Warner strikes back; will keep an eye on consituencies held by 3 Pandays

One day after the United National Congress (UNC) executive decided to haul one of the party's leaders before a disciplinary committee Jack Warner went home to his Chaguanas West constituency where he struck back at his leader and the party.

On Wednesday, the executive decided that Warner would have to answer for voting with the PNM when the party abstained on a vote on a critical bill in Parliament. UNC Leader Basdeo Panday has called that a serious matter that could lead to Warner's expulsion.

The executive also agreed that the party would set up "management committees" in Warner's constituency and those held by Warner's "dissident" colleagues, Ramesh L. Maharaj and Winston "Gypsy" Peters.

The executive is also demanding from Warner an account for $30 million he allegedly received on behalf of the party ahead of the 2007 general election.

On Thursday at a meeting in Charlieville Warner scoffed at the charge and said he first wants Panday to explain how $10 million got into his bank account in London. That's something that has been a major issue and led to Panday's conviction - which was later thrown out on the basis of political interference - for failing to disclose the account to the Integrity Commission.

He insisted that a demand for accounting for $30 million "was nothing short of damn foolishness" and reiterated that "no one had ever given to me any money of any kind on behalf of the party."

Related: UNC puts Warner before disciplinary committee

Warner also struck back at Panday and announced that he too wants to set up management committees to look after the interests of people in the constituencies held by Panday, his brother, Subhas and his daughter, Mickela.

Warner said he would also commission a survey to determine the extent of dissatisfaction among constituents in the level of service they are getting from their representatives. He told his constituents people are more honest judges of truth and integrity than politicians and would trust them to make judgments.

"I am here tonight because I am one of you; we have struggled together, fought many battles together and again will be victorious together. I am here tonight to offer you a better way, a more glorious hope that will lead us out of opposition politics into government," he promised.

He implored them to "shut out all the noise and clutter from our lives, shut out the negativisms which continue to plague us and listen to that voice from within; it will tell us, it will tell you what is the right thing to do."

His agenda, he explained, remains a deep commitment to demand change in the UNC. He said his conscience would bother him if he did not join his colleagues to change the party and win at the next general election.

He spoke about the party's attack on him for voting on a bill designed to fight white collar corruption, and wondered why Panday is against such legislation.

Related: Warner becomes walking target

Speaking about Wednesday's meetings at UNC Headquarters, Warner claimed that the they lacked a quorum "yet, urged on by Mr Panday, they took some decisions to appoint Management Committees to manage the constituencies of Chaguanas West, Tabaquite and Mayaro, the three best administered constituencies to date."

He said Panday believes that by maligning him as "a PNM Agent, a COP Agent and now a crook that somehow something will stick and hopefully I will be looked at with the same national disdain like him."

Warner charged that the whole point of putting him before a disciplinary committee is to block him from running for office in the party's internal election.

Warner also took issue with UNC Treasurer Chandresh Sharma who called to congratulate him on awarding 9 scholarships to children in the constituency but at the same time asked why there were no Afro-Trini students among them.

Read the story: Warner hands out 9 scholarships

"I wish to tell Mr. Sharma that the choice of students had everything to do with transparency and accountability, qualities of which the Party seems to have forgotten or choose to ignore. I told him that if he wishes to congratulate me he can do so but do not talk nonsense about race for me."

Warner also announced that he is studying feedback from tens of thousands and then convene a Special National Assembly to ratify the final document and elect an interim National Executive.