Independent Liberal Party (ILP) interim leader Jack Warner last night named his party the third political force in the country, despite the fact that it failed to grab any of the five corporations it expected to win in the local government elections.Addressing a small, sombre crowd at the party's headquarters at Mulchan Seuchan Road, Chaguanas, Warner, putting on a brave face, said the ILP had won the popular vote and this showed the party was forging ahead.
He said the ILP had rendered the Congress of the People (COP) insignificant."A four-month old party has changed the political paradigm in the country," Warner said. "Never before has a local government election been contested with such intensity. We have a lot to be thankful for. We shall stand firm and continue to build."Congratulating the PNM and the UNC, Warner said the ILP's candidates would work with the elected councillors in the various corporations.
"In a real sense, we shall be more visible now than before," he declared.Warner said the ILP will use the popular support it gained in the local government elections in its campaign in St Joseph.The ILP will have a walkabout with its St Joseph by-election candidate, Om Lalla, tomorrow, he said.Earlier, an emotional ILP interim chairman Robin Montano, addressing the media, said the results had shown the country had retreated from the promise of July 29 back to tribal politics.
The ILP's devastating loss came after Warner's by-election win in Chaguanas West, a UNC stronghold."We failed today. That doesn't matter. We didn't reach the stars but we passed the moon," Montano said."Win, lose or draw, we are a force to be reckoned with. I am proud of the effort we put in. I think that no matter what anybody says, the ILP has done a fantastic job."
Vowing that the ILP will end the racial divide, Montano told the nation to watch out for the party in the 2015 general election and insisted it would win the November 4 St Joseph by-election.