Time to change, unite and save T&T: Jack Warner

UNC Deputy Political Leader Jack Warner is determined to change things in his party and face whatever consequences follow. In a letter to supporters following Wednesday's meeting of the party's National Executive he also called for opposition unity. "It is time to change the way things are in the party so that we can change the way things are in the country", he wrote.

Warner's letter is printed below:

I attended a Natex meeting last night and my disappointment at what transpired continues to be profound. But there comes a time in everyone’s life, I believe, when he or she, must make an account of himself or herself.

That time has come for me in the context of what is happening in my country, the constituency I represent and the party of which I am Deputy Leader. My silence would not just condemn me but would also condemn the very representation I swore to uphold for the people who put their faith in me in the last general election.

I entered the realm of politics for no personal gain since politics could give me nothing I did not already have nor sought after, neither fame nor fortune. Fame I seek not even though I am well known enough due to my dedicated efforts in the field of football and fortune has not been unkind to me as a result of a lifetime of hard work and a sound education.

But there are two features of my life that define me, a strong sense of nationalism and a genuine concern for the underprivileged. Both of these principles prompted me to enter politics as I saw the dangerous course on which Patrick Manning’s PNM had placed the nation.

Since the day I made that decision I have dedicated every fibre of my being, every ounce of my energy, every penny I could donate, all the tolerance I could muster, all the abuse and ridicule I could sustain, all the sacrifice I could make, all towards one end, to see my country back on track, saved from the precipice of disaster under the dictatorial and inept Manning administration.

But there are challenges within my own party as well if we are to regain government and rescue our beloved nation. There must be an understanding of the political dynamics playing out now. We must come to terms with the urgent need for a unification of all political forces to effect the changes so urgently required.

We must settle our own political leadership issue by the holding of internal elections so long overdue. We must come to terms with our failings that have kept us in opposition.

This is not just about the future of the party I represent, it is about the very survival of our democracy, it is about the day to day existence of every man, woman and child. There must be an alternative to what our country endures today.

Within the United National Congress we must embrace the kind of changes necessary if our goal of saving the nation is to be realized.

There is an advisory on some fire equipment encased in glass that reads “In case of emergency, break glass.” That is the point we have reached. It is time to break old patterns, to formulate instead breakthrough initiatives, to recreate ourselves as a political organization, to become more relevant, to respond to the urgency taking place in our country.

The situation has reached crisis proportions and action commensurate with the prevailing circumstances must be adopted now.I am prepared to accept the political consequences of challenging the status quo within the UNC. I have no choice.

These are desperate times we face as a nation that require desperate measures.

I will not fail the expectations of the people who trust me to do the honourable thing, I will not shirk my responsibility to my country and my constituents who ask me daily, “When are you going to unite as an opposition force with all groups opposed to the conditions in the country under Patrick Manning?”

Well, the short answer to that is that we have to confront the stumbling blocks to this and decide as a party what we must do to change our thinking and our structure. There is no time left.

I am going to personally do what I can to initiate the changes necessary. I will take the message across the length and breadth of this country. The UNC is the only political vehicle through which the changes necessary to be wrought now can be effected, but we will not achieve it alone and we will get nowhere if we continue along our current path. The world around us is changing while we remain static. It is time to move on. It is time to change the way things are in the party so that we can change the way things are in the country.

There is nothing wrong with this admission. No matter how great any movement, the need to examine and question positions and the state of being is what essentially ensures perpetuity. That process of self-examination assures that greatness is truly achieved. And it is what will assure us all that Trinidad and Tobago is finally saved.

Regards
Jack Warner | Deputy Political Leader United National Congress