Panday presents Generation Next

No member or official of Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s Peoples Partnership Government must serve on the United National Congress National Executive except the political leader. So said former political leader and founding member of the United National Congress Basdeo Panday as he geared up his troops for the March 24 UNC internal elections, at Rienzi Complex in Couva. Panday was defeated as political leader of the UNC by Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar. He is presenting a slate under the banner Generation Next to contest the upcoming internal elections. “We must make sure that no minister or official of the Government, except the political leader, is a member of the national executive,” he said.

However, he said, if Generation Next is defeated they will be justified in forming their own political party to fight the local government and general elections. Describing the Government as corrupt and inefficient, he said, “We must develop an army of soldiers who are willing to go into the trenches and wage battle against those who would destroy our great party.” He said they must do so by manning every polling station. In order to do so he said they must establish a constituency committee. “That committee will then establish a working committee in each electoral district,” he said, adding that that committee will ensure that they are in control of every polling division within its boundaries and every polling station.

“If they are allowed to take away the filled boxes for storage under the control they will pad the boxes. They did it the last time,” he said. Panday said he delivered a letter to the general secretary of the UNC on Friday requesting a copy of the list of members who would be entitled to vote in the election as well as the addresses of all the polling stations. “If they do not respond,” he said, “We must be prepared to go to court to ensure that these elections are free and fair and free from fear.” The former prime minister said that they must also demand that “the counting of ballots take place at the polling stations on the same day as the elections in their presence.”