Cool it Bas. That's the advice Tourism Minister Joseph Ross gave to Leader of the Opposition Basdeo Panday in response to calls for Local Government Elections to be called within two months.
Panday was contributing to yesterday's House of Representatives debate on a bill to reform Local Government in Trinidad. The life of the 14 Municipal Corporations in Trinidad is to be extended by 12 months. Dealing with that matter, Panday said this was being done "because the Government was afraid to face elections. They know that they are very unpopular and they do not want a decisive indicator to indicate that their popularity has fallen and that's why they have postponed this election."
To a claim from the government side that the PNM will "eat the UNC raw" when the polls are called, Panday said that will only happen "if you perpetuate the divisions you are trying to get in my party, but that won't work," he said loudly. Panday said if his assumption was wrong, then the proposed reform should be dealt with in the Joint Select Committee in a month and then hold the election within two months. But Ross told Panday, minutes later he should cool it, reminding Panday that the last time he made a similar statement, the Prime Minister called general elections and the UNC was defeated.
