Basdeo Panday First Wife: Unveiling the Untold Story

The Basdeo Panday First Wife was a significant figure in Trinidad and Tobago, serving as the country’s fifth Prime Minister from 1995 to 2001. Born on May 25, 1933, and passing away on January 1, 2024, Panday had a diverse career as a lawyer, politician, trade unionist, economist, and actor. As a political leader, he broke barriers as the first person of Indian descent and the first Hindu to hold the Prime Minister’s office.

He initially entered Parliament in 1976, representing Couva North. Across several political terms, Panday acted as the Leader of the Opposition five times and played a pivotal role in establishing the United Labour Front (ULF), the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR), and the United National Congress (UNC). He led both the ULF and UNC and served as the President General of the All Trinidad Sugar and General Workers’ Trade Union.

Despite this illustrious political career, Panday faced a significant setback in 2006 when he was convicted and imprisoned for failing to declare a London bank account. However, the Court of Appeal quashed this conviction the following year. As the then-chairman of the UNC, Panday attempted to resign, but his offer was rejected by the party’s executive. He later lost an internal party election to deputy leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar in 2010.

Throughout his life, Panday received numerous awards and recognition for his contributions, including the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs in 2005.

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Early Life

Radiating from the tropical warmth of Princes Town, British Trinidad and Tobago, Basdeo Panday graced the world on May 25th, 1933. He was the offspring of Kissoondaye and Harry “Chote” Sookchand Panday, part of an Indo-Trinidadian family line, tying them back to British India, from where their forebears journeyed to Trinidad under the Indian indenture scheme. His grandmother hailed from Laxmanpur, nestled in Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh, a state located in the North Indian Hindi Belt. Panday’s educational journey began at New Grant Government School and later at St. Julien Presbyterian School, eventually landing him at Presentation College in San Fernando. His early livelihood included roles such as a sugarcane weigher at the Williamsville Estate and a primary school educator in Montrose and St. Madeleine. In addition, at the San Fernando Magistrate’s Court, he served as a civil servant, diligently documenting proceedings for various magistrates, one of whom, Noor Mohamed Hassanali, would later assume the role of Trinidad and Tobago’s President while Panday held the Prime Minister’s office.

In 1957, filled with ambition, Panday undertook a journey to the United Kingdom to further broaden his horizons. With perseverance and dedication, he secured a drama diploma from London’s School of Dramatic Art in 1960, and two years later, graduated as a lawyer from Inns of Court School of Law. In addition, he found time to earn a Bachelor of Science in economics from the famed University of London in 1965, managing this feat as an external student. His life in the United Kingdom wasn’t just limited to academia; Panday held diverse roles to sustain his life there: working as a builder’s aide, a London County Council clerk, and an electrician. He also made his presence felt on the silver screen, landing roles in films like Nine Hours to Rama and The Winston Affair. A Commonwealth scholarship in 1965 offered him the opportunity to explore post-graduate studies in economics and political science at the Delhi School of Economics in India. But instead of accepting, Panday chose to honour his family commitments and serve his homeland, which was undergoing political changes following its newfound independence. With this decision, Panday returned to Trinidad and Tobago and began his law practice in 1965.

Politics background

Beginning years

The inception of Panday’s foray into politics happened in 1965. In that year, he aligned himself with the Workers and Farmers Party and strove to secure a place in Parliament, despite his goal was not achieved. He made further strides in 1972 when he was chosen as an adversary senator from the Democratic Labour Party. Soon after, in 1973, he was embraced by the All Trinidad Sugar Estates and Factory Workers Union. Not too long after joining, Panday revolutionized the establishment from within, flowering as the President General of the union. Under his guidance, the union was broadened to encompass workers from miscellaneous industries, transforming into the All Trinidad Sugar and General Workers’ Trade Union.

Amidst the flux of labor rights movements on February 8, 1975, Panday, along with union comrades George Weekes and Raffique Shah, came together to establish the United Labour Front. The trio found themselves in legal trouble due to an attempted march on March 18 from San Fernando to Port-of-Spain, however, they were ultimately absolved of the accusation of leading a public march without permission.

Following a successful electoral bid for the Couva North constituency in 1976, Panday found himself not only as a Member of Parliament but also as the leader of the official opposition. Despite a bump in 1977 when the party factionalized and Panday was temporarily replaced by Shah, he was reinstated a year later thanks to the support of Winston Nanan, a former Shah ally.

Despite a less-than-remarkable showing in the 1980 local polls, Panday and two other political veterans – A. N. R. Robinson of the Democratic Action Congress and Lloyd Best from the Tapia House Group- came together to establish the Trinidad and Tobago National Alliance. The 1981 general election saw the successful retention of Panday’s parliamentary seat.

Evolution struck again in 1984 when the National Alliance transformed into the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR), which was further consolidated with the Organisation for National Reconstruction a year later. The coalition clinched a substantial victory in the turbo-charged elections of 1986, which led to Panday being bestowed with the portfolio of Minister of External Affairs and International Trade. However, the unity didn’t last long as tensions spurred on racial lines within the party. Panday accused Robinson, along with his government, of discrimination against Indians, and of ruling with an iron fist. This resulted in a cabinet reshuffle, which saw Panday ending up with a diminished role within the organization. The internal strife eventually culminated in Panday, along with Kelvin Ramnath and Trevor Sudama, being shown the door from the party on February 8, 1988.”UNC, Prime Ministership, and Electoral Crises”Panday, alongside other dismissed ministers, gave rise to the Caucus for Love, Unity and Brotherhood (CLUB ’88) that would later evolve into the United National Congress (UNC) on the last day of April in 1989. The turbulent political landscape, characterized by economic recession, austerity measures, racial discord and most substantially, the unsuccessful yet resonant coup attempt of 1990, resulted in the previously reigning National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) losing their command in the 1991 elections. This political shift paved the way for the UNC, under Panday’s leadership, to step up as the official opposition.

The general elections of 1995 proved to be a turning point in Panday’s political trajectory. The governing party, People’s National Movement (PNM), impulsively initiated an early vote, confident of their triumph. Nevertheless, the outcome was a stalemate, with both PNM and UNC securing 17 seats each whereas NAR had 2. This led UNC and NAR to form a coalition, resulting in handing over the reins of power to UNC, thereby heralding Panday’s tenure as the first Indo-Trinidadian Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago.

Panday’s leadership saw UNC celebrate another victory in the year 2000, his second time assuming the role of prime minister. However, in 2001, three UNC members of parliament, Ramesh Maharaj, Trevor Sudama and Ralph Maraj, accused the government of corruption, urging Panday to establish a commission for investigation. In response to this pressure, Panday dismissed Maharaj. Consequently, Sudama and Maraj stepped down, leaving UNC as a minority, which forced Panday to call for another election. The 2001 general elections resulted in a never-seen-before draw, 18 to 18, between UNC and PNM, igniting a constitutional dispute over the formation of the government.

Both factions agreed to accept the decision taken by president, A.N.R. Robinson, and to come together to establish a government of unity. However, when Robinson chose PNM leader Patrick Manning to head the government, Panday retracted his agreement, dissatisfied with Robinson’s reason (Manning’s “moral and spiritual values”) for the decision. Panday contended that Robinson did not adhere to the constitution since Manning did not have a majority in the parliament. He declined the title of Leader of Opposition in protest.

In 2002, the Parliament was disbanded as it could not choose a Speaker, and fresh elections were conducted. This chapter saw PNM returning to power while UNC once again became the opposition. The following year, Panday found himself entangled in legal troubles. He was accused of failing to declare a bank account in London and, in 2006, he was found guilty. These secret inquiries into Panday’s finances began after the 2001 election, when the Central Authority and the Anti Corruption Bureau, established by PNM, started their investigation.

Panday was eventually charged for not declaring the contents of a London-based bank account for three consecutive years, starting from 1997. Initially, Panday defended himself by stating that the account was established for his children’s education and he was merely a co-signatory to avoid complications if anything untoward happened to his wife. He did not believe the funds were his ownership and hence, he did not report them. However, further probing revealed that the account was in fact created to deposit money for his heart surgery and was administered solely by his wife subsequently. Irrespective of these claims, Panday held PNM responsible, accusing them of a deliberate move to knock him off course ahead of the 2002 general elections.

“Struggles for Power and Leadership within UNC”In the spring of 2005, prominent Trinidadian political figure, Basdeo Panday, found himself in the midst of legal turmoil. He, along with his wife, a former party MP, Carlos John, and the chairman of Northern Construction Limited, Ishwar Galbaransingh, were arrested under allegations of soliciting bribes. The prosecution claimed that the accused collected a rather hefty sum from John and Galbaransingh as a quid pro quo for assigning the Piarco Airport Development Project to Northern Construction Limited. After initially refusing the provision of bail, Panday reconsidered and accepted a reduced bail a week later. However, these charges were ultimately dismissed by 2012.

Later in 2005, despite internal party conflicts, Panday proposed Winston Dookeran as his successor to lead the party. While he retained the role of chairman, calls to pass the reins of the opposition leader to Dookeran went unheeded. Despite the equal split in support from MPs, Panday persistently held on to his leadership role within the opposition.

In yet another move, Panday ushered Ramesh Maharaj back into the fold while relieving senator Robin Montano of his duties for opposing Maharaj’s return. With senator Roy Augustus stepping down soon after, Panday strategically placed Tim Gopeesingh and sprinter turned politician, Ato Boldon in their roles.

Another setback hit in April 2006 when Panday was convicted on multiple charges dating back to 2002 forcing him to step down from the opposition leadership, making way for Kamla Persad-Bissessar. Nonetheless, Panday bounced back to the helm of the UNC in early 2007 after successfully appealing his conviction. In a sensational twist, questions arose about the possibility of bias from the Chief Magistrate, linking him to suspicious land transactions with a significant prosecution witness in Panday’s trial.

Panday’s leadership was once again rattled in 2009 when a faction of Opposition MPs, headed by the party’s deputy leader challenged him, in what was seen as a litmus test of his political influence and dominance within the party.”Break from Politics and Judicial Clearing”In an uncanny turn of events on January 24, 2010, Basdeo Panday First Wife in his political career, being overthrown from his aspiration to regain leadership of the United National Congress (UNC). The throne was usurped by incoming leader, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, hence dismissing Panday from UNC’s executive body due to an unentered competition for the chairmanship. Consequently, on February 25, 2010, President George Maxwell Richards terminated Panday’s tenure as the Leader of the Opposition, and, persuaded by the bulk of Opposition MPs’ support, appointed Persad-Bissessar to the role. In the absence of his candidacy in the general elections held on May 24, 2010, Panday concluded his stint as a Parliament member.

The saga took another unexpected turn on June 26, 2012, when all charges levied against Panday were dismissed, highlighting a lack of due process in his trial, as per the claims of the magistrate. Notwithstanding, the primary legal representative of the state, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), was authorized to question this verdict in September 2012. Fast-forwarding to October 7, 2014, the DPP decided to rescind the request to re-examine the ruling. The presiding over justice emphasized that it would cause undue sufferings and bias for Panday had the legal proceedings continued, which eventually didn’t happen. Adding to his victories, charges related to the scandal involving Piarco Airport were also written off during 2012.Return to Politics and the Patriotic FrontOn Basdeo Panday First Wife, the 25th of May in 2019, his daughter Mickela ventured out on a political journey separate from her father’s United National Congress (UNC). She established a distinct political entity, the Patriotic Front. Estranged from the UNC, the elder Panday affiliated himself with his daughter’s newly formed group. A year later, on the occasion of his birthday and the party’s first anniversary in 2020, Panday declared his eagerness to participate in the forthcoming Trinidad and Tobago general elections. He also hinted at making a comeback in the political sphere, astutely observing the nation’s predicament and expressing an incapacity to remain a passive spectator. June of 2020 saw Mickela announcing her father’s role as the campaign manager for the Patriotic Front. However, the party decided against contesting in the 2020 elections, admitting to a lack of adequate preparation time for a credible campaign.Influence on the Culture and Media of Trinidad and Tobago

Election Impact

The inauguration of the maiden Prime Minister of Indo-Trinidadian descent was hailed as a significant milestone signaling the advent of this community’s profound influence in Trinidad. Seizing this historic moment, Panday embarked on an ardent mission to mend the injustices that had been long endured by the Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonian populace.”Holidays and Religion”Commencing his principal stint as national leader, Panday instantly made an impactful move by acknowledging the Shouter Baptists with a national day of observance. This considerable political backing played a crucial part in the widespread acknowledgment of the faith by the population. Furthermore, he set a lasting tradition by definitively renaming ‘Arrival Day’ as ‘Indian Arrival Day’ post 1996. He gained a reputation for his inclusive approach to spirituality, as he would frequently draw upon various religious texts from Trinidad and Tobago in his discourse.

Music

In the inaugural year of his term, Panday found himself the focus of various unfavorable songs popular in the calypso genre, such as Cro Cro’s ‘Allyuh Look for Dat’ and the Watchman’s ‘Mr. Panday Needs His Glasses’. Undeterred by such satire, he retaliated in the following year, suggesting the implementation of new rules for government-funded contests. His primary concern was ensuring that the public’s funds weren’t being channeled to fuel social division, regardless of whether such discord was based on race or other factors.

Language

Fluent in both English and Hindi, Panday has been known to use his bilingual expertise to significantly influence the cultural landscape in Trinidad and Tobago. As an advocate for the Hindi language, he frequently addresses the Hindi FoundationTT, emphasizing its cultural relevance in his homeland. Tightly interwoven with Panday’s identity is the use of the distinctly Trinidadian Hindustani term, neemakharam. While its literal meaning is ‘ungrateful’, Panday has deftly repurposed it, using it to critique those he considers political adversaries. Thus, he has breathed a new life into this term, extending its reach beyond the Indo-Trinidadian community. Amongst the recipients of such label have been a range of politicians, spanning from Winston Dookeran, Trevor Sudama, to Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Ramesh Maharaj, and additional competing UNC members.

Press Relationship

Throughout his tenure as a political figure, Panday often found himself embroiled in conflicts with the press. A striking instance occurred in 1996 when the renowned Trinidadian newspaper, the ‘Trinidad Guardian,’ carried a conspicuous image of Panday indulging in a drink, beneath the controversial title, “Chutney Rising”. Infuriated by this public portrayal, Panday retaliated by categorically banning the newspaper’s correspondents from obtaining government data. He berated the newspaper’s top editor, Jones P. Madiera, branding him a bigot, and emphatically urged him to step down. Eventually, the managing editor Alwin Chow, along with Madiera and other team members exited the ‘Guardian,’ only to pioneer another periodical, christened ‘The Independent.’

Panday’s tension with the media extended beyond this incident. He boldly displayed his contempt for the press by refraining from affixing his signature to the Declaration of Chapultepec. This seminal 1994 martyr symbolizes press autonomy and has widespread international acknowledgment. Shockingly, in 1998, he proclaimed he would not concede to this declaration unless it recanted its emphasis on the absolute freedom of the press to publish any material of their choice.

About Personal Life

Basdeo Panday tied the knot with Oma Panday, originally known as Ramkissoon. The couple was blessed with four girls, namely Niala, Mickela, Nicola, and Vastala. Notably, Niala is the offspring from Norma Panday, Panday’s first spouse, who passed away in 1981. Spending a significant amount of time on philanthropic activities, Panday shouldered the responsibilities of the namesake Basdeo Panday Foundation. The year 2019 saw Panday being honored by the University of Trinidad and Tobago with a Doctorate of Laws degree. He was a practitioner of Hinduism, and his family ties included a connection to the late Sam Boodram, a famed Indian chutney and classical singer who was wedded to Panday’s sister, Cynthia. Panday showed compassion to animals when he adopted Norman, a stray dog. During the global health crisis posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, Panday was lauded for heeding the guidelines which encouraged citizens to stay at home. This was highlighted by his pastimes of tending to his garden and spending time with Norman, his dog, shown via his daughter Mickela’s popular videos shared across various social media platforms. These garnered widespread appreciation for promoting safety precautions to the masses.

Demise

On the first day of the year 2024, we bid farewell to an iconic personality, Basdeo Panday First Wife, who left us at the venerable age of 90. His departure marked the end of an era that was replete with his exemplary presence. The start of a new year was overshadowed with his demise, made more poignant in its occurrence just as a fresh calendar was being unfurled. The chronological chronicles will forever remember him as a person of strength and resilience who gracefully embarked on his final journey as a nonagenarian.

Filmography and Stage Credits

Film

In 1963, the individual took on the role of a laundryman within the scope of the motion picture, ‘Nine Hours to Rama’. Despite his brief appearance, the character left a notable impression on audiences. Following that, he had another brief appearance in 1964, assuming the role of an Indian correspondent in ‘The Winston Affair’. It was a testament to his versatile acting prowess, where he diligently transformed himself to fit into the characters, engaging audiences with his performances. His concise but impactful roles in these films underline his potential to seamlessly slip into any character, earning him a commendable recognition in the industry.

Television

Throughout some intriguing appearances in the television landscape, the roles from the late 1950s to the early 1960s demonstrated a fascinating range of characters. In 1959, a compelling depiction of a Brahmin Priest was brought to the viewers in the second role on “The Moonstone,” marking this as just the start of the captivating performances to come. Then, in 1962, the mysterious character of Abrim featured in the series “Saki,” adding yet another layer of depth to the variety. The following year, a portrayal of an Indian guest in “ITV Playhouse” exemplified a new dimension of character exploration, culminating in the totality of performances across these three distinct periods. Each appearance was confined to one episode, underscoring the versatility and nuanced performances required. Each role not only stood apart from one another but also added to the richness of the television world during those years.

Theatre

In the chronicles of literature, the pivotal year of 1961 beheld the emergence of a distinguished piece titled “The Basdeo Panday First Wife”. This work graces the annals of time as a significant addition, making the said year remarkable in the vast landscape of literary history.

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