Pictured Above: Former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday. Following the announcement yesterday (Friday 6th January 2023) by Prime Minister Keith Rowley, Former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday is expressing his sympathies for Senate President Christine Kangaloo on her nomination to become the next President of Trinidad and Tobago.
Panday’s view is that the Office of the President is of no use to the country in its present configuration. Asked to respond to Kangaloo’s nomination on Friday, the Former Prime Minister said, “she is a kind, nice, beautiful woman.” He added, “Having said that, I maintain the Office of the President is useless under the present Constitution. It does not matter who holds that office. What matters is, are we going to amend the Constitution and make that office meaningful? I sympathize with her. She is going to that office but she would not be able to do anything. At the end of the day, she would reap the same rewards as the outgoing president, thinking she can do something which she cannot and people would make the same comments they are making about the incumbent.” Panday has been advocating for Constitutional changes, including proportional representation and the election of the President by the majority of the electorate. He has been ascribing for the winner to become the head of the executive arm of the Government while the Parliament remains the legislative arm. A large section of the population, he said, has begun to subscribe to the narrative that constitution reform is necessary, but believes neither the ruling PNM nor the opposition UNC are in sync with this thinking. He said, “Constitutional reform can [come] about either peacefully, with the Opposition and Government agreeing and making the changes, or through a revolutionary change. History is replete with examples where people who desperately desire change, resort to violence. That, however, would be a sad thing for TT.” While Kangaloo may be qualified for the position, Panday said she would be able to do nothing meaningful to deal with the country's problems unless the office gets the power to do so. “All you have to do is look at the incumbent who is a bright person and is honest, sincere...but poor thing, she could do nothing. The same thing is going to happen to whoever is elected as President.” Incumbent Paula-Mae Weekes' term as President ends in March and the Electoral College is due to meet to elect her successor on 20th January 2023. [Source: Newsday] We are a small operation. If you've found our articles to be informative, please consider supporting us via PayPal or buying us a coffee. Your contribution is incredibly appreciated and goes a long way. Simply sharing our articles also helps us. Sign up for our free WhatsApp Alerts to be notified as soon as we post breaking news. NEW! Check out our Merchandise Store for high-quality t-shirts, hats and more!
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