UNC Chairman Jack Warner said he will announce on Friday if he plans to contest the UNC's internal election scheduled for March 23. Warner was at the time speaking with the media yesterday at his Chaguanas West constituency offices where he meets with hundreds of constituents twice a month.
Warner said if he decides to go up, he will not be part of any slate and would contest for the party's chairmanship. He said he believes that people going up for key positions in the party should not be part of any slate. "I have come to the conclusion that the time for me to decide is this week," Warner said, adding that if he can serve as a unifying factor he had no problems putting his name forward to continue serving the party.
However, he said he would have a different position if he believes he will be a divisive factor. Warner said long before the elections, several elements have been trying to "demonise" him in a bid to tarnish his good reputation. But he said he would not go down to the level of the people trying to ruin his reputation, but would only seek to lift people around him up to his level of finesse. "Too many people tend to mistake my silence for weakness."
Councillor loses eye
Warner said he plans to render legal assistance for Councillor Joey Samuel, the local representative for Caroni Savannah Road on the Chaguanas Borough Corporation. Warner said Samuel lost his eye following a procedure to remove cataract from his left eye at a private hospital on February 11.
Samuel is still warded at the PoS General Hospital after the eye got infected and was removed on Thursday. Warner said Samuel's predicament may be a case of malpractice. Meanwhile Chaguanas Mayor Orlando Nagessar is calling for a full investigation into a surgical procedure that resulted in the loss of Samuel's eye.