Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday has thanked estranged MP Jack Warner for making it possible for Prime Minister Patrick Manning to claim on Monday night that “Chaguanas is now PNM.” Manning and several PNM speakers had underlined the claim—that “Chaguanas is PNM” and that the area “is now PNM country” at PNM’s Monday night meeting at Centre-Pointe Mall.

The boast began with the meeting’s chairman Joel Primus and continued through other speakers climaxing with Manning who proclaimed it with some glee as he surveyed the audience at the PNM meeting held in central Trinidad, traditionally an Opposition stronghold.

Asked on Tuesday how he felt about the PNM’s boast, Panday said sarcastically: “Well, first of all I want to say thanks to Jack Warner because he’s trying his best to hand Chaguanas over to the PNM.” Panday is expected to meet constituents of Chaguanas West today. On Manning’s dismissal of the UNC’s claim of “ethnic cleansing” in hospitals, Panday claimed, “I don’t expect him to admit racism exists, but everyone knows racism exists in the allocation of housing and state resources. Call it what you want, it does exist in the public sector, it must be fought by everyone of us and admitting that it exists is the first step toward doing this.”

Panday confirmed that the UNC did not hold its usual Monday night public meeting this week due to the current Parliamentary break and since several MPs including MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar were overseas. Persad-Bissessar was due to return from a legal case in St Kitts yesterday. However, Panday said the UNC had adopted a new format for maintaining contact with the public during the break, rather than Monday night meetings. He said the UNC on Monday started a series of Monday night radio broadcasts.

Guests speakers on Monday night’s broadcast were MPs Tim Gopeesingh and Subhas Panday, who spoke about UNC’s “ethnic cleansing” claims and security issues. Panday dismissed Manning’s claim (at PNM’s meeting on Monday night) that UNC only had enough supporters now to fill two maxi-taxis to attend their public meetings. Panday disagreed with the perception that the UNC’s support had shrunk. Panday said, “We’ll determine our agenda and strategies and the PNM will determine theirs. I’m sure they’ll be happy if we formulate the wrong one.”

Panday is also maintaining contact with “ground support” via a series of community meeting which started on Tuesday with youths in San Juan/ Barataria. Panday said he planned to go to various seats over the break.
He will also begin meeting Chaguanas West constituents from 10 am today at the office of Chaguanas deputy mayor Orlando Nagessar.