Political analyst Dr Bishnu Ragoonath believes people will have to wait and see whether Mickela Panday will seek to go it alone in politics or seek some accommodation.
Former public service head Reginald Dumas meanwhile believes that if she wishes to resume her political career it’s clearly up to her, while a UNC deputy leader prefers for her to grieve before focusing on such matters.
They all commented yesterday following public praise for how Mickela handled the funeral of her father, former prime minister Basdeo Panday, and seemingly renewed enthusiasm surrounding her political future.
Panday died on January 1 in Florida. A state funeral was held on Tuesday at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts before he was cremated at the Shore of Peace. All were done under Hindu rites. Yesterday, the ritual of collecting the ashes was expected.
Mickela Panday launched the Patriotic Front in 2019 but did not contest the 2020 general elections or last year’s Local Government polls.
On her handling of the funeral, Ragoonath said, “Although in grief, Mickela was able to maintain her balance, that it was not only the family grieving but the wider society. Her embrace of members of the public during the period the body lay in state was well received, and in keeping with her father’s actions in embracing all, notwithstanding social status or other divisions.
“Her eulogy, as well as statements and activities since the death through the funeral, underscored that she remained committed to pursuing Panday’s dream for the society.
“This brings us to her political ambitions. The stage has been set for her to jump headlong into the political arena. What we will have to wait and see is whether she would seek to go it alone or seek some accommodation.
“From a time perspective, with election 18 months away, she’ll have to maximise whatever sympathy support she can get now in order to build a base for her party.”
He added, “If she doesn’t do so now, it would be very difficult to build a base later, and thus she’d have to enter into some sort of accommodation with another party. What we saw during the last week was that there were no overtures to embrace the UNC or its leadership. But there’s still time for that if the Pandays and the UNC leadership want to attempt to bury the hatchet, though strong positions on either side may make that possibility a difficult challenge.”
Meanwhile, Dumas said from the television excerpts he had seen of Mickela Panday greeting people at the Red House, she conducted herself very properly.
“Though there’d be people who’d say she was campaigning but there are people who’d want to put you down anyway. Whether she wishes to resume her political career is clearly up to her. But we have to wait. This is a period of mourning, I don’t think we should be concentrating too much on the politics and so quickly forgetting the man and the respect he’s due, religious and otherwise,” said Dumas.
There was no response from UNC leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar to Guardian Media’s questions on how Mickela Panday handled the funeral, her political future and if the UNC will seek to bring her in before the 2025 polls.
But UNC deputy political leader Dr Roodal Moonilal said, “The Hindu post-funeral rituals aren’t over and the period of mourning continues. So I prefer not to comment on those matters until after the Bhandara 13 days after the funeral. We ought not to disturb the tranquillity of the proceedings and the safe journey of the soul.”
UNC parliamentarians also declined to say if or when they would file questions in Parliament for the Government to state how much it cost to send Panday for his medical treatment, repatriation of his body and the state funeral. PNM officials did not respond to queries about how Mickela Panday handled the funeral and her political future.
Panday’s ashes to be offered to moving water
Former UNC and Fyzabad MP Chandresh Sharma, a pundit who attended the wake at the late Basdeo Panday’s home, said a deceased’s ashes are expected to be offered to moving water with prayers to continue its journey and connect with the divine course. Assisting the soul’s travel is the tradition on the tenth day after the funeral, of the shaving of the heads of male relatives.
On the 12th day is the Bhandara with prayers to help the soul to realise its journey, which takes a year to Moksha (liberation from death and rebirth and unity with the creator).
Sharma added that the family returns to normal routine after 12 days but for the next 11 months while the soul continues to Moksha, major construction or new projects are usually not recommended. On the 11th month, final prayers are held, following which relatives return to normal life.