Jack Warner is not attending the UNC Congress on Sunday and neither is his colleague Ramesh L. Maharaj.And he is also not going to take legal action to stop the congress.
The Chaguanas West MP and Deputy Leader of the United National Congress (UNC) made the disclosure in an exclusive interview with JYOTI from Nigeria, where he is on FIFA business.
Warner had warned the UNC not to hold any congress with what he called a bogus membership list and had threatened legal action.
But he told JYOTI he will monitor what happens at the congress and act accordingly.
"I will challenge any decision which emerges from it that is detrimental to Chaguanas West, members of the Party, the people of Trinidad and Tobago and me," he said.
On the controversial membership list Warner said he will not accept the current one, citing several problems. He said it has no constitutional validity because the automatic renewal of members results in a false and misleading list which is artificially inflated to include ineligible persons, including:
- Members who no longer wish to be members of the UNC
- Members who since the expiration of the membership in 2005, have since taken membership in other political parties which is contrary to the Constitution of the party
- Members who no longer reside in Trinidad
- Members who are now deceased
He said while he would not accept the list as valid, he would be happy to try to make things right.
"If asked, I will be happy to help them sanitise it. And I am sure that Ramesh and Gypsy will be happy to join in assisting me."
He explained that because he is out of the country he cannot attend Sunday's congress and will write to the party "advising them accordingly". He said no one from his constituency will be attending to represent the constituency "since my executive and I decided that we should not participate in a Congress that has been summoned on the basis of a flawed membership list."
He said Maharaj would also be absent "since he will be attending to matters in his constituency. Gypsy, however, shall be attending, for obvious reasons. We need to know officially what took place."
Asked whether his Movement for Change will still be going ahead with its congress of UNC members at Saith Park, Chaguanas next month, Warner replied with an emphatic yes.
On the specific issue of whether he would ask the UNC congress to adopt the Manifesto for Change he said he has no intention of doing that. However he said, "I will ask the Party, as a Party, to do so."
Warner also commented on Prime Minister Patrick Manning's assertion that former cabinet minister Keith Rowley is part of Ramjack.
Manning made the statement Wednesday in Parliament in a tirade against Rowley who called on the People's National Movement (PNM) to revolt against corruption in the PNM. Rowley said the UDeCOTT scandal has put the PNM on trial.
Manning told the House of Representatives Rowley has become a part of the opposition. "I will now advise this Parliament what you thought was RamJackG is now RamJackG and Rowley," he said.
"It is not really Calder Hart and UDeCOTT. They want the prime minister and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. That is what they after. And they cannot understand how we ain't fall yet. And let me tell you, we shall not fall," Manning said.
Read the story: Manning suggests Rowley is part of Ramjack team
Warner commented on Rowley's accusations and Manning's reference to the Bible to denounce his former ministerial colleague.
"Manning has not answered a single one of Rowley's allegations and he believes that he can prostitute the Bible for his own good," Warner said.
"Moreover, he has now realised what Panday has not realised. And that is, the power of Ramjack since it was Ramesh who first turned the debate around.
"Moreover Manning hopes by aligning Rowley with us that he will assist Panday in keeping the present status quo just as Panday is presently assisting him," Warner said, adding "But that, too, will fail."
(Reporting by: Jai Parasram)
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