The Movement for Change led by Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner is holding what it has billed as a mass meeting Thursday in the constituency held by United National Congress (UNC) leader Basdeo Panday.Warner has returned home from Nigeria to address supporters at the meeting at the Waterloo High School. He has been in Africa on FIFA business and will return after the meeting.
Warner will be joined on the political platform by Ramjack members Ramesh L. Maharaj and Winston "Gypsy" Peters. The political leader of the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) Dr Carson Charles, is also listed to speak.
Charles was a member of the UNC-Alliance leadership council and served as an oppisition senator until he was fired recently by opposition leader Basdeo Panday and replaced by Dr Sharon Gopaul Mc Nichols, who was a deuptu leader of the Congress of the People (COP).
Warner has been holding talks with COP but no member of the party is listed among the speakers for Thursday's meeting.
The Movement for Change has been building support for change within the UNC. Its position is that the current national executive has held back the party and that in its present form the UNC will not be able to win an election.
It has demanded free and fair elections for a new executive.
UNC internal elections are tentatively due on January 24, 2010 but Warner has challenged the validity of the congress that proposed the election, saying it was in breach of the party's own regulations.
He has stated that the list of financial members is inaccurate and suggested that it is fraudulent. And he has warned of legal action if the party proceeds with elections on the basis of the exisiting list of members.
The Movement for Change has been planning its own congress to choose an interim executive and to approve the Manifesto for Change that the group developed a few months ago.
The manifesto outlines 10 pledges:
- Upholding the UNC constitution at all times
- Working together to create a new philosophy and mission for the party
- Holding of annual elections to all constituency executives and to the national executive
- One member one vote to choose UNC candidates for public office
- Strengthened Youth and Women's arms
- Recruiting professional, central and regional staff to lead activities with the constituencies
- Publication of a monthly party newsletter
- Ongoing membership drive
- Within the party structure, build a country where there are opportunities for all and our citizens live free from fear
- Creation of a legacy fit for the honour of Basdeo Panday
The Movement for Change is also working to build a united alliance with all political groups opposed to the People's National Movement. It has been holding private talks with a number of them, including the Congress of the People (COP), which was the third force in the 2007 general election.
COP, which is led by former UNC leader Winston Dookeran, got 148,000 votes in 2007, most of them coming from diesnchanted UNC supporters.
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