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Trade unionist, actor, attorney at law, politician and Trinbagonian legend, Basdeo Panday has passed.
He was well known for his silvery-white hair, charisma and sharp wit and was someone many loved to hate politically and ideologically for his style of leadership over the years—his outspokenness and his skilful use of political picong in the parliament and on the public platforms.
He was a former president of the All Trinidad and General Workers Trade Union, founding member of the ULF and he was instrumental in the formation of the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR), which ousted the PNM in 1986 after a period of approximately 30 years in office.
In 1988, he resigned from the NAR and formed Club 88, which eventually became the United National Congress (UNC). As political leader of the UNC, Mr Basdeo Panday served as the prime minister of our twin-island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago from 1995 to 2001.
His administration was hit by accusations of public corruption during his tenure, which contributed immensely to his party’s inability to hold onto the reins of power thereafter. He also held the position of opposition leader on various occasions between 1976 and 2010.
Subsequent to the 2000 elections which the UNC won with 19 seats while the PNM got 17 seats, Panday’s government collapsed after three of its MPs, Ralph Maraj, Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj and Trevor Sudama, fell out with the party.
The following year, Panday called a general election which ended in an 18-18 deadlock. Because of the deadlock, Arthur NR Robinson, who was president at the time, appointed Patrick Manning as prime minister in December 2001—in what turned out to be a controversial decision, as he cited his choice of Manning instead of Panday on moral and spiritual values.
Panday was ousted from the leadership of the UNC in 2010 by Kamla Persad-Bissessar who challenged him for the position of political leader in the party’s internal elections.
Many will remember how he was vilified for the controversial and acerbic comments he made at the funeral of his longtime political colleague Kelvin Ramnath in 2012.
Robinson was head of the NAR government.
(Courtesy Trinidad Guardian)
At the funeral service, he accused many of treating Ramnath with contempt whilst he was alive but now engaging in twisted irony with an outpouring of love and glowing tributes being expressed for him.
He was quoted as responding to his critics by saying: “if I have told one single lie, then please point it out to me. I say to them weep not now. You did not weep when they crucified him.”
It is sad however, that now that Basdeo has died, he is similarly being immortalized by many as someone to whom an aura of political statesmanship must be bestowed upon.
(Copyright Office of the Parliament)
Maybe if he could respond now, he may be making the same bitingly critical and sarcastic comments like he did at Kelvin Ramnath’s funeral service to those offering tributes on his passing.
It is time that we as a society put our differences apart and recognise the contributions made by our legends, icons, pioneers and heroes and take pride in offering them their flowers; so they can appreciate them before they transition to the afterlife.
The innings of Basdeo Panday, affectionately called “Silver Fox”, is over. His bat is laid down—bowled out by death’s unerring ball.
And Nelson Mandela said it aptly in this quote: “Death is something inevitable. When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people, his country; he can rest in peace.”
So ends the era of an individual who contributed and dedicated his working life in service to his country at the highest level.
There were many negatives during his tenure as prime minister but they are outweighed by the positives, as his contribution to our society and the footprints he created on the regional and international landscape. cannot be measured.
(Copyright Allan V Crane/ CA-Images/ Wired868)
He will go down in history as one of Trinidad and Tobago’s most dynamic and controversial post-independence leaders and his contributions as a servant of the people will be forever etched in the history of our country.
My condolences to his family and friends!
Farewell to Basdeo “Silver Fox” Panday! His work is now over, may his soul attain salvation!
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Bryan St Louis is a former education officer for the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU).
