The United National Congress (UNC) agreed at its regular caucus and national executive meeting Wednesday to haul deputy leader Jack Warner before a disciplinary committee to explain why he broke ranks with the party and voted with the government last Friday.The party also wants to know why the Chaguanas West MP has not responded to letters asking for an account for $30 million, which the party says he received prior to the 2007 election.
UNC General Secretary Fazal Karim wrote to Warner on June 10 demanding an account for the money. But in a terse reply dated July 14, Warner brushed off the issue and asked for specifics.
"I will not bring myself to such lowered standards by responding to such frivolous and unsubstantiated allegations," he wrote to Karim, adding, "I await from you evidence you have of monies I have received on behalf of the United National Congress."
Read the story: Jack writes UNC about $$
The UNC claims Warner admitted to the national executive that he received the money.
UNC Leader Basdeo Panday told reporters Warner told the executive "some time ago" that he had received $30 million as a contribution to the party to help fight the 2007 general election.
He did not provide any further details but said he believes the money issue is the root of the internal problems between Warner and the executive. He said Warner has consistently refused to account for the money.
On the political hustings Warner has dismissed the matter and instead has asked why the UNC has never accounted to the people for all the monies it received in its 20-year history.
Wednesday's meeting also agreed to set up management committees management committee's in Warner's constituency, as well as in the Tabaquite and Mayaro, the constituencies held by Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj and Winston "Gypsy" Peters.
Warner sat through the 3-hour meeting at the UNC Rienzi headquarters and voted against the move. Earlier in the week he said this was another non-issue since the three constituencies that the UNC wants to "protect" have the best representation in the country.
Warner said the people elected him to Parliament and he will continue to represent them.
Wednesday's move means that the UNC has set the stage to expel Warner from the party.
An angry Warner told reporters, "I don't even want to dignify that piece of nonsense. Give me the evidence - $30 million, $10 million, $5 million - and I will account for it."
He got personal. "I have evidence of money given to Mr Panday which I have given to him, but I wouldn't ask him to account because I know. But the day will come when I will account for money given to those guys. But, I will not go down to that level, it is not doing me any good, it not doing the party any good."
He added, "If they want to check and see how I spend my money, I have no problem with that. But I know time will come when I will ask Mr Panday to tell me where the money given to him is, but I not ready for that yet."
He suggested that what transpired at the meeting is part of a scheme to get rid of him from the party but he promised that he has no intention of leaving the UNC or giving up his fight on behalf of the people.
"I will not leave the party or be forced out based on these scandalous strategies. I won't do that. They want that. The happiest thing for them is if I resign and walk out, but I would not make the mistake Dookeran made," he said.
Winston Dookeran, the present leader of the Congress of the People (COP), was elected unopposed as leader of the UNC but quit and formed COP, complaining that his efforts to effect change in the UNC were frustrated by the exeutive.
Warner was elected Deputy Leader on Dookeran's ticket, but walked away from Dookeran and joined Panday to form the UNC Alliance, which contested the 2007 election under the joint leadership of Panday and Warner and won 15 seats.
COP received signficant support mainly from disenchanted UNC supporters but didn't win any seat. However its strong support in at least six constituencies caused the PNM to take those seats with fewer votes than the combined opposition. A combined COP-UNC-A vote might have given the opposition a one-seat majority.
Warner is ready to fight back. "When they expel me I am ready for that." Warner has suggested that he would take the matter to court if the party moves to kick him out.
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