By NALINEE SEELAL and RICHARDON DHALAI Tuesday, February 9 2010

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All ten members of the UNC Couva North constituency executive have resigned, deserting their MP Basdeo Panday to support political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

But Persad-Bissessar last night refused to accept their resignation, and appealed to them to stay on and serve the party.

“I am not prepared to accept the resignation of the Couva North constituency (executive). I want to ask them to hold their resignation until we put the party together,” she said.

The Couva North constituency executive, led by Deputy Mayor of Chaguanas Orlando Nagessar, met on Sunday and unanimously decided to resign after the recent outcry of Couva North constituents that Panday has represented them poorly as their MP.

The entire constituency executive agreed with the constituents’ assessment of Panday’s performance and all signed a letter of resignation which they gave to Persad-Bissessar during a meeting at Chandernagore Presbyterian School in Couva last evening.

Nagessar told the meeting, presided over by UNC chairman Jack Warner, that there has been a steady decline in support among constituents for Panday since the 2007 general elections. He said constituents showed their displeasure openly during the January 24 party elections which Panday lost in a landslide defeat to Persad-Bissessar. “I have never seen such deliberate verbal abuse from UNC supporters,” Nagessar said last evening.

Nagessar said the constituency executive made up their minds when they also failed to get persons to attend a cruise for Panday which was held on Saturday aboard the Treasure Queen. Newsday has learnt that only 200 persons attended the cruise along with Panday and his wife Oma.

“Supporters not only refused these tickets but threw it back in our faces,” Nagessar said.

The constituency executive held an emergency meeting on Sunday and they all signed a resignation letter, saying it was the “honourable thing to do” since they could not mobilise support for Panday.

Even after Persad-Bissessar’s appeal to them to stay on, Nagessar said the constituency executive stood by their decision to resign. He also said the members of the constituency executive “fully and unequivocally” endorse the UNC election results and pledged their support to Persad-Bissessar, whose popularity remains high as she attracted an estimated 1,000 persons to the talks last night.

Sources said it would be difficult for the constituency executive to remain working for Panday after they declared their support for Persad-Bissessar. Earlier, before last evening’s meeting, Panday told Newsday he was unaware his constituency executive had resigned.

“At this time I have no knowledge of that. If they had resigned they would have informed me,” he told Newsday.

Newsday understands the resignation of the Couva North executive will be discussed when the UNC national executive meets today at Rienzi Complex, and this would be followed by a meeting of the parliamentary caucus.

Apart from the development in Couva North, the members from four other UNC constituency executives are also pledging their support for Persad-Bissessar and have said they have no confidence in their MPs.

Sources said the constituency executives of Caroni East, Couva South, Oropouche East and Fyzabad have drafted letters to send to Persad-Bissessar expressing their lack of support for their MPs, who are Dr Tim Gopeesingh, Kelvin Ramnath, Dr Roodal Moonilal and Chandresh Sharma. The constituency executives, like Couva North, complained that constituents lack confidence in their MPs. Several members of the Fyzabad constituency executive told Newsday yesterday they also want their MP to back Persad-Bissessar not only as UNC political leader but also to have her appointed Opposition Leader in place of Panday.

They said Shama only won his seat in the 2007 general elections by less than 400 votes and if the party is to keep this constituency in the next general elections he must support Persad-Bissessar.

“He is going against the democratic wishes of the constituents and members. We intend to let the party know how we feel about his not supporting the new political leader and are prepared to take action against him now and in the next election,” a source said.

Sharma yesterday dismissed the report as “only rumours because I met with the executive on Sunday and everything seemed fine.” Sharma said he and his executive share a close relationship and they have not indicated any dissatisfaction over his stewardship as MP.

Gopeesingh said he was not aware the executive of the Caroni East constituency was planning to write any letter of no-confidence against him. He said, “if this happens then I will respond.” His executive has previously sent him a letter calling on him to endorse Persad-Bissessar as Opposition Leader.