Warner denies having letter for President on change of opposition leader

The Chairman of the United National Congress (UNC), Jack Warner, had denied a report in the Newsday newspaper that quotes Warner as saying a letter has been prepared for President Max Richards seeking to have Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar appointed Opposition Leader.

The Newsday report quoted from a letter allegedly written by Warner: “We the undersigned Members of Parliament in the House of Representatives who do not support the Government hereby advise Your Excellency that Member of Parliament Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar commands our support in the House of Representatives and, we kindly request that she be appointed as Leader of the Opposition in the House.”

But in an interview with JYOTI Friday morning Warner denied that such a letter exists. He said he did not advise the journalist who wrote the story of any letter and he has not approached any MP to sign any letter to be sent to the President.

The UNC's national executive meeting agreed Wednesday that the political leader would call MPs to discuss the matter. Warner said he following guidelines established at the executive meeting.

Former UNC leader Basdeo Panday is still the leader of the opposition and will remain in the post unless he is ousted by a majority of opposition MPs supporting the new leader.

Some MPs have already said they would support Persad-Bissessar on this issue but so far there is no consensus.

On Thursday the Caroni East constituency urged its MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh, to back Persad-Bissessar.

Newsday reported that Gopeesingh told the paper that he has not seen the letter from his constituency executive and does not even know if the executive met.

The paper quoted Gopeesingh as saying the matter is irrelevant since his executive has not been properly constituted. "I can’t act on one correspondence, I take no instructions from them. I will not allow political blackmail to push me into a certain course of action. I find that deplorable.

"This calls for a great deal of introspection and analysis on the matter. When I receive the letter I will decide on which future action I will take,” the paper quoted Gopeesingh as saying.

The paper said Persad-Bissessar declined comment on the issue but said she had been in contact with several MPs, whom she would not name.

It quoted her as saying it would be premature to comment.