Farewell, brother Bas

THE EDITOR: First of all, I wish to extend to Mrs Panday, the children and the rest of the family my deepest condolences on the passing of my dear friend and political colleague, Basdeo Panday.

What more can I say about this iconic patriot, that has not already been said?

A colossus who straddled the national political stage for over three decades. From a humiliating defeat in 1966, losing his deposit in the constituency of Naparima South, he subsequently successfully navigated our turbulent political waters using his own political compass not only becoming our fifth prime minister but our first of East Indian origin – against all odds.

Who was this man, a product of indentureship and all the negatives that accompanied this inhuman form of Western capitalism?

Several scholars and political activists have written about this foxy, witty and sometimes unconventional, unpredictable character. Much more will be documented in the future.

Unfortunately, like so many of our political nation-builders, he has left us without completing his biography, stories and encounters he and he alone can correctly tell. I can only hope his devoted and loving widow and children ensure that we are not deprived of this valuable aspect of our history.

I am sure that in spite of all that has been said and written, there is much more that is still unknown about the clever old silver fox both in his public and private life.

He is our only prime minister who has enjoyed retirement almost to the maximum. As a former PM, he enjoyed an unprecedented level of affection, love, goodwill and admiration which cut across the racial and political divide. He embraced, and in the end, was embraced, by the entire nation.

I can speak with some authority, having witnessed on many, many occasions Mr Panday's wit and charisma taking over events including the launch of my biography, Political Encounters, on June 14, 2017. That event was attended by the Prime Minister and nearly all of his Cabinet members.

However, the number-one attraction at the launch was Basdeo Panday.

Basdeo Panday dedicated almost his entire adult life to the service of his fellow men and country even while relentlessly and vigorously pursuing his dreams and ambitions.

He was no political saint, both practising and many times falling victim to his own political mantra that “politics has a morality of its own.”

There are countless stories of the old Bas and his sometimes unconventional and unpredictable behaviour. His sometimes inappropriate and intemperate utterances – many times counter-punching way beyond his political avoirdupois – raised eyebrows and became cause for national concern. Was he ready for office? Can he be trusted?

Most of the time, however, in the final analysis, he proved his detractors wrong and went on to win the attention and attraction that ensured his successful journey to becoming our fifth and perhaps most popular prime minister.

In my 70-odd years as a political activist, I have now witnessed the passing of our five previous prime ministers including the Father of the Nation. Yet I have never seen such an outpouring of love, sympathy, condolences and goodwill as what I saw on Tuesday in SAPA and on the previous days leading up to Panday's state funeral. Whatever his successes, faults and failures, Panday personified and radiated a reflection of our true national spirit. He embodied our national watchwords – discipline, production and tolerance. That is why he attracted all of us to him.

I will not join the chorus of those seeking to canonise him, nor will I stand in the line filled with his political assassins who are now trying to deify him. Certainly, I join our nation in celebrating his life and mourning his passing. He was a true patriot and an exemplary and outstanding servant of his fellow man.

Farewell, dear brother.

FERDINAND "FERDI” FERREIRA

Political activist