Chairman of the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation Khadijah Ameen has joined the race to be selected as the United National Congress’ representative for the July 29 Chaguanas West by-election. Ameen, who is also currently acting as the party’s chairman, yesterday confirmed to the T&T Guardian that she would be facing the UNC screening committee at Rienzi Complex, Couva, around 9 pm tonight. However, she said she preferred not to make any additional comments.
Ameen is among seven candidates who will be trying to replace Jack Warner as the party’s candidate in the by-election, the T&T Guardian understands. Manohar Ramsaran, himself a former MP, and pundit Satyanand Mahabir are among the other contenders. Warner goes before the committee around 7.45 pm with the full backing of 31 party groups from the constituency. Asked yesterday if he plans to go to Rienzi Complex with the usual barrage of banner-waving supporters and tassa drumming, Warner said he did not know what his supporters were planning. He said his track record of representation could not be surpassed by any other MP who had represented the area.
He also dismissed a poll that gave Mahabir 60 per cent of the support in the area. Warner said the poll, commissioned by Mahabir, was just another attempt to breathe life into a lifeless candidate. Mahabir goes before the screening committee around 7 pm and said yesterday he planned to present himself as the voice of the youth. Ramsaran, 63, said yesterday he was so confident he would get the nod that he had resigned his job as sports manager with the Tourism Development Company on Monday. “I brought Warner into the UNC. Now that he is leaving I could be coming in,” said Ramsaran, who goes before the committee at 8.15 pm. He was scornful of the poll which gave Mahabir the big advantage. “He got 60 per cent in his own poll. If you hold your own poll I would expect you to get 100 per cent.” Dave Tancoo, the party’s general secretary, said he was not at liberty to release the names of all the candidates nor the number of candidates, for reasons of confidentiality, but said the party would name its choice by Friday.