Former prime minister Basdeo Panday says he will mount a legal challenge against the leader of the party he founded if his slate is debarred from filing their nomination papers on Sunday to contest the United National Congress (UNC) internal elections on March 24. "If there is any attempt to prevent the election from being free and fair and free from fear, we propose to take them to court. "They will not steal the elections like they did the last time when they substituted the list and put names of people who ought not to be there and took off the names of people who ought to be on the list," Panday said in an interview, yesterday. "Not this time. This time we go to court. Those who wish to play games will be exposed," he vowed. In the 2010 elections Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who later became Prime Minister, succeeded Panday as leader of the UNC. Panday claimed he had been denied access to the membership list.
He said he had received a letter from the party's general secretary, Dave Tancoo, stating "that they will not make the list available to me." He said it was not a public document, but this would not deter his slate of candidates from filing nominations. Tancoo was not at the UNC Rienzi Complex yesterday when the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian called to verify Panday's claim. The former leader and founder of the UNC said his slate of Generation X candidates were going through the motions to file nomination papers on Sunday in order to contest all 18 seats on the national executive in the March 24 internal elections. However, he explained, "in order to be nominated, you have to be on the list and your nomination paper has to be signed by 35 people on the list. "We do not know who is on the list, but we will go through the motions and we shall do our best to find out, eventually, whether the list contains persons who are not supposed to be there."
One of the UNC deputy political leaders, Dr Roodal Moonilal, the only successful candidate on the Panday slate in the 2010 internal elections, said as far as he understood, "Mr Panday is not a candidate, but all candidates can review the membership list at the party headquarters." "I have heard some noises coming from that direction, but I am sure the party would meet and treat with it. Mr Panday is very close and dear to us, and I am sure if he speaks to the secretary at Rienzi she will assist him, because he plays a special part of our history." Moonilal also explained that the current list they being used for this election, "is the exact system used when Mr Panday, as political leader, was in charge of the party." Moonilal stated, "We have not changed the system. I don't know that the membership list has been changed. No one has been expelled from the party in the last two years. It might be the same voter list." He said he was aware that the Generation X candidates had collected their nomination forms to field an entire slate.
"This is a democratic party and we are happy that other people have decided to contest. We are confident we would have a lively campaign. It would not be big and grand as the last elections because the position of political leader is not up for contest. But Mr Panday attracts attention. I am not sure how electorally influential his slate would be, but I am sure it would be lively." Moonilal said because of the debate on the motion of no confidence against the Prime Minister, he did not have much time to focus on the internal elections. He said he had not yet made up his mind whether he would seek re-election as one of the deputy leaders. "I will make up my mind later this week," he said.
Current UNC executive
1. Political Leader: Kamla Persad-Bissessar
2. Deputy Political Leader (1): Lyndira Oudit
3. Deputy Political Leader (2): Roodal Moonilal
4. Deputy Political Leader (3): Suruj Rambachan
5. Chairman: Jack Warner
6. Deputy Chairman: Fuad Khan
7. Treasurer: William Archie
8. Party Organiser: Vinush Maharaj
9. Policy and Strategy Officer: Colin Partap
10. Research Officer: Arnold Ram
11. Education Officer: Daphne Phillips
12. Elections Officer: Ramona Ramdial
13. International Relations Officer: Shane Mohammed
14. Regional Representative - Tobago: Barrington "Skippy" Thomas
15. Regional Representative - North West: Don Sylvester
16. Regional Representative - Central: Sylvester Ramquar
17. Regional Representative - North East: Taran Sooklal
18. Regional Representative-South: Shanty Boodram