Ramnath lied: Warner

Jack Warner called Kelvin Ramnath a liar Monday in response to a statement the UNC membership chairman made on national radio.

In an interview Ramnath dissmissed the Chaguanas West MP's statement that he didn't get any membership forms while the party leader got thousands.

Ramnath said Warner received about 1,400 application forms.

But in a media statement, Warner called that "misinformation and lies".

He said, "This is yet another falsehood that has emanated from those who are simply up to mischief and who have been coerced into supporting Basdeo Panday as Political Leader."

Warner stated that in November of 2009 he requested 250 forms for Chaguanas West and to date has received none.

He said in December the Secretary of Chaguanas West Constituency Executive, received 50 forms for the 12 Executive Committee members of Chaguanas West and in 2008 two other constituency officials received forms.

"I therefore do wish to reiterate that no one has received any forms on my behalf or was authorized to so do and it is therefore not true for Ramnath to publicly declare otherwise," Warner said.

"Ramnath...(has) begun a campaign to create a perception that all participants have had equal access to membership forms," he said, noting that it is an exercise in damage control over the membership process, which "is already smeared with irregularity, inconsistency and illegality".

Warner also slammed Ramnath for publicly announcing his intention to endorse Basdeo Panday as Political Leader, saying it is a conflict since he ought to be neutral in his role as chairman of the Membership Committee.

"By endorsing a particular candidate the independence of the office and officeholder would be severely and ruthlessly compromised."

He suggested that such a move would taint the election and doubted whether the vote would be free and fair when the chairman of such an important body stands in support of a particular candidate.

Warner said he opposes the proposed plan to endorse Panday, adding that it "vindicates my assertion that the election has been overtaken by a Panday clique obsessed with regaining power illegally."