Panday says Guyana incident cannot happen in tt

The collapse of the David Granger-led government in Guyana following a no-confidence motion cannot happen in TT due to the differences in political systems.

That’s the word from former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday who, in a telephone interview yesterday, also predicted that elections due in 2019 and 2020 will witness the two main parties, (the ruling PNM and the Opposition UNC) play musical chairs in the Parliament unless constitutional reform becomes a reality.

Local Government election is due in 2019 while general elections are due in 2020.

“If there is no change in the political system what will happen here will be a continuation of musical chairs in the parliament where either one of the racial groups or blocks will be in office. It will be as simple as that, it has been happening for what, 46 years, and will not change unless there is constitutional reform.”

Panday said this was his message at a function hosted by Chaguanas West MP Ganga Singh in Chaguanas last week.

“The call for unity that I have made is a call for people to be united, not necessarily parties, but people to be united in a struggle for constitutional reform.”

“That is the call that I have made, it may have been misinterpreted but the call is not a call for parties to be united, whether that happens or not that is another matter.”

“This is a call for people who are dissatisfied with the system to unite so that we can change the system.”