The political soap opera playing out in the United National Congress (UNC) is taking some interesting turns, with the removal of the UNC mayor of Chaguanas marking an important turning point.It has widened the growing chasm between the two sides in the UNC feud with the RAMJACK faction predicting the fall of UNC Leader Basdeo Panday and Panday moving firmly against the dissidents who are demanding change.
The UNC is on the verge of expelling Jack Warner, Ramesh L. Maharaj and Winston "Gypsy" Peters and will have to begin looking for new candidates to fill those seats, although a general election is not constitutionally due until 2012.
Warner is already before a disciplinary committee for voting with the PNM earlier this month on a bill that required a special majority; Warner gave the PNM the missing vote.
Last Friday all three of them voted for another government bill while the rest of the opposition abstained. The trio claim that they followed the instructions of Chief Whip Hamza Rafeeq. Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar agreed that the UNC supported the bill during debate but pulled support after the government refused to make amendments during the committee stage.
Panday met Rafeeq Monday night to get a report on the matter, which he will discuss Tuesday with party units.
But it is clear that the direction in which the party is now heading is to kick out the three.
Such a move would effectively bar each of them from standing for election in the UNC internal election and keep them out of the party, but it does not mean they would lose their seats. They can sit as independents until the next general election.
However, what it means is that the party would have thwarted Warner's insistence on staying in the party and making the changes he wants.
Read the story: Warner pledges to fix UNC, win election
Read the story: I am not going anywhere: Panday
Panday believes that if the three are expelled from the caucus and the party they should show the "dignity, morality and principles they talk about" and resign their seats and seek a fresh mandate from the people.
He doubts that would happen because he says their boast of morality and integrity is only talk.
For now Panday plans to set up UNC caretaker teams for the three constituencies now held by the RAMJACK team and get back to business as "a disciplined, highly organised party.”
Warner and his colleagues have said they are ready for whatever happens and have suggested that they could take legal action against Panday and the UNC.
The Mayaro seat held by Peters has been in and out of UNC control. But Maharaj's Tabaquite constituency and Chaguanas West (formerly Chaguanas) have been two of the strongest UNC seats.
Chaguanas is historic for turfing MPs who turned against Panday.
Among those who have won commanding majorities there and were subsequently rejected by the people are former MPs Winston Dookeran, Hulsie Bhaggan and Manohar Ramsaran. Warner is now the MP and Panday has served notice that the FIFA boss will suffer the same fate as his predecessors.
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