She swears never to throw her hat into the political ring if its the last job on the earth. The youngest sister of Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday, Leela Panday, enjoys doing what she loves best, and that is rearing livestock. A law clerk for over 20 years, Leela opted to throw in the towel after she found her passion with animals. Driving a fancy car is of no concern to her as she relishes living in the rural outskirts of Princes Town, surrounded by lush greenery and dirt roads. She possesses a humble demeanour, completely opposite to the warrior spirit of her elder brother. However, she mixes no words to express how she feels. Loyal to the United National Congress (UNC), she strongly feels members need to emulate the People's National Movement (PNM) and not air dirty laundry in the public.
Visibly disappointed over the internal elections fall out, Leela who spoke to Sunday Guardian exclusively at her St Julien home last week said, "They need to stop behaving like crabs in a barrel. Everyday it is a bickering and back biting. Politics is a nasty game and that is how you end up becoming. Politics turns you into a monster. "You know how much fighting going on in the PNM? Do we hear anything? If PNM members fight or curse each other it all happens behind close doors and we are all left guessing. There must be differences. We all agree to disagree but it is how the situation is handled. Some members of the UNC need to take a page from the PNM and learn how to behave when differences occur," Leela urged.
'God blesses the child that has its own'
Staying clear from commenting on the mudslinging between her brother and Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Leela said, "God blesses the child that has its own. You cannot come into my house and want to take away what is mine. "My brother built the UNC. How could I bring you into my house and then you turn around on me and want to kick me out? That could never be right, no matter how a person is. What is mine is mine and what is yours is yours. Nobody is stopping Persad-Bissessar or Ramesh Maharaj from forming their own political party. "Why don't they go and form their own party instead of fighting for leadership of the UNC. If Persad-Bissessar believes she has enough support why doesn't she form her own party? If she wins everybody will accept and respect that. People must earn their own and not want to claim what do not belong to them."
Let him go out a hero
Asked if she believes her brother should step down as leader, she says its a decision only he can make. However, Leela said if she was in her brother's situation she would have bowed out gracefully. "My brother is different to me. I will never get involved in politics no matter what job I am offered. I was going to bow out gracefully and leave the members to fight. If they want to fight I was going to give them room to fight. My brother, however, is the imprint of our father Sookchan. He has the same willpower. Whatever our father wanted, once he put his mind to, it he use to make it become a reality. "My brother has the same spirit. If he makes up his mind to do something nothing or no one will stop him once there is the breath of life in his body. I honestly feel if he not ready to step down until he sees fit...let him go out as a hero," his sister suggested.