There is more unity evolving in United National Congress—and Jack Warner’s back.
In their first meetup in ten years, Opposition UNC Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar and long-time People’s Partnership colleague Jack Warner “limed” together closely at last Saturday’s UNC fundraiser “I Love Choka” Carnival fete at the Centre of Excellence in Macoya. Photos circulating on social media yesterday showed the two liming with UNC members and other patrons on the grounds of the fete, which was attended by thousands.
Warner, dressed in a scarlet-patterned shirt and jeans, chatted with Persad-Bissessar, who was dressed in black. Her arm was linked in his and she was also holding his hand.
Other pictures showed Warner talking to Persad-Bissessar and both liming with a group, including the event’s promoter as well as NUGFW president James Lambert, former PP Lands Minister Jairam Seemungal and UNC MP Rudy Indarsingh.
It was the first time that Persad-Bissessar and Warner had spoken since 2013.
The two had been fast friends before the PP government was formed and after its tenure began in 2010. They became estranged later, after Warner resigned from the PP Cabinet and as UNC Chaguanas West MP in 2013 due to an alleged corruption scandal connected to Warner’s tenure in FIFA.
Warner is still fighting US extradition on the alleged FIFA issues.
After resigning from the PP government, Warner subsequently formed his Independent Liberal Party (ILP), which contested against UNC in past elections.
In 2015 when the PP was still in office, he’d said he’d do “anything, including crawl on his belly” to remove Persad-Bissessar from office and that he was responsible for her being elected PM.
In an October 2022 online interview, Warner was as quoted saying he’d helped the People’s National Movement’s Dr Keith Rowley when Persad-Bissessar called elections in 2015, since she had “hurt him passionately and also with things” she’d said about him in the Chaguanas West by-election. He said that pained him up to then (2022), but now he didn’t care what anybody said.
Warner added that he hadn’t spoken to Persad-Bissessar since then, but would forgive her since he was bitter in those days but isn’t bitter now.
Warner also said he’d surely support Persad-Bissessar now, as she’s “the lesser of two evils” and Rowley “is bad news!”
Contacted yesterday about Saturday’s “lime” with Persad-Bissessar, Warner said: “In life, nothing should be final—not even anger. I know, however, that after last Saturday, in the coming days and weeks, there will be a revision of negativism that is unprecedented: there are people in the PNM and who knows, some even in the UNC, who will want to say all kinds of things to Mrs Persad-Bissessar.
“But I’ve reached this stage in my life where these things don’t daunt me anymore. If Mrs Persad-Bissessar and I have to meet again, we will.”
Warner continued, “I do know, however, that last Saturday’s meeting is not the final meeting between us—it is the beginning. Definitely. But not the end...”
Persad-Bissessar didn’t reply to T&T Guardian queries on how seeing Warner was after so long, what they discussed and if unity was broached.
Also contacted yesterday, UNC deputy leader Jearlean John said she didn’t know the details but confirmed Warner was at the fete.
“He was very welcomed. As you know, the political leaders have been calling for all citizens to unite in T&T’s interest. That is a very genuine call for unity and we’re of the firm view that there’s a lot more that unites us than divides us,” John said.
She noted the UNC is continuing its “Outreach” initiative to parties, which was launched by Persad-Bissessar at the party’s recent Congress.
Fuad happy at Jack/Kamla lime
A few party leaders and former frontline UNC ministers rejected a unity call by Persad-Bissessar at last week’s party congress but NTA’s Gary Griffith was mum and others are “eyeballing” the situation.
Out of that call last Saturday also, senior UNC members, headed by Chief Operating Officer Tim Gopeesingh, met the executive of the Movement for National Development headed by leader Garvin Nicholas on Saturday.
Nicholas was the Attorney General under Persad-Bissessar’s PP government.
The party had stated that the UNC and MND delegations agreed “there’s a pervasive sense of hopelessness and paralysis in T&T, due to the ongoing failure of governance.”
Discussions centred on common policies, programmes and personnel towards achieving shared goals of national development. Both UNC and MND agreed to future discussions.
Yesterday, former UNC MP Dr Fuad Khan, who tried unsuccessfully to raise a call for the UNC’s recent Congress to discuss bringing back inactive UNC/PP members, was happy his resolution bore some fruit via Warner and Persad-Bissessar’s meeting.
“It’s good to see them get together after all these years. I hope it will bear fruit to restart the accommodation that we enjoyed in 2010 onwards,” Khan said.
“I hope the next picture I’ll see is myself, Ramona Ramdial, Stacy Roopnarine, Vasant Bharath, Bhoe Tewarie, Gary Griffith, Mickela Panday and others all in the same picture with Kamla and Jack.”
UNC’s also continuing its business sector outreach on Friday by meeting the regional chambers.