Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner is changing course in his political mission.Instead of going after United National Congress (UNC) leader Basdeo Panday, he now intends to direct his energy at Prime Minister Patrick Manning to make ensure that the People's National Movement (PNM) administration presents a budget that benefits the people.
Warner told the Trinidad Express there are critical national issues that must take precedence, such as crime, poor infrastructure and problems in the health care system.
These, he said, would be the issues on which he will focus during public meetings.
He said he is leaving it up to the people to judge Panday. "Let Mr Panday talk. Mr Panday will burn himself out because of his foolishness," Warner told the paper.
"I think Mr Panday was hoping that I would make him a victim. He expected me to remove the bail for his wife," Warner said.
Earlier this week Warner pulled back from taking Panday to court over statements he made on national radio that suggested that the $309,000 bailout cheque Warner handed to the Chaguanas Borough Corporation might be connected to drug lords who want control of Chaguanas.
He said he decided to put party first after three top UNC members appealed to him to hold his hands on going after "the chief".
Panday's response to the gesture was to suggest that Warner did not have a case and he stated that he would not be "terrorised" by anyone. And he was angry with UNC General Secretary Fazal Karim, and MPs Chandresh Sharma and Tim Gopeesingh for appealing to Warner to halt the legal proceedings.
Panday insisted that they acted on their own without his approval and said he would seek answers from them about it when he returns home from a two-week overseas visit, which includes a stop in New York for the 20th anniversary celebration of GOPIO, the Global Organisation for People of Indian Origin.
He declared that Warner is irrelevant to the politics of the UNC.
Read the story: "...Bas says UNC members did a stupid thing."
Warner said based on recent development and his own agenda of effecting change in the UNC he would change direction and fight his battles with Panday at the executive level.
Warner and his colleagues Ramesh L. Maharaj and Winston "Gypsy" Peters are facing a series of disciplinary charges, which they say have no merit.
However, as a result of the pending charges none of them can contest the party's internal elections, which are likely to be held in October. Warner is contemplating an injunction to stop the election under those conditions, but he told this blog that he knows it will only be a short term measure.
He said Panday must step down as UNC leader if the party wants to have any hope of seriously challenging the PNM in a general election.
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