Basdeo Panday and Anand Ramlogan owe the nation an apology. At this critical juncture in T&T’s political crossroads, both gentlemen committed serious errors of judgment which could, if not properly dealt with, derail any move towards positive changes in the body politic. Only a blind man is unable to see a definite movement by the people to get out of this current mess that, through no fault of the citizenry, the nation has found itself in. Two weeks ago, Panday, former Prime Minister and more recently former Opposition Leader, refused to support a motion by his successor, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, to have the Lower House debate the resignation of Udecott board members.

It was bad enough when the government members voted against the measure as though they were employed by the state-owned special purpose company and not we the electorate. But the inexplicable and bewildering conduct of Panday and his sidekick, Kelvin Ramnath, was almost unpardonable. Panday’s pedestrian-like excuse that Persad-Bissessar did not discuss her intention with him prior to moving the motion fooled no one, not even himself. Panday no doubt is still smarting under the comprehensive cut a--e his former political protégé put on him for the leadership of the UNC and her subsequent ascension to the Opposition Leader office. He apparently has no intention of acknowledging his defeat and has adopted a spoilt-brat attitude in this scenario in which the country itself is at stake.

One wonders if he is not spearheading the realisation of his “prediction” during the UNC’s internal election campaign that the party would mash up six months after a Persad-Bissessar victory. By the overwhelming mandate given to her by the UNC electorate, a clear message was sent to Mr Panday: you have played your part but it is time to pass the baton to someone else who the people believe is better poised to take the party into government. I had intended to name Panday in today’s column the country’s public enemy number one, but I am giving him another chance to redeem himself since he has indicated he would be supporting the no-confidence motion in the Prime Minister when it is debated in the Lower House. But I am not easing him up solely on his stated position on the pending debate but also on how he continues to conduct himself politically, from now on. I may even relent on a compulsory apology for letting down the people if he shows he has seen the mistake he made and takes positive steps to mend his ways, there-by perhaps also having another opportunity to salvage his legacy. One man I am not prepared to let off the hook that easily is my other friend and someone who I think has potential for a positive political future—attorney Anand Ramlogan.

No one can cuss him for going back “home” to the UNC, having left because he was not satisfied with the direction the Panday-led party was taking. The political mathematics clearly show that neither the UNC nor the COP can win a general election in a one-to-one fight with the incumbent PNM, so when I heard he was going to speak at that UNC meeting last week Monday, I felt it was the start of the coming together of both parties who share a common quest—to defeat the PNM in the next general election. But my blood ran cold when, in speaking to the crowd, Ramlogan, in a plainly uncharitable act, was needlessly critical of his former leader for no logical reason. I am sick and tired of hearing people say that Dookeran, although beyond reproach and a nice chap, cannot make it because he has no charisma or some mysterious nonsense called “oomph.” My simple response to these people is to look at where charisma and “oomph” have gotten us to today. Ramlogan’s tirade against his former leader was totally unwarranted, completely tasteless, and without merit. We can excuse this behaviour perhaps on the euphoria of the moment and that Ramlogan already smells a UNC victory and has placed himself for a prominent position in any such administration. To his eternal credit Dookeran, the gentleman that he is, did not respond likewise to Ramlogan’s ill-advised outburst.

What Ramlogan has possibly done is unwittingly soured, no matter how minute, the expressed desire of the people for a united COP/UNC coalition to go after the People’s National Movement in the next electoral battle. He must be aware that neither the UNC nor the Cop can by themselves win the general election. They both need each other. Instead of allowing the moment to get the better of one’s common sense, all the major players must be circumspect and always keep in sight the bigger picture. I think if Anand is not minded to voluntarily apologise for his faux pas, Persad-Bissessar should speak to him very quietly and get him to do some damage control. That said, my biggest concern at this time on the political front is the lack of apparent moves by the UNC and the COP to start the unification process. Persad-Bissessar’s victory gave a large segment of citizens the belief that at last there is hope on the horizon. But almost two months later people are wondering if the momentum has lost steam.