He took the right decision. That's the view of former Pointe-a-Pierre MP Gillian Lucky, who also went to the backbench in 2005, along with Dr Fuad Khan, after issues with the Panday leadership. She said yesterday: "Mr Volney clearly wants to speak as an independent voice. "Very serious indictments have been made against him, all of which he has denied. In those circumstances he's taken the right decision to be on the backbench and distance himself from the control of the PP whip.
"One hopes with his vast experience and knowledge in the law he will use that to ensure there are not slipups or misses in bills." She said the PP still had sufficient numbers for a special majority. Lucky said she moved to the UNC backbench in 2005 because of her disagreement with UNC?leader Basdeo Panday on his view that politics had a morality of its own. She added: "It was no easy task operating in an environment in which some former colleagues refused initially to have anything to do with me.
"It did not detract from the fact it was important to send a signal to the public that the welfare of the state must not be jeopardised. "What was important was the opportunity that was given to me, by sitting as an Independent on the back bench, no longer under the whip, to ensure there was an objective voice in Parliament carefully examining legislation and ensuring it was in the public interest."