Jack Warner went into Macaulay in the heart of the Tabaquite constituency Friday courting votes for the January 24 internal election of the United National Congress (UNC).And he told constituents he is running for the post of chairman because "I hear the cries...as you struggle for a better life".
He said the party is facing a leadership crisis because of a lack of vision by party leader Basdeo Panday and his opponent in the election, Vasant Bharath.
"You cannot be a leader and ask others to follow you if the path upon which you choose to embark is not where we want to go," he said noting that both men have nearly destroyed the party.
He charged that one third of the national executive was illegally selected by Panday and accused Panday of changing the rules to suit his convenience.
"The National Executive was filled with men and women who no longer cared about the institutions of the party...(they) abandoned their oath to remain faithful to the constitution and demonstrated flagrant abuse to its tenets and principles," he said.
He pledged that as chairman "this party will rise again" adding that he will set a statutory date for the internal elections so that no one would deny the membership of their right to vote.
Warner charged that the UNC leadership has manipulated the voters list for the election saying the evidence is clear because his phones have been ringing off the hook from financial members who say they cannot find their names on the list.
Warner repeated his concerns about three members of the Panday team who are also members of the UNC's elections committees.
The party has dismissed Warner's concerns saying that Vasant Bharath, Wade Mark and Ramlochan Panchoo are legally contesting the election because they have now resigned their posts on the elections committees.
But Warner said their resignations do not change the fact that as committee members they were exposed to sensitive and confidential information, which placed them at an unfair advantage over other contestants.
"How can Basdeo Panday and Vasant Bharath expect this population to trust them with their vote when in simple matters of internal governance they have displayed so much corruption?" he asked.
"How do they expect to get into government if they succeed in stealing these elections? By droves many members will leave the UNC because of being denied their right to vote. Are these the leaders that this UNC party needs?"
Warner said Panday has so far failed to give UNC members a valid reason why they should return him to office. He promised that when he is elected chairman he will remodel the UNC, align it back to its morals and tie it back to its moorings.
"Don't allow yourself to be conned on January 24. They conned you once; shame on them, they con you twice; shame on you. The unity of Basdeo Panday and Vasant Bharath has broken all the guidelines of good leadership; they must never be forgiven. They must be voted out and never ever be given the opportunity to embarrass you the members of this party," Warner said.
He also slammed Panday for personal attacks on his opponents and called on the membership to condemn Panday "for the unconscionable and ingenuous way they attacked Sister Kamla Persad Bissessar and me."
He warned that it will get worse in the final days. "We have heard of a plan to manufacture a story to discredit Kamla her in the meanest possible way. I put you on notice with the hope of stopping them in their tracks," he said.
He also warned that if members don't make the change now they will never get another chance.
"I therefore now ask all of you in Trinidad & Tobago to join Jack's army. The problem with Basdeo Panday and Vasant Bharath is that they aim too low for this party and having attained their goal as members of the opposition, they are contented to remain in that position," he said.
Warner outlined a long list to show why members must reject both Panday and Bharath and said they must elect him because of his performance and track record as an MP.
"Do not get distracted by trivia from the Panday camp; stay focused. Panday's lies are Panday's goodbyes...be sober in your judgment and prudent in your action.
"I implore you to weigh the evidence and give your vote to Kamla Persad-Bissessar as Political Leader of the UNC and Jack Warner as Chairman...Now is the time for Change...You are the people to do it."
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