Posted on 06/10/2004 8:07:12 PM PDT by Gun142
OPPOSITION Leader Basdeo Panday has called for every man in the country to have a gun to protect his rights, liberty and property since the Government has failed to do so.
Speaking at the St Helena Hindu School at the UNC's Monday evening people's forum, Panday told the hundreds gathered that the PNM government had failed in its first and basic function of any government to protect the rights, liberty and property of its citizens.
Panday said: "If Manning and PNM cannot perform the first and basic function then they must pull up their pants and go home."
Using the political theories of philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes, Jean Jacques Rousseau and John Locke to make his point, Panday said in a civilised society man had handed over the powers of self-defence to the government and so there was a social contract between the people and the State.
He said when such a contract was formed and a citizen was offended, he "would let the State deal with them (the offenders) so we would live in a civilised society where life was not crude, nasty, brutish and short."
The UNC leader said: "Once the contract is broken, then we have reverted to a state of nature and I have now got back my right to defend myself because the Government will not defend me."
Panday added: "So that is what we got to do. We have got to find ways and means to defend ourselves. The Government will not defend us. They cannot defend us. They are part of the criminals who attack us. They are kissing the criminals and hugging them up. Those criminals who attack us and steal our children. They are part of those criminal gangs. How will they protect you?"
He said: "We must start protecting ourselves."
Panday also slammed President George Maxwell Richards for telling Indo-Trinidadians on Indian Arrival Day that fighting against discrimination was fighting like Don Quixote, "it was like fighting against windmills".
He said the President had the temerity to abuse and insult Indians that they were not being discriminated against. "I was sadly disappointed," he said.
He also criticised Health Minister John Rahael for saying that the reason Indians were being kidnapped was because they were wealthy. Panday agreed that a few Indians had money but said many still lived in poverty.
"They make you disrespect yourself," he said.
He said the PNM was not only practising racial discrimination but also political discrimination and cited the police killing of Galene Bonadie, the common-law wife of Sean "Bill" Francis, both of whom, Panday said, were card-carrying members of the UNC
Meanwhile, members of the Police Special Branch were said to monitoring the meeting.
One member was spotted peeping through a window of metal louvres where he could have seen the backs of the speakers on the podium. He had in his possession a notebook and tape recorder.
Uniformed police officers at the meeting told the Express that the man was an officer from Special Branch.
When UNC leader Panday arrived at the meeting he was accompanied by at least four personal security officers. Two of them were on stage during the meeting while one monitored a door and the other watched the Special Branch officer at the back of the school building.
I wonder if its too late to get Basdeo Panday on the ballot for November.
By Jove, I think he's got it!
Ping
Hey, look, if they don't want him over there, could we maybe get him to come to California? We're trying to replace Barbara Boxer in November (please, God), and this guy sound like exactly what we need.
Good bang list read
Is this a normal Trinidadian metaphor?
If so it says interesting things about one's "first and most basic duty".
Mr. Jefferson seems to have been busy lately.
"pull up their pants and go home."
I love it!
Don't know who this fellow is, but I'd vote for him several times, over and over.
"Basdeo Panday has called for every man in the country to have a gun to protect his rights, liberty and property since the Government has failed to do so."
I sense a market opportunity about to open. Investors pay heed.
bump
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