Political analysts not sure about Panday's political stocks

WHETHER the Patriotic Front possesses the ability to influence the upcoming general elections would be dependant on how the party carries its campaign, political analyst Dr Bishnu Ragoonath said on Friday.

One day after Mickela Panday and her father former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday announced their party’s interest in contesting the 2020 elections, political analysts were not particularly buoyed by the Front’s intervention at this juncture.

Dr Winford James said while it is still too early to speculate, it is quite obvious that young Mickela is riding on her father’s reputation.

How much of a legacy or a following he has one decade after he quit electoral politics is yet to be seen, James said.

Mickela, an attorney by profession has served one term as an elected representative under the United National Congress (UNC) a party her father founded.

One year ago she launched the Patriotic Front, to coincide with her father’s birthday, but remained silent about its role until Thursday when she announced her intention to field 41 candidates.

Commenting on the PF as a political option Ragoonath said anything is possible.

“Let’s put it this way, the amount of political parties we have right now, anybody and everybody could be a political option. As to whether people would vote for them and whether they would be able to draw the voters to support them, that would be dependant on how the party carries its campaign.”

Considering that historically TT has been a two-party state, with the electorate polarised along ethnic lines, Ragoonath said a lot of ‘third forces” have mushroomed on the political front.

In terms of Panday’s political currency, Ragoonath recalled that he had quite a loyal following but having been out of politics for several years he is not sure where he stands at the moment.

“I have not been following Basdeo Panday for the past few years so I don’t know how much of that personal loyalty he would have had prior to the 2010 election he still has. “

Mickela on the other hand he said, has not been in the limelight for some time, “so we have to wait and see how this plays out.”

James too said he would have to “look carefully at Mickela” who may believe there is room for her among the Indo-community of voters.

He did not see the PF taking votes from the PNM strongholds. As for the UNC he said, “It depends on the extent to which the Indo community continues to see Mr Panday as being relevant.

“It is clear his daughter is riding on his reputation. He has had a very significant influence on the Indo constituents. Given the fact that Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar has not been able to expand that influence and in fact might have lost some of that appeal, Mickela may be thinking there is room for her here.”

“There is a lot we don’t know about Mickela. I would have to look at her carefully. She does not seem to have her father’s substance, her father’s charisma or her father’s foundation. She has some of his mannerisms but that’s where it begins and ends. She has to show that she can pull a crowd.”

UNC’s PRO Anita Haynes said TT being a democratic country everyone was free to offer themselves up as a representative of the people. She said the UNC was not worried about the PF splitting their votes. Political

Haynes said there has been no talk of an alliance and repeated Persad-Bissessar’s invitation to those who had an interest in national development was welcome to join under the UNC’s banner.