Jack applauds Kamla, praises her for guts and commitment

Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner called the decision by Kamla Persad-Bissessar to run for the leadership of the United National Congress (UNC) a shift in the political paradigm in Trinidad and Tobago.

Speaking with the Guardian newspaper after the Siparia MP's announcement Saturday, the UNC deputy leader said her entry is the race "will have a profound and positive impact on this country in ways that we can’t imagine at this point."

Warner added, "What Kamla has done by her decision to fight for the leadership of the UNC is bring women within the pale of the political paradigm. She has changed the political paradigm and given women their political space. She has given space to women from the rural areas. I commend the lady highly for her guts and her commitment to country."

Persad-Bissessar has also got an endorsement from an unlikely source. In an interview with JYOTI former PNM cabinet minister Ken Valley said, "The politics is becoming rather interesting. There seems to be a momentum building in Kamla's favour. Frankly, I do not rule out a landslide win by her"

Persad-Bissessar is the third candidate to enter the political race. The incumbent, Basdeo Panday, was the first to declare that he would seek the position again. The other contender is Tabaquite MP Ramesh L. Maharaj.

Long before any of the two said they would challenge Panday, Warner had indicated that he would support Persad-Bissessar whom he described as bright and "eminently qualified" to lead the party.

When Maharaj made his announcement Warner said he stood by his comments about Persad-Bissessar but also said Maharaj is well qualified to lead.

At that time he also refused to endorse any of the candidates, saying only that he trusts the membership to make the right decision and "may the best person win".

Now he is saying he will announce his support for one candidate and he is also predicting that someone will drop out and make it a two-way race.

“I would be prepared to say more on this issue when I announce this week where my support would be,” he told the paper.

Warner said the election on January 24, 2010 is not only about electing a new leader for the UNC but also about choosing a new leader for the country. He said that is why it is critical that UNC members choose the right leader.

"I owe it to my constituents, and more so to the people of Trinidad and Tobago, to take a public stance on this matter and I will do so because this is much more than an UNC election for political leadership. This is an election for the political leadership of Trinidad and Tobago."

His believes that it would be either Panday or Maharaj to drop out. "I don’t believe Kamla will drop out. She has deliberated long and hard on her decision to fight for the leadership. Having made the decision, she will walk the walk," he said.

While only a small fraction of the national population will make the decision about who will lead the UNC, the national consensus appears to be in Persad-Bissessar's favour.

Many people see her as a unifying force and the only person who could bring all the opposition groups together. The thinking is that she could lead a united opposition and beat the people's National Movement in a general election.

The country's other opposition party, The Congress of the People, has been courting Persad-Bissessar for a long time and its leader has stopped short of endorsing her.

Winston Dookeran told the Guardian, "I compliment Kamla for deciding to offer herself. It will be good for the politics in the country and I look forward to the platform which she will offer the nation."

While the momentum seems to be in Persad-Bissessar's favour, the fear among people like Warner is that the election may not be free and fair. In that regard he has written the general secretary of the UNC telling Fazal Karim he wants to have independent monitoring of the vote.

In a letter dated Dec. 12, 2009 he said "such an act would signal to the national community that as a Party we are desirous of doing things right and transparent in a way that reflects justice which will not only be done but will also seem to have been accomplished."

Warner said an independent supervisor would mean that "should allegations of rigging the elections or any other misdemeanor arise, there will be an arbiter to whom the party can rely that has no vested interest in either team winning the elections."

He said he has approached "at least three such independent institutions" that have indicated an interest in monitoring the vote and asked Karim to take the matter to the national executive for consideration and approval.

"My approach was not predicated on ill-will or mistrust but based on the progressive paradigm of thought which suggests that self cannot monitor self," Warner said, adding that "we need to show to the national community that not only are we progressive but also that we are anxious to do the right things right."