Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says she does not understand why Jack Warner resigned as Chaguanas West MP and party chairman when he stepped down as national security minister. She also says she has no quarrel with him and still holds him in high standing because of how much he had done for the UNC.
Speaking at a political meeting at the Asja Girls’ College in Charlieville, Chaguanas, last night, Persad-Bissessar said she only raised some issues about Warner that were important, at the party’s Monday Night forum, because people had asked about it. She said she was disappointed that her comments had been interpreted as an “attack” on the former MP by certain factions.
“Let me tell each and every one of you, no one, absolutely no one, would understand the anguish I have experienced over this entire matter,” Persad-Bissessar said. “No one is as conscious of the contribution and sacrifice made by so many persons towards the resurgence of our great party. High on that list, and he will remain high on that list regardless of whatever circumstance we encounter, is the name of Austin Jack Warner.”
She said last Monday, “with great pain, I outlined to you why we as a party, with a greater responsibility to country and nation, had absolutely no choice but to select Khadijah Ameen as the (by-election) candidate.” Dealing with the reason why she accepted Warner’s resignation as a minister, she said because of the findings of the Integrity Committee of Concacaf and Warner’s decision not to attend important meetings on security issues abroad, she had no choice.
Persad-Bissessar said she immediately confronted Warner and told him of the dire consequences facing the PP Government because of the Concacaf report. “The result of this meeting was Warner tendering, and I, with the deepest of regrets, had absolutely no choice but to accept, his resignation, as a Cabinet member,” she added.
Persad-Bissessar said, however, that she “had no discussions with Warner about the other important positions he held at that time, that of Member of Parliament, representing Chaguanas West and chairman of the UNC. “His virtually simultaneous and abrupt resignations from both these positions, made without warning, were startling, shocking and to me personally, utterly regrettable,” she said.
Persad-Bissessar said she was “totally perplexed and to this date I cannot understand the rationale that he felt he must seek what has been called ‘validation.’” The PM said: “If there was any need for validation, were there not other ways that validation could have been achieved? I would have thought that validation and vindication would come from clearing his name. “Was it necessary to resign and throw the constituents of Chaguanas West, indeed the entire country, into the turmoil of a by-election?”
She said she “certainly wished we were not in this situation...but here we are. I certainly did not want so many of our people to be in this predicament.” She questioned the need for Warner to form his own party, however, saying this seemed to be the start of an attempt “to bring down your government.”
The PM also criticised Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley for his offer of friendship to Warner, “hoping for a repeat of 2001 when Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, Ralph Maraj and Trevor Sudama conspired with the PNM to betray and undermine the elected UNC government. “Rowley is a disgrace to his office and he is the worst (Opposition) leader this country has ever had,” she told supporters.
“And now he behaving like a true raging bull again...coming to your home and being bold and farse, trying to take away your land that your government has reserved for the landless. “And now Rowley is talking about elections coming. Well, I have a message for Dr Rowley...the only election that is coming is the local government election and the one on July 29. “The people elected us for five years and we will be in government until 2015...and then we will win again. So don’t expect any general election soon, Dr Rowley.”