UNC chairman Jack Warner will attend the PP's rallying events from today in support of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar as the Government gears for Friday's no-confidence motion by the PNM, his office confirmed yesterday. It also was confirmed that Warner would be one of the PP's early speakers to reply to the motion. The motion by Opposition Leader Keith Rowley is being debated in Parliament in a marathon two-day session. Speakers have a maximum of 75 minutes each to make their contribution. Warner's spokesman reiterated he would attend all the events despite his absence from Sunday's planning meeting held by Persad-Bissessar on the motion. Warner's aide said the Works and Infrastucture Minister had a prior-arranged family function on Sunday and could not attend the meeting at Persad-Bissessar's private residence. Communications Minister Surujrattan Rambachan, who spoke to the media after Sunday's meeting, said the absence of Warner and COP leader Prakash Ramadhar might have been due to the fact it was called at short notice.
Yesterday Warner's spokesman said, as UNC chairman, he would be at all other PP events planned in the run-up to the debate and would be speaking on the platforms. The PP has planned a public meting in Couva South today, a mass rally at the Prime Minister's Siparia constituency office on Wednesday and a final meeting at the Diamond Vale Community Centre, Diego Martin, on Thursday. A planning meeting also is on today.
Asked why the party felt all of the meetings were necessary when the Government had the majority for the debate vote, Rambachan reiterated yesterday supporters "wanted to hear from the party on the issue."
He also said all 29 PP MPs will be speaking in the debate when asked about Warner and others in the speaking line-up. As for who will respond to Rowley, who leads off the debate, Rambachan said that would be finalised by tomorrow. In past sessions Warner had been the Government's first speaker to defend the Government against PNM attacks, especially by Rowley. But in very recent Parliament debate when Rowley had spoken about the Prime Minister, it has been Rambachan, and not Warner, who has responded. Warner's aides said he was expected to speak following PNM's Colm Imbert.
PNM officials yesterday confirmed Imbert would be one of the Opposition's early speakers in the debate and should be the party's second speaker after Rowley. The line-up of PNM speakers will include Imbert after Rowley, followed by others, including Laventille East/Morvant MP Donna Cox. Second to last speaker on the PNM side is expected to be chief whip Marlene McDonald, while Rowley will reply to the last Government speaker and end the debate. PNM's Patrick Manning, on the road to recovery in Washington DC, where he is undergoing rehabilitation after suffering a stroke, will miss the debate. PNM officials reiterated Rowley would be "coming with bombshells" and maintained the motion had the Government "running scared." Yesterday PNM officials confirmed that some of their supporters would attending the debate to support Rowley. While some are expected to be in the Parliament's public gallery, others are expected to gather outside the chamber.
A UNC spokesman also said PP supporters would be attending the sitting to support their leader Persad-Bissessar.