By AZARD ALI Sunday, April 26 2009

AT an interfaith service yesterday to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of the United National Congress (UNC), Political Leader Basdeo Panday called on supporters to invoke God’s power to destroy the political enemies of the party.

Priests, a pundit, imam and a spiritual head of the Orisha Movement, called for spiritual healing in the party’s leadership ranks, but speaking afterwards at Rienzi Complex, Couva, Panday said it was unfair to call on God to solve problems when the divine has already bestowed on man the capacity to manage all his affairs in this world.

Panday’s address almost coincided with a press conference in Chaguanas held yesterday by dissident MPs Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, Jack Warner and Winston “Gypsy” Peters. The trio called the media briefing to discuss their stance on today’s retreat the UNC is holding in Central Trinidad.

Neither Maharaj nor Warner attended yesterday’s interfaith service, but Peters, who is the parliamentary representative for Mayaro, walked in while it was in progress. Peters, who has been in agreement with Maharaj and Warner in calling for Panday to step down, walked into the Rienzi Complex Hall and took his seat in the front row.

After the service ended he greeted Persad-Bissessar on stage and mingled around in an apparent attempt to greet Panday. Panday walked off the stage in deep conversation with Senator Wade Mark.

In obvious reference to the current “Ramjacking” of the party, Panday said that God bestowed on man three qualities, one of which is the power of destruction “and you must call on God to awaken that power within you to destroy your enemies.”

Panday, who was commended as the only surviving political leader of a 20-year-old party, said that every leader has had to deal with treachery and deceit and he (Panday) had fought against many “bows and arrows” in the past.

Panday said that despite his age, he was not prepared to roll over and play dead regarding the current infighting over Maharaj, Warner and Peters’ call for a change in UNC’s leadership.

Panday said, “When we are confronted by problems created by yourselves, it is unfair to call upon God when he has already given you the powers to solve them yourselves. By all means, pray to God to awaken within you those powers.

And if you do so with a clean heart, you can be given the strength to destroy your enemies.”

The power to destroy, he stressed, lies within man’s domain as one of three qualities he possesses.

Panday evoked applause when he said that his enemies would have to endure 20 more years of his reign as political head of the UNC.

Invoking God’s blessings on behalf of their respective churches, were: Pundit Navin Maharaj, Maulana Abdul Manaan, Archbishop Barbara Burke (Baptist), Bishop Calvin Best (Anglican), Jankie Raghunanan (Pentecostal), Anthony Rampersad (Presbyterian), Rondell Alister Ford (Orisha) and Fr Martin Sirju (Catholic).

Chaired by senator Wade Mark, the service also saw Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar in attendance, as well as other UNC MPs.