UNC delays membership list again; Warner furious

Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner is angry over a report by the United National Congress (UNC) to further delay the release of the preliminary membership list for the party's internal election on January 24, 2010.

Warner had complained before when the party failed to publish the list at the agreed date of January 2, 2010 to Tuesday January 5. On Monday, a top UNC official announced a further delay to the 9th or 10th of the month, citing workload pressures.

Membership committee Chairman Kelvin Ramnath told media in Trinidad Monday that it was difficult to get staff during the Christmas break to complete the project, which involves thousands of new members.

In a strong letter to the elections committee chairman Kemchan Ramdath Warner expressed disappointment that so far he has not received a response to his letter of January 2 about the delay in the lists.

And he said even while that matter is before the party, "I am compelled to write to you again as there have arisen further issues which place the integrity and transparency of the election into question."

Warner noted that during television and radio interviews Monday Ramnath "shockingly and outrageously announced that the delivery of the membership list was to be further delayed and were to be finalized hopefully by 9 or 10 January, 2010."

He said, "This is slap in the face of every member of the UNC who for years have yearned for these elections. Mr. Ramnath's explanation that they did not expect the barrage of fresh membership applications and that it was difficult to get persons to work during the Christmas vacation is a most puerile excuse proffered."

He said the inability of the party to put together its membership list after all dates were decided upon long ago "is an indictment on the leadership and the work of both the Election and Membership Committees."

He reiterated the point made in his letter dated January 2, 2010, saying "this unilateral decision to postpone the date of the final list has thrown the entire election into disarray."

He added, "This further delay has also almost crippled the preparations of prospective candidates", he said noting that it is too close to nomination day on January 11.

"When and how would prospective candidates peruse and make objections to the list? This latest postponement has literally made these elections impracticable and unworkable," Warner said.