Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday says he feels sick and disgusted about the problems plaguing T&T from high food prices to crime.

"I feel sick and disgusted and I also hope the rest of the country feels disgusted, that's the real issue, you have to feel sick and disgusted to the point where you're going to do something about it," said Panday in a telephone interview yesterday.

Panday and his wife Oma are currently in London where Mrs Panday is expected to undergo heart surgery.

Asked to comment on the issue of high food prices and Prime Minister Patrick Manning's refusal to subsidise food in this country Panday said, "Quite frankly I think the first thing the people of Trinidad and Tobago should do is getting rid of Manning,"

"They're not (the people) going to have any ease up of their problems, they're not going to have any ease of of their problems at all, they have to face the facts, if they don't want to face the facts, well that's too bad for them,'' Panday continued.

Questioned on whether he thought subsidising food was the way to go Panday said, "the Government should not have allowed this issue to reach this position at all, now they can't find their way out."

Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar at the Parliament sitting on Friday issued a call for the Government to subsidise staples such as flour and rice.

Panday stressed yesterday that Government will not do anything to deal with the issue unless they were forced into action, adding that the people of T&T do not have to wait until the next general election to get the remedy to their woes.

"You don't have to wait five years for change, you can bring the Government down by demonstrations and marching, but the people must have the courage," he said.

"If they do nothing, then they must simply be prepared to suffer the consequences," he added.

At Friday's Parliament sitting, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Pennelope Beckles referred three Opposition MPs-Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, Subhas Panday and Roodal Moonilal-to the Privileges Committee of the Parliament for reportedly bad mouthing House Speaker Barendra Sinanan on public platforms.

"I have been telling this country for a very long time, if you give the PNM a chance they will smother all freedom of speech in the country. Those who don't listen will feel obviously," said Panday.