I met the records in shambles even the computerised list. But I don’t think that it means the election has become null and void. It doesn’t mean that we have to call another election.”
