The propaganda of 2001 has been revived by Kamla Persad-Bissessar which held that Ramesh Maharaj, Ralph Maraj and Trevor Sudama aka Romeo, brought down the UNC government but conveniently omits to outline the events which led to the UNC's loss of office.
In 2001, Basdeo Panday advised President Robinson to dissolve Parliament and call new elections when there was no need for such a move. A vote was lost in the House but on a very inconsequential issue of extending the hours for paying stamp duty. The ill-advised request for elections resulted in a 18-18 tie. The UNC had not lost the elections, in fact it secured 25,000 more votes nationally than the PNM and Panday was the incumbent Prime Minister. All he had to do was stay put.
Instead, he foolishly approached Patrick Manning to have discussions to form a government of national unity, an idea to which the PNM was never in its history, receptive. There was the famous Crowne Plaza Accord and the picture of Panday with his arms around Manning under the caption "It's a done deal. Let's go home kid."
Furthermore, he gave Robinson full discretion to name the new Prime Minister. It was the same Robinson with whom, for three previous years, he had an acrimonious relationship. Robinson dredged up the fig-leaf of "moral and spiritual values" and named Manning as Prime Minister. And it was none other than Robinson whose blessings Kamla sought in 2010.
In all these negotiations, Ramesh, Ralph and myself were not there. Panday's eminent constitutional advisers were Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Ganga Singh. It is clear as daylight that Panday and his inept and pathetic advisers were themselves responsible for his removal from office and the demise of the UNC government.Now, Kamla is conveniently oblivious of her own incompetence and is vociferously attempting to shunt the blame to others for the UNC's loss of office in 2001.
Trevor Sudama
San Fernando