End of UNC Monday Night forum

By AZARD ALI and RICHARDSON DHALAI Monday, February 8 2010

DESPITE her painful injury, UNC political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar launches a “Meet the Constituency tour” tonight in the heartland of former political leader Basdeo Panday’s Couva North constituency.

The meeting replaces the traditional UNC Monday Night Forum — which was conceptualised by Panday — to sensitise UNC supporters every Monday on national issues. The forum, however, has not been held since the UNC announced internal elections in early December last year.

Panday told Newsday yesterday that he has not been invited to tonight’s Meet-the-Constituency tour although he is Opposition Leader and the Couva North MP. The tour will begin at the Chandernagore Presbyterian School from 6 pm. Panday had voted in that school in the January 24 elections, but lost to Persad-Bissessar by over 12,000 votes for political leadership of the UNC. Yesterday, he said: “I have not been invited, but I will see how the meeting develops.”

Asked whether he will launch his own parallel meetings, Panday said that it all depends on how the new meetings of the newly-elected UNC executive fare. “I will see how they develop and if it becomes necessary then I will, or, I will not,” Panday said.

Neither Persad-Bissessar nor new party chairman Jack Warner were available last night to comment on why Panday had not been invited to tonight’s meeting in his own constituency.

The discontinuation of the Monday Night forum further widens the ongoing rift between Panday and the newly-elected executive led by Persad-Bissessar.

But pressed for a comment on tonight’s launch which is in the Couva North constituency heartland, Warner, who is UNC chairman, stated, “We, this new executive, never had a Monday Night Forum. That was a Panday initiative. This new executive will not be having any Monday Night Forum.

Kamla will instead be going into the constituencies and meeting the people and getting first hand information on their problems.”

A release issued yesterday by Warner stated, “We wish to announce that the party’s leadership ‘Meet the constituents tour’, shall commence on Monday February 8, in the Couva North constituency, at the Chandernagore Presbyterian School from 6 pm.” “These meetings are intended to be an ongoing exercise as we seek to construct the bridge between the people and the leadership.

It is our answer to the call to bring people closer to the governance.” Persad-Bissessar, who was injured when she fell in the Parliament chamber on Friday, will be the feature speaker. She spent yesterday resting at her home in Siparia for most of the day.

Asked yesterday whether he will bow to Warner’s request to allow Persad-Bissessar to become Opposition Leader, by no later than next Wednesday, Panday said: “The office is not something to hand over. I can’t hand over any office. If they have a letter they should send it to the President who will appoint a new leader of the Opposition. As it is now, I have not being informed by the president.”

It really look like Jack Warner take over this fockin party now yes.

Another nigga. Ah mean dis fockin party going to mash up now. Kamla cyah open she cont and talk.

Why JAck have to be making all the statements? Why Jack obsessed wid getting rid of Panday ? Why he have to talk to the MP's?

Something smelling fishy.