In its short five-month lifespan, the Independent Liberal Party has fought three elections and faced public scrutiny usually reserved for political groups much older. There is speculation that the incessant media attention is due in part to its interim leader, Jack Warner, who was dubbed “the newsmaker” since his previous incarnation as a main force in the United National Congress (UNC).
Since he resigned from that party and started his own to contest the Chaguanas by-election back in July, Warner’s ILP has been seen as the third major political force in the electoral landscape. As the party kicks off its first national convention today and seeks to ratify its constitution, it does so amid another shocker; the impromptu resignation of its interim chairman, Robin Montano. Last week Montano submitted his resignation to the party, citing party errors and decisions taken without reference to the party’s executive.
This latest blow comes on the heels of the public resignation of councillor Faaiq Mohammed, who voted against the party in the Chaguanas mayoral election last month. Since then, Mohammed and Warner have engaged in cross talk in the media which stopped when Mohammed filed a gag order in the high court demanding Warner and his agents stop any negative statements against him. Warner’s young party is also recovering from the loss at the St Joseph by-election.
Warner, in a telephone interview on Thursday, said this first national convention would feature the National Alliance for Reconstruction’s Carson Charles and a representative from the Antigua/Barbuda labour party. “At this convention the ILP proposes to ratify its constitution, confirm the interim management committee and bring organised structure to the party,” Warner said in a media release. He said today’s meeting would be a “watershed day” for the citizenry.