Bas: Majority of COP want unity
'...or pay same price as Nov '07'
Anna Ramdass
Saturday, December 6th 2008

Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday has said he believes that the majority of members in the Congress of the People (COP) want to join hands with the UNC-A.

In an interview with the Express yesterday, Panday said he was not phased by the recent statements by some COP members that they would not unite with the United National Congress-Alliance, once he (Panday) was holding the reins of power.

At a COP public meeting on Wednesday, its former candidate Gary Griffith had urged members to consider uniting with the UNC-A. However, his advice came under fire from the crowd.

"Well, if 50 people of the COP, who could not win a single seat, do not want unity, I do not think that is an issue the country should worry about, because majority of the people both inside and outside of the COP want unity and I shall pursue my struggle for unity," Panday said.

He said these people were the ones who probably blamed him for their defeat at last year's general election.

Asked how he knew that people inside and outside the COP wanted unity, Panday responded, "Because of what we hear on the ground every day. We are among the people, we talk to them, and 99 per cent of the people want unity."

Questioned as to what steps are being taken to achieve any sort of unity with the COP, Panday said, "One man can lead the horse to water but ten men cannot make that horse drink, the horse has got to want to drink, that horse has to be thirsty."

Panday said he believes that there will be a "good degree'' of unity before the local government election next year.

He added, "Those who do not wish to unite, they will pay the same price they paid on November 5, 2007."

Asked whether the airing of concerns by Deputy Political Leader Jack Warner would affect the unity process, Panday said, "No, I don't think so. People want unity and little, petty things which should have been discussed internally would not really affect people."

The fact is we are already seeing AGAIN infighting in this party. The fact of the matter is that as long as Basdeo Panday remains at the helm of the UNC, COP supporters will be very hesitant to throw there vote that way.

What I do not for the life of me understand is that if Panday is SOOOO concerned with the welfare of the country, and that all it would take is for his resignation for the formation of an opposition party that can challenge the PNM, then for the good of the nation why can't you simply bow out????