People are trying to undermine the state of emergency for purely political reasons says Jack Warner, Minister of Works and Infrastructure and Chaguanas West MP. Warner said the majority of T&T was quite happy with the state of emergency (SoE) and the curfew. He was addressing reporters at his Chaguanas West constituency office at Corona Savannah Road yesterday. Warner said the Government would not be detracted since its priority is the safety and security of nationals. Warner also knocked Opposition MPs for their failure to adequately represent the views of their constituents. Warner said the feedback he has been getting from opposition areas indicate that the vast majority of people in those areas are in favour of the SoE.
He said where there was no curfew people are now clamouring for a curfew. "People have faith and belief in the system. They now enjoy a peace of mind which they did have not have for many years." He said his constituents are very happy, especially those in Felicity. Warner said he was certain that cries by Chaguanas Mayor Orlando Nagessar were heard by security officials to patrol the Cunupia River at Felicity, where it is alleged that illegal firearms and ammunition enter the country.
Slams FIFA, CONCACAF heads
Warner said recent attempts by FIFA and the CONCACAF general secretary to embarrass him and the Caribbean are "laughable". He said: "They continue to fail and will continue to fail." Warner said he would talk when the time is right about the decision by FIFA executives to end a multi-million sterling 2014 World Cup TV deal involving a company owned by him. Warner said he was also offered the TV rights to the 2018 and 2022 World Cup with a contract that was supposed to be signed at the end of May. "I have the documents," he added.
Warner said FIFA could ramajay in the interim but noted that the world would have to sit and listen when the time was right for him to talk. FIFA ended the multi-million sterling contract after discovering the rights had been sub-licenced in 2005 to a company owned by Warner. The agreement with the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) has been ended after FIFA told the organisation they had not approved the sub-licensing deal with JD International (JDI), owned by the former FIFA vice-president, Warner.
Warner, who at that time was also the CFU's president, sold the rights to the Jamaica-based cable TV station, SportsMax, in 2007, for a fee reported by the FIFA to be between $18 million and $20 million, though that included the 2010 World Cup. The fees, Warner said, are "ridiculous in the extreme and for which only a comedian will suggest". "They can't knock me off the face of the earth in spite of all they are trying to do and my time will come very soon, stay tuned..."