The End of the Panday Era?

Kennedy and Krustchev...

Athens and Sparta,

Magic Johnson & Larry Bird,

Manning and Panday!!!

Are we coming to the end of an era??

In a few weeks, the "silver fox" will face off against two of his competitors in internal party elections. Anyone who knows anything about T&T politics would know that Mr. Panday has been a mainstay on the national scene even before I was born – initially emerging as the champion of the workers of the "sugar belt", and working his way all the way up to become the nation's first Indo-Trinidadian and Hindu Prime Minister.

His rival Mr. Manning unexpectedly found himself at the helm of the other side of the aisle when he was but one of three candidates to hold on to a seat in the tidal wave that swept the seemingly unshakable PNM out of power; and subsequently became Prime Minister when the PNM inevitably recovered during the first election I consciously witnessed in 1991.*

It is customary in the Westminster system (which is based in tradition and custom) for a Prime Minister who fails to lead his party back to power, to step down and hand over the reigns to someone else. Such was the case when PM John Major was resoundingly thrashed by the then "upstart" Labor leader, Tony Blair. [I would also argue that this is also the case in the US system where few would regard John McCain today as the leader of the Republican Party.] But not so with Manning, and definitely not so with Panday!!!**

One would think that being charged as a womanizer and sex offender in 1995, or that being abandoned by leaders of his party executive who grew tired of his "corruption is not an issue" approach and formed another party in 2001, or that being convicted and sentenced to JAIL with hard labour essentially for accepting a bribe in 2006, or that since as a result of that conviction he was replaced as UNC political leader and as leader of opposition, would have slowed him down. Has any? NO!! au contrarie....

Panday reemerged victoriously and was reinstated as beloved political leader in 2007 for another showdown against Patrick Manning.

But the question now is, has his luck run out? Is it his turn to dive into the "political graveyard" that Panday keeps talking about?? (where according to him, he sent Raffique Shah, Winston Dookeran, Ramesh Lawrence Maraj, Nizam Mohammed, and Hulsie Bagghan.)

Ramesh Lawrence Maraj, Winston "Gypsy" Peters, and Austin "Jack" Warner, leaders of the so-called "RamJack G" faction of the UNC.

It would take many paragraphs to describe all the characters, backstories, and potential manoeuvrings (I know, it's not a word) that surround this important party primary. What I would say though - and I guess I'm finally getting to the point of this post - is that Panday will certainly be missed in the political arena much like when Peter Pan was about to kill Captain Hook in "Hook" (the one with Robin Williams) and wondered what Pan would do without Hook... but I might as well go ahead and say it: it would be more than refreshing in my view, to see a new leader emerge; one that can contribute to the national dialogue without such insurmountable baggage and such an unproductive perspective. And if nothing else, we deserve more than to have such an embarassing figure be regarded as the foremost spokeman and leader of the Indo-Trinidadian community. or should I say, "That's Insulting!"

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(*I was actually really confused at the age of 8 when when my dad told me that Ronald Regan wasn't President anymore –How does he feel about that?" I remember asking him.)

(** I must note though, that this anti-tradition tradition also exists in other Commonwealth Caribbean nations - e.g. the Manleys of Jamaica, the Birds of Antigua, or Ingrahm & Christie in the Bahamas, who manage to flow naturally from Opposition Leader to PM back to Leader of Opposition, setting the stage to run again the Prime Ministership.)