Warner says he'll quit UNC if Panday and team win UNC election

Jack Warner said on Thursday morning he will resign from the United National Congress (UNC) if Basdeo Panday is reelected leader of the party in Sunday's internal election and if the Panday team wins a majority.

He was speaking in an interview on Power 102FM. He said it is pointless holding on in a party that has no prospects of ever winning an election.

However, he still thinks that UNC members would reject Panday and he predicted that after Sunday's election "Mr Panday would be history." He said in a free and fair vote, the team that opposes Panday would win a landslide.

Warner also said he is frustrated with the manner in which the party has handled the planning for the election, but trusts the members to make the right decision.

He spoke about what he called dishonesty by three members of Panday's team, including Wade Mark and Vasant Bharath.

He said both of them were on the planning committees and were part of the whole planning process, with access to all kinds of confidential information and then suddenly resigned to run as candidates in the election.

Warner, who is running for the post of chairman of the UNC, said he would never associate with Panday again. He said if he had known what he knows today about Panday he would have never joined him for the 2007 election.

"If I could live my life again I would have nothing to do with Panday," he said.

Asked why he is involved in politics in Trinidad and Tobago, Warner explained that it is the only vehicle to help people. He said he is dedicated to helping those in the society who are less fortunate and politics is the only vehicle to achieve that goal.

He also said he is confident that he can win his Chaguanas West seat again without Panday's endorsement because of the service he has offered to his constituents.

Warner also said he chose to endorse Kamla Persad-Bissessar for the leadership because she is the best among the three candidates. He also once again dismissed suggestions that he has an incriminating file on the Siparia MP. He noted that he has already explained that he made that comment in "political banter" and insisted that as far he is aware, no such file exists.

Commenting on why he chose not to support Ramesh L. Maharaj, who was a member of the now disbanded Ramjack team, Warner said Maharaj is not electable as leader. "I like him, people like him as an Attorney General, as a crime buster, but not as leader," he said.

Warner also spoke about comments made by Panday in which the UNC leader called the world football body, FIFA, the most corrupt organization in the world. Warner is vice president of FIFA.

He suggested that Panday is being a hyprocite in making such a statement when he willingly accepted FIFA's VIP hospitality for the World Cup in Germany.

He wondered why Panday accepted all the "freeness" from FIFA for the tournament, including first class air fares, transportation, tickets and other generous hospitality.