Warner, Dookeran rekindle political love affair

Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner and Congress of the People (COP) leader Winston Dookeran are talking again about a united opposition.

The two politicians met in what Warner called "a love scene". And love, he told the Trinidad Express, "keeps no records of the wrong."

It was the first time in three years that Dookeran and Warner have embraced each other publicly.

Dookeran recently invited Warner to attend a COP congress along with Warner's colleague, Kamla Persad-Bissessar. But Warner turned down that invitation because he considered it insulting that Dookeran invited him as a FIFA representative and not as Deputy leader of the UNC.

Read the story: Come on over, Dookeran invites Jack, Kamla...

Persad-Bissessar went to the COP meeting and was shouted down when she mentioned her leader's name, with the COP crowd shouting "No Panday".

Read the story: COP welcomes Kamla's unity message, but says NO to Panday

In the 2005 UNC internal election, Warner ran and won the post of Deputy Leader with Dookeran's team after UNC Leader Basdeo Panday stepped aside and nominated Dookeran to be leader. Dookeran ran unopposed.

However shorftly after Dookeran's "coronation" he expressed frustration, saying the UNC executive was interfering with his role as leader and he eventually left to form his own COP.

Warner disagreed with Dookeran and returned to Panday and helped form the UNC Alliance, which won 15 seats in the 2007 election, with COP winning none although it received 149,000 votes and substantial support from disenchanted UNC supporters.

Last year Warner also expressed disappointment with his party but unlike Dookeran, he has insisted that he will work for change from within the party instead of forming a new party. His "Movement for Change" emphasises unity among all opposition forces, including COP.

Commenting on his meeting with Dookeran, Warner told the media, "I am not a quitter, I will continue to fight from within. I know I have Mr Dookeran's support and I will continue to solicit his advice and so on."

However he didn't say anything about joining COP. "I will continue to have a parallel organisation until common sense prevails," he explained.

He is planning to hold a national convention of all UNC members on November 29 to elect an interim UNC executive that will develop a plan for the way forward.

Warner is dedicated to opposition unity in the fight to remove the Manning administration from office. He said unity must include COP because it is clearly a party that has support among those who oppose the People's National Movement (PNM).

Dookeran told reporters he is willing to meet with Warner but also wants to meet with trade unions and the people of Tobago.

"We don't know where and what it will lead to, we are here to talk about the future of the nation and some of positions to take that we believe would be appropriate," Dookeran said.

He said his offer in July for the UNC to unite with COP still holds, but thinks the "internal convulsions" in the party are preventing "any furtherance of that discussion." He said he is till waiting on Persad-Bissessar's "response to my call."

Panday, who has always said he is willing to work for opposition unity, told reporters Warner and Dookeran are free to do as they wish.

"We will do our duty as we see fit. We have constantly called for unity. Other people can do as they wish, I can't do other people's duty and they can't do mine," he said.