Jack quits as MP: "Don't cry, I'll be back!"

Jack Warner acknowledges supporters in Felicity Thursday night. Express photo

Jack Warner said Thursday night he is resigning his seat as the MP effective Friday at midnight. 

He made the announcement at a political meeting in Felicity. “I wish to let you know that tomorrow, Friday, I would be advising the Speaker of the House of Representatives that effective midnight on Friday night I am resigning as Member of Parliament for Chaguanas West,” he said.

The Chaguanas West MP, however, said he is not going to disappear. "Don't cry, I'll be back," he said. 

He told supporters he would be present in Parliament Friday to take on Opposition Leader Keith Rowley. He added that at the by-election that must be held not later than 90 days of his resignation he would offer himself as a UNC candidate. “And come July 24, 2013, who knows with your love, your support and your understanding, I shall be your MP again," he said.

Warner also announced that he would soon launch a weekly newspaper called the "Sunshine". He set the launch date as May 24, the third anniversary of the People's Partnership victory over the People's National Movement (PNM). He said the paper is "designed to bring a new hope into your lives."

Warner said he had assured Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar that he would resign all his posts - cabinet minister, UNC chairman and MP - if necessary. He said he also told her that if he quit as an MP he would contest the by-election as a UNC candidate. "I am UNC to the bone," he declared.

The former UNC chairman also spoke about what he called "the character assassination, the slander, the ridicule of my family and the abandonment of long-time friends". 

He was emphatic that he had no issue with his party and his political leader. "I stand here tonight void of hatred, animosity or ill will for my Political Leader, my party, your party, our party, the United National Congress or the People’s Partnership Government.”
Warner spoke about the issues that were raised with respect to his business dealings and the matters raised by the Concacaf integrity report. He said he showed her documents to clarify his situation and produced the same documents at the meeting.

"I told the PM that in order to give her peace of mind that I will resign on Friday, April 26, 2013, thereby giving me enough time to tie up some loose ends at the Ministry as well as discuss the SOFA Bill in the F&GP Committee—a Bill to which I had serious objections. 

"Our Prime Minister is a very brilliant legal mind and I do believe that she followed my presentation and the facts. Following my presentation, the Honourable Prime Minister advised me that she will consider my resignation offer. 

"I then left the Prime Minister’s residence with the intention of going to a puja in Trincity but upon coming outside of her office I saw three MPs lurking outside the room, one of whom has been my consistent antagonist. And I knew then that everything I said to the PM would have been in vain. The rest is history.

Warner said he does not blame the PM and suggested that she gets bad advice from some advisers 'to her detriment and to the detriment of the country."

The ex-cabinet minister said it is easy to fight external enemies like the PNM and Keith Rowley, but it is much more difficult to fight enemies within.

“We cannot win as a party if a Cabinet member bears so much malice as to deprive me from telling my side of the story by instructing CNMG to cancel the coverage of tonight’s meeting,” Warner stated.

With respect to FIFA he suggested that all his troubles were spawned after he fell out with FIFA president Sepp Blatter. And he insisted that he has done nothing wrong.

“Every vicious allegation levelled against me is without basis,” he said.