Despite rejecting the United National Congress (UNC) and forming the Independent Liberal Party(ILP) a decade ago, former Minister of National Security Jack Warner will again join Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar as he takes the stage at a UNC meeting later today (Monday).
He is expected to open up about his reasons for reuniting with the UNC leader and explain exactly what he is hoping to achieve with the political reunion.
St Augustine MP Khadijah Ameen confirmed Warner’s reunion with the party during a media conference at the Office of the Opposition Leader in Port-of-Spain.
Ameen said before Prime Minister Dr Rowley announced the Local Government Elections date (LGE) last month, Persad-Bissessar called on political parties to unite to oust the People’s National Movement (PNM), and several came forward. The UNC strategy now includes collaborators having candidates on their own or UNC tickets while others support.
She said the National Transformation Alliance (NTA), ILP and other parties are working together in every region across the country, and people have responded well. She noted NTA political leader, Gary Griffith, walking in several areas with his and UNC candidates.
“Mr Warner, in the area he has been living for many years, the Lopinot/ Bon Air West constituency also offers their UNC candidates, and so you will have collaboration with political parties in terms of campaigning, in terms of strategy as well as candidates. So it is in keeping with that accommodation that you will see Mr Warner, Mr Griffith and others on the political platform,” Ameen said.
Persad-Bissessar, Griffith and Warner will attend a UNC meeting at the Centre of Excellence, Macoya, this evening.
Last Friday, Warner’s return to the UNC fold was inadvertently leaked by UNC councillor Adrian Ali after he shared a photo of him next to Ameen, the UNC’s deputy chairman. Asked what assurance there was for the political parties that the collaboration would work, she said Persad-Bissessar held a five-party People’s Partnership coalition government that lasted an entire term.
However, records showed that the Movement for Social Justice left the coalition in June 2012, citing Persad-Bissessar’s unwillingness to address corruption in government.
Couva South MP Rudranath Indarsingh said Warner, a former UNC chairman and minister, was lending the party support ahead of the LGE. Warner recently met with Ameen, UNC activists and supporters, at the UNC office in Tunapuna.
“This is a major development in the political landscape of Trinidad & Tobago in the context of Mrs Persad- Bissessar joining forces, collaborating with Mr Gary Griffith and Mr Warner on behalf of the respective political parties to create a common platform,” Indarsingh said.
Commenting on the PNM’s election campaign, he alleged that it seemed the strategy included “votes for roads” as it paves throughout its districts. Indarsingh called for Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan to reveal how much money the Secondary Road Rehabilitation and Improvement Company spent on areas under the UNC during this fiscal year.
Ameen also made some allegations of her own. She said Government was carrying out projects in areas where the PNM feels its hold is under threat. Ameen said some people claimed the PNM offered food cards for votes even though they never asked for any.
She said these occurred in regions like the San Fernando City Corporation as the PNM was losing ground and the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation that the UNC was confident of reclaiming.
Ameen also claimed the Government has been depriving municipal corporations of funding for the last eight years, sabotaging them to prove that they need property tax. The Local Government Minister has in the past denied this claim, going on record to show allocations to each corporation.
Ameen also accused the Government of holding the citizenry hostage neglecting to repair landslips and potholes.