"Come on over". Dookeran invites Jack, Kamla to COP congress

The leader of the Congress of the People (COP) has invited two deputy leaders of the United national Congress to attend his party's national congress on Saturday.

Winston Dookeran made the announcement over the weekend in an address to his party saying he would like to have as his guests Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner and Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissesar at the congress in San Fernando.

The congress is open to the public, he said. And he opened the door for political dialogue.

“As from now on, this party is open to every and any party that wish to talk with us, and to that end, I have invited to our annual convention next week Saturday, the deputy political leader of the UNC, who has written to me requesting a meeting, and the Vice-President of FIFA, Jack Warner, to attend our national convention as guests of our party.

“I sincerely hope that they, too, will capture the moment of this country; that they, too, will see that the excesses of this government are now too large to fight over petty differences as we march forward in the COP to ensure that we build a party that will be able to fight the PNM on a one-to-one contest in the next election.”

Dookeran told the Trinidad Guardian he has invited Warner in his capacity as FIFA Vice President to discuss COP's plan to make Trinidad and Tobago an international sporting centre.

His clarification suggests that he is recognizing Persad-Bissessar, not Warner, as the spokesperson for the United National Congress.

Warner has not yet received an invitation from Dookeran and has promised to respond "appropriately" when he does. But his initial response is not one of excitement.

He told the Guardian, “In all the problems this country is experiencing politically, in all the work that is being done by my colleagues and me and still has to be done, I do not see what useful purpose will be served by me going to Mr Dookeran’s congress for T&T, becoming an international sporting centre.

“At this point in time, that has no relevance for the survival of T&T, and though I have not received the letter as yet, I am aware of it, and when I do receive it I will respond to Mr Dookeran appropriately.”

UNC Leader Basdeo Panday told the paper, “If a party is having its convention, it is free to invite who they wish.”