Tearful Mickela thanks Foreign Affairs Minister, government for state funeral

Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Dr Amery Browne was brought to tears on Tuesday morning during the state funeral for former prime minister Basdeo Panday, as the Panday family thanked him for “moving mountains” to help bring his body back home.

Panday, 90, died in the US on January 1.

While giving the eulogy at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA), Panday’s daughter Mickela said she hoped she was not breaking protocol, but needed to thank Browne and his team, “…who moved mountains to help bring our dad back home, and absolutely everybody who worked tirelessly to pull together a state funeral of this magnitude in less than a week. We thank you.”

Browne then got teary-eyed in his seat.

Mickela continued to thank all mourners who attended, as well as God for “gifting (her) Dad to all of us.

“Thank you, Dad, for your unwavering commitment to your country, your people, family, friends and loved ones. We will miss you dearly, but we will never forget you.”